Turning a Crisis into a Transformational Journey

At one point in our lives, we will all encounter a major crisis point – bereavement, divorce, relationship breakdown, unemployment, ill health, financial hardship, mental breakdown…

When you experience a significant Tower moment, the initial shock and feeling of numbness usually develops into a variety of painful emotions, from anger to depression.

What will keep you going is your focus on moving towards acceptance of the situation to allow for subsequent recovery and healing.

Each person deals with pitfalls and setbacks in their own way and in their own time.

While some people quickly get back on their feet, others take much longer to come to terms with their situation.

The Tarot is an excellent tool to help you on your way to recovery and renewal. A simple healing spread used regularly can help you improve the way you feel and transform your life over time.

Turning a crisis into a transformational journey is an 8-card spread that can assist you on your way towards healing.

You can use as little or as many cards as you like.

Choose from the following prompts, which are most relevant to you, or use all of them as a powerful healing meditation:

1. Where I am on my healing journey at this moment in time
2. A strength of mine that will help me today
3. A weakness I need to overcome
4. What is blocking me
5. What I need from others to help me heal (you don’t need to do this on your own)
6. What I can do today that would make me feel better
7. Spiritual Lesson
8. Affirmation

As you can see, there are eight positional meanings for this spread. Eight is the number of regeneration and rebirth.

The Star, numbered 17 (1 + 7 = 8), usually depicts an eight-pointed central star.

cosmic faery's healing cards meanings — Printable healing cards inside Cosmic Journaling Through The Year

You can lay out the cards in a star-shaped arrangement to help you manifest the healing and transformational powers of the Star and this spread.

Numerically, the Star is linked to Strength, numbered 8 in Rider Waite Smith based tarot decks.

In addition to this healing meditation, you could also explore, how the energies of Strength can benefit you on your healing journey.

Would you like to learn Tarot for self-development and healing? Check out my Discovery Tarot Course.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

5 Insightful Ways To Use Tarot For Self-Development

There is so much more to Tarot than just simple fortune-telling, and if you are looking for an empowering companion on your life journey, then choose the Tarot for self-development, healing and personal growth.

Here are five ways you can use the Tarot to increase awareness, perception, knowledge and understanding – qualities and skills you need to make the most of all aspects of life:

1. Setting Goals and turning them into Reality

Many people float through life without any clear direction where they want to be.

And if they do know where they want to be, they often don’t have a clear plan about how to get there.

This powerful monthly manifestation spread can help you focus on turning your dreams into reality:

2. Increase Confidence and Self-Esteem

The first step you need to take to raise your confidence and self-esteem is getting to know yourself better and start believing in yourself.

Many people are doubtful and insecure about their talents and abilities, their worth in terms of personality and looks.

Chances are high that you are much better and stronger than you think.

Learn more about your strengths and weaknesses by checking out your personality and persona cards.

You can also use tarot spreads to explore and give your confidence a boost, such as the Magick Monday Confidence:

developing confidence tarot spread

3. Problem-Solving

Virtually every day we ask ourselves how to resolve specific problems, so why not ask the Tarot for some guidance:

How to resolve a conflict in a relationship or at work?
How to overcome an obstacle?
Why can I not reach my goal and what can I do about it?
What can I do to bring new love into my life?

Unblock yourself with the Get Unstuck Spread:

4. Healing from Heartache

“Breaking up is never easy, I know, but I have to go. Knowing me, knowing you it’s the best I can do.” – Abba

Recovering from a breakup isn’t easy, and nobody will blame you for temporarily self-medicating with bottles of wine and tubs of ice-cream.

But there are also healthier and more therapeutic options. Combine Tarot with journaling to make sense of the whole thing, so you can get closure and move on with your life.

There are so many spreads about overcoming heartache. You may be asking yourself if he’s coming back or will you ever find new love again, but exploring what will grow from your loss can help you shift your focus to new opportunities:

Christiane

Fabulous Freebies

discovery tarot course self-study edition — Learn Tarot for self-development – my Discovery Tarot Course includes FREE creative journaling ebook and printable mini tarot deck

Tarot Journey: Return To The Light

the sun, cosmic faery tarot After a dark and gloomy January here in the UK, February has finally arrived.

I can sense a sudden exhilarating shift in my mood as if a button has been pressed in my brain.

The days are getting longer, the snowdrops are blooming, the crocuses are on their way, I’m looking out for buds on shrubs and trees…. on our tarot journey, it’s the return from darkness into the light. Yay!

The return to the light is symbolised by the Sun in the Major Arcana. Before we embrace this positive energy of joy and enlightenment, we can put closure on the darkness with this little spread:

Now that we have put the darkness to rest (at least for a while), we can focus on the lighter side of life – creation, success, clarity, simple abundance, vitality.

In the Tarot, when the Fool reaches the Sun, he has reached his goal. He is exactly where he wants to be.

In the RWS deck, his achievement is symbolised by the red feather on his head on both cards and the sun in the sky, which has turned from white (beginning) to golden (completion):

rider waite smith fool and sun — Buy the borderless Smith-Waite Centennial Edition

In the Cosmic Faery Tarot, I have illustrated the Fool’s milestone as a seedling growing into a beautiful sunflower:

cosmic faery tarot fool and sun — Cosmic Faery Tarot

Working with the Sun, ask the following questions:

What has come to fruition?
What commitments have I made?
What do I now understand?
What can I celebrate today?
What is making me happy right now?

The Sun is very much about living in the moment, the here and now.

Just for a change, there is no need to make plans or think about the future.

What is most important is to savour the present and just be.

The Sun’s energy is linked to various cards in the tarot, most notably the Ten of Swords (Sun in Gemini), which depicts quite profoundly the emergence from darkness into the light.

If you are curious about your own tarot journey and want to learn more, check out my courses and ebooks, grab my freebies, or just hang out with me in the Cosmic Spirit Wellness community.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

Creative Journaling in Winter

Over the last couple of weeks, I have reduced my time on the computer as much as possible.

Of course I’m still available for readings and continue to respond to my students and messages I receive on social media.

But I also had the urge to get immersed into something tangible again, such as art and creative journaling, painting, paper crafting, mandala crocheting, baking cakes, reading inspirational magazines….

three sides to the story There was method behind this computer fatigue madness though; along the way I learned tons of new stuff and generated new ideas for future tarot and journaling projects.

Sometimes it’s vital to take some time out to explore new ideas, evolve and to keep the spark alive (or re-ignite it if necessary).

Perhaps you also feel like taking some time out, and if you are not kept too busy with family commitments over the Christmas / Yule holidays, then you might want to treat yourself to some creative journaling me-time.

snowland deck two of cups — “Reaching out to you.” #tarotguidancein4words – Two of Cups from the Snowland Deck

First, you could invest in a new Tarot deck to invigorate your intuition and refresh your perspective on the cards. A new and perhaps more unusual (non-traditional) deck may help you avoid stagnant “same old” readings.

Next, you could enrol on a FREE art and healing online course at Willowing Arts. I have recently discovered this network and look forward to diving in. There are two one hour tutorials to download, PDFs and a community to join. Perhaps I’ll meet you there 😉

More specifically on tarot journaling, you can try out my Winter Solstice Reflection, which can be found in my downloadable workbooks Cosmic Faery’s Journal and Tarot for All Seasons.

winter solstice reflection tarot spread As you can see from the image, there is a more arty journaling sheet for this reading in the workbooks, but you can also download the FREE version here:

Winter Solstice Reflection (PDF)

And for more journaling, you can grab your copy of the Tarot Moon Journal workbook and planner. Manifest your goals with the help of tarot, the moon and the zodiac.

Last but not least, in the spirit of the season, here is another gift for you, which may come in handy to organise your tarot journal or Book of Shadows – a winter themed journal divider / front cover:

Winter Journal Cover / Divider (PDF)

You can download the Autumn cover here.

Wishing you a Blessed Winter Solstice and relaxing holiday season.

Christiane

Using the Tarot to Communicate with the Dead

Samhain / Halloween is fast approaching, a time when the veil between the world of the living and the dead is at its thinnest.

So it comes to no surprise that if you wish to make contact with dearly departed, this is the perfect night to do so.

I am no spiritual medium and therefore no expert in making contact with dead people, but I do feel it is possible to have a conversation with them through the Tarot.

Many years ago I tried to make contact with my mum, who had died the year before, and even though nothing spooky happened during the reading, I did have some interesting dreams on several occasions afterwards, some of which where astounding to say the least.

This year I intend to make contact with my Dad, who passed over in July this year, so while I’m still going through the process of coming to terms with it, I have the need to reconcile with him in some way.

I do believe that making contact with a departed loved one can help bring some closure and therefore contribute to the healing process.

So, my advice is only to communicate with the dead, if your intention is reconciliation, closure and healing.

The Ritual

1. Questions

Before you begin, think about the questions you would like to ask your loved one. Write them all down, so you won’t forget during the reading.

Although it’s always worthwhile wording your questions wisely, you can ask anything you like, because you are trying to talk to someone you once loved (and still do), and they loved you too, so they won’t mind!

Questions like “How are you?”, “Are you at peace now?”, “What’s it like?” are perfectly okay. You don’t need to censor yourself. In addition you can also ask your loved one for advice just like you used to when they were still with you.

2. Timing

Do your spirit reading later in the evening on the 31st October. The best time would be around the witching hour. Make sure you won’t get disturbed by anybody, like those pesky trick-or-treaters or whoever lives with you.

3. Sacred Space

Set the scene with seasonal decorations, candles and crystals (see also Halloween ideas).

For this kind of work I love using my Black Obsidian Skull. The energetic vibrations of carved crystal skulls are said to make a mental connection with your brain, thus helping you to be more receptive to messages from the spirit world.

4. Grounding

Start with your usual grounding ritual and include a request to the spirit world, such as “Spirit world, please open up to me, so (insert the person’s name you wish to talk to) can talk to me.”

It also helps, if you have a personal item from your loved one you can hold whilst asking him/her to come forward.

5. Reading

Once you feel you are ready, or you may even feel the presence of your loved one, you can begin the reading.

Shuffle your deck while thinking of your loved one. For each question you have, pull a card. The messages you receive from the cards may be from your loved one.

I say “may”, because they may also be from your own subconscious, which knows the answers all along and has the desire to reveal them to you, so you can heal.

graveyard tarot spread — Click on the image to save, or open it in a new tab to see a larger version and share with your friends.

Either way, this reading can contribute to your healing process by helping you feel connected to your loved one and getting some answers you need.

If you are planning to do a reading that is focused on self-exploration, then you can try out the spread in the box on the right.

And last but not least, head over to my wellness blog to download my Manifesting Change printable healing cards.

Samhain Blessings,

Christiane

PS: You can find more Halloween Tarot spreads and journaling sheets in my ebook Tarot for All Seasons.

Autumn Equinox – Embracing The Dark Season

autumn equinox oracle card A friend of mine told me recently that she found the transition from summer to autumn hard.

The falling leaves make her feel depressed, and she was dreading the unavoidable approach of the long cold winter months ahead.

To a certain degree I understand her sentiment, but once you consciously decide to tune in and embrace the light and dark of all the seasons, you discover the magick and beauty of each one of them.

Just like the trees shed their leaves in the autumn, so can we shed old stuff that is holding us back.

The shedding of leaves is preparation for new life and growth in spring, and we can do the same in order to pave the way for new experiences and growth.

Today is Virgo’s (the Hermit) last day in the sun until Libra (Justice) takes over tomorrow.

Over the last four weeks, the energy of the Hermit has encouraged us to go inwards, reflect and explore what new skills to learn, new knowledge we can acquire and how we can turn it into wisdom that will serve us and others well in time to come.

The New Moon in Libra tomorrow invokes the energies of Justice, encouraging us to create and appreciate harmony in life, especially in relationships, including friendships that need building and nurturing.

So there is much we can do, and the approaching darkness will help us focus on what we need to do including planning and implementing.

Perhaps today at the time of the Autumn Equinox, or over the coming weeks until Samhain, you may want to consult the Tarot to explore some of the following questions to help you gain focus and direction:

1.What is holding me back right now that I need to let go of?

At this time of year with the energies of Libra/Justice, explore your options rather than making a decision. It’s about weighing up the pros and cons, so you can make your final decision by Samhain (31 October).

2. What new skills do I need to learn to help me reach my goals?

Depending on the card/s you draw, these could relate to

leadership and creativity (fire, wands),
emotions and relationships (water, cups),
mental challenges and conflict resolving (air, swords), or
hands-on practical skills and money management (earth, pentacles)

3. What can I do to strengthen my relationships with people that are important to me?

Remember that important people in your life are not restricted to your partner or close family, but also extended family, friends, co-workers, professional networks… Explore how you can build bridges, overcome conflict, encourage solidarity and teamwork, bring people closer together etc.

And here are a few other practical ideas to get you started:

make a to-do list
declutter your bookshelf to make room for new knowledge
network with people and see what you can do for them
when it comes to friendships, it’s not about quantity but quality. Only two genuine friends are worth more than a large bunch of acquaintances, who don’t care about you.
get your finances in order
avoid drama and the people creating it
enrol on a course

Wishing you a Happy Equinox and a magickal autumn season ahead.

Warmest wishes,

Tag: spreads

Turning a Crisis into a Transformational Journey

Christiane

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5 Insightful Ways To Use Tarot For Self-Development

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Tarot Journey: Return To The Light

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Creative Journaling in Winter

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Using the Tarot to Communicate with the Dead

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Autumn Equinox – Embracing The Dark Season

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The Autumn Divination Kit

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The Autumn Divination Kit

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