The Mercury Retrograde Tarot Spread

Just when I finished my last post about Venus Retrograde, Mercury Retrograde (RX) was looming on the horizon.

Mercury RX is a regular occurrence, happening three to four times a year for around three weeks.

During this period, the closest planet to the sun appears to be moving backwards when observed in the sky.

Everyone seems to get really flustered when Mercury goes retrograde, so I've created the Mercury Retrograde Tarot Spread to soothe your nerves :D

It's the planet of communication and travel (and all things Magician!), so expect misunderstandings, important emails ending up in your spam folder, software updates going wrong and disrupted travel plans during this time.

During Mercury RX it is worthwhile paying more attention to legal documents and the smallprint, choosing your written and spoken words even more wisely, and trying to avoid publication launches like blogs, websites and magazines.

The best way to understand what retrograde means in terms of energies surrounding us, explore the reversed meanings of the tarot cards linked to that particular planet, in this case all the cards linked to Mercury.

Explore these cards to discover specific areas you will need to pay attention to that can be affected by Mercury retrograde.

For the spread, shuffle your deck and draw a card for each of the following topics:

1. Communication Hiccup
2. A resource I'm lacking
3. Where I self-sabotage
4. Trickery
5. What to leave behind (or not!)
6. My power
7. My special skill

Mercury RX can also be surprisingly beneficial. Rather than rushing into signing a big contract purchase, let it rest to mull it over for a while.

The same applies to asking for a pay rise, booking a holiday, or feeling the urge to text your ex in the middle of the night.

Just leave it until Mercury has stationed direct again, and by that time you might be very glad that you did.

If you would like to learn more about how to combine tarot with astrology, then please check out my Starlight Tarot Astrology course.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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The Venus Retrograde Tarot Spread

Venus Cards in the Tarot, Universal Tarot (c) Roberto de Angelis, Lo Scarabeo 

Venus stations retrograde about every 18 months for around 40 days, and because it is one of our closest planets, the energies can be felt more intensely.

In the Tarot, Venus is linked to the Empress and all the other cards you see on the image above.

This means that Venus retrograde can affect your self-care, love life and money issues.

Venus is all about love, beauty, creativity and abundance. When it’s retrograde, we just need to pay more attention to those issues.

You may also receive some tough love during this time, learning lessons about love and relationships the hard way.

Imagine the cards above (especially the Empress) reversed; that’s what the energy of Venus Retrograde can be like.

Here are a few things you may want to avoid during Venus retrograde:

• Major changes to your looks, like a new hair cut, hair colour or tatoo. You might regret it later.
• A tendency to neglect your wellbeing, perhaps due to demands at work, home or self-imposed stress.
• Extravagant purchases, which could leave you in debt, or spontaneous purchases, where you realise later that you don’t need these things.
• Committing to a relationship. There may be a change of heart when Venus goes direct again.
• Reconnecting with an ex lover

To explore your personal DOs and DON’Ts, try this Venus Retrograde tarot spread using only the Venus cards in the Tarot:

1. Reflect on…

2. Embrace…

3. Avoid…

4. Create…

5. Learn (from)…

6. See the beauty in…

7. Find abundance in…

You can also do a second reading using all the cards of your deck.

Download the printable Venus Retrograde journal page on my Ko-fi page:

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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Tarot Love Readings - The Relationship Card

The Vampire Tarot - (c) Robert Place

What makes a relationship tick?

It's always fun and insightful to explore its dynamics and compatibility in tarot love readings.

Often, random cards are drawn in a spread, which is fine, but you can also learn more by working out the couple's relationship card.

For this, you need to know each person's personality card and add the numbers of each card together, which gives you the relationship card (The Fool = 22).

I demonstrate this with the personality cards of me and my ex - haha, it's a crazy fun mindfluff, but it also offers some revelations about what the heck went wrong ?

So this is me (9 - Hermit) and him (4 - Emperor), add both numbers together, which makes Death our relationship card 😱😂

Well, Death kind of says it all; a Hufflepuff Hermit (zodiac card Knight of Cups - Pisces) trying to make it work with a Slytherin Emperor (zodiac card King of Swords - Aquarius). You can literally feel the cracks forming.

However, Death also indicates that this relationship was transformational in some way.

For me it has helped shift a lot of old baggage, uncomfortable at first, but in the end one of the happiest breakups I have experienced 😃

And what do all the other Major Arcana cards mean as relationship keys?

Here are my suggestions:

1 - The Magician: The only way the Magician can come up as a relationship card is when based on a combination of the Fool (0) and the Magician (1), but because the Magician doesn't exist as a personality card (birth dates don't add up to 1), it also won't come up as a relationship card.

However, the energy of the Magician is inherent in the numbers 10 and 19, and therefore Wheel of Fortune (10) and the Sun (19) relationships have the power to master and resolve any situation that comes their way.

2 - The High Priestess: The only way the High Priestess can come up as relationship card is when combined of the Fool (0) and the High Priestess (2).

A soul connection; mutual understanding without exchanging words. There is a sense of belonging and having known each other for ever. Spiritual nurturing; but also the danger of loosing sight of reality, mixing up naivity with spiritual maturity.

3 - The Empress: a creative connection; family. Traditional roles; physical and sensual attraction are key. A sense of belonging and longevity. A successful partnership. Thrives when mutual interests include spending time in nature.

This relationship doesn't work well if it's long-distance or there are longer separations, e.g. extensive business travel.

4 - The Emperor: Strong and committed. This relationship is built on mutual aspirations and ambitions. Both can rely on each other in good as well as bad times. A power couple. Needs to avoid neglecting emotional needs, when focused too much on the business and practical side of the relationship.

5 - The Hierophant: Two people sharing the same values. Traditional, conservative, conventional. Strengthened by taking time for travel, cultural experiences, art and philosophical discussions about politics, religion etc. Avoid lack of change and intolerance.

6 - The Lovers: A constant balance of head and heart. Obstacles and difficulties are overcome with love even if the mind suggests otherwise. Deep down there is certainty that love prevails and both are committed. Opposites attract. A tendency to avoid conflict or frank discussions, which can cause anxiety and deception.

7 - The Chariot: Both people in this relationship prefer to be independent, e.g. keep their separate bank accounts, homes, etc. They walk next to each other rather than towards each other, and yet they are deeply connected. A competitive streak; enjoying sports and travel together. Too much self-reliance can cause detachment. A need to set clear boundaries and keep eyes on mutual goal and aspirations.

8 - Strength: An exciting combination of lust and passion, which won't be tamed by love and long-term commitment. Heated arguments followed by passionate reconciliation. Power struggles; taming of the shrew. Beauty and the beast. A need for reflection and giving the other space from time to time.

9 - The Hermit: Down to earth; practical; no pretence. A relationship built on honesty and trust. You are true to yourself individually and true to each other. Loyalty. An ideal business partnership working well together. Two introverts found each other, who need to ensure that the relationship keeps growing by pushing their individual comfort zones.

10 - Wheel of Fortune: A karmic relationship; two people have found each other at the right time and know they belong together despite a difficult start. A need to know your purpose as a couple, e.g. starting a family or engaging in social activism, starting a business, helping others etc. If this common purpose is unknown, then feelings of restriction and limitation can come up.

11 - Justice: Equality, fairness. Fairly give and fairly take. A slow starter turning into a strong relationship after much consideration. Harmony; pleasant togetherness. A social couple with good circle of friends. Avoid blaming the other in crisis situations, and try not to focus too much on the other's flaws.

12 - Hanged Man: Obstacles and difficulties can easily stop this relationship in its tracks. Making sacrifices or simply surrender to outside influences are often the only solution to make it work long-term. Patience. Avoid stubbornness and rigidity; an open and flexible approach is required.

13 - Death: This card doesn't necessarily mean the end is unavoidable or even in sight. It can be the opposite: lively and transformational for both. Many changes determine the flow of this relationship, e.g. house moves, jobs, family, and the need for constant re-invention and adaptability. It's intense and any resistance by one or both can indeed mean the end.

14 - Temperance: Opposites attract; making it work requires skill, but with time harmony prevails. A healing relationship. A magical mix of commitment and independence. Playful. Experimental. Finding a middle ground. Avoid pretending that all is fine when it isn't; frank discussions and conflict help to find solutions and rebalance your equilibrium.

15 - The Devil: Even though this relationship starts off based on strong mutual attraction (so much so that lust and passion can suck sanity out of both parties),  there is danger of codependence and loss of spark in the long-term. That's because this couple has made a commitment to each other, and they don't want to break it lightly. This is a positive attitude and combined with keeping love and romance fresh and adventurous, this relationship can keep thriving. Avoid power struggles and competition with each other.

16 - The Tower: Mars rules this relationship, which can be tempestuous, destructive but also liberating at the same time. There is no codependence here; two people have minds and aspirations of their own, which they are determined to pursue. One person doesn't give up their dreams only to make the other happy. Tolerance and serenity will help weather any storms.

17 - The Star: Optimism, peace and calm dominate this relationship. Drama doesn't belong here, and any crisis situation is handled with pragmatism and recognising the bigger picture of what is truly important. A strong but gentle bond. No need to get married; perhaps even no need to live together and yet nothing keeps you apart on a spiritual level. Both allow each other space and freedom.

18 - The Moon: a deeply emotional bond; often conflicting emotions, filled with an abundance of imagination and fantasy. A romantic love that may not be the ideal match when looked at in the light of day a couple of months down the line. Nothing is sensible or rational here, but love and infatuation rule in a lingering way. Avoid pull-push scenarios, i.e. leaving and coming back. This will seriously affect your mental health and self-esteem.

19 - The Sun: a glorious life force; whole-heartedness, giving love and affection to each other generously. A relationship that boosts confidence and wellbeing. Quarrels are quickly forgotten. Bringing the best out of each other. A social couple with many friends, enjoying life and fun times. Avoid egotism and self-centredness, which can put a dampener on this relationship.

20 - Judgement: The longer it lasts, the better it gets. Over time, the healing power of this relationship is revealed, having a profound effect on both. In this relationship you can let go of old wounds. A deep bond growing over time and together, this couple can achieve more than indvidually on their own. Mutual help and support. Avoid taking the other for granted. Be prepared to forgive.

21 - The World: Grounding and solid. You know where you stand with each other, accepting each other the way you are. A great foundation for a family. A feeling you have arrived and nothing can tear you apart, except when you start to feel stifled wondering, if there is more out there when contemplating the rest of your life. The antidote to this is celebrating and enjoying life together. Avoid routine turning into complacency.

Remember to take your personality cards into account when exploring your relationship card, which can give you a more insightful portrait of your relationship.

You can also use the relationship card to explore connections with challenging people in your life, e.g. parents, children or siblings to work out issues and possible solutions.

Have fun, and let me know how you get on. I'd love to hear from you💚

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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5 Proven Ways To Become A Confident Tarot Reader

Most aspiring tarot readers not only wish to read for themselves but also for others, which requires a certain level of confidence.

Often that confidence is hampered by self-doubt and other insecurities.

How can you overcome that nagging feeling inside of not being good enough?

Here are five steps you can take to become a confident tarot reader:

1. Learn to embrace the Tarot as a way of life.

For example, it’s early in the morning while I’m writing this, all is quiet, I’m savouring my first coffee of the day – feeling like the Nine of Cups and Queen of Wands all in one 🙂

How are you feeling right now? Which card/s spring to mind?

Connect the Tarot with your life, and all will start to fall into place.

For many students, this approach has led to a breakthrough in their studies. Learn to apply it in my Discovery Tarot Course.

2. Intuition – tune in by taking a couple of conscious breaths.

Listen to your inner voice. Pay attention of feelings and images coming up when drawing a card. First impressions are often meaningful. The more you tune into the image, the more will emerge.

3. Trust – You need to learn to trust your intuition and your inner knowing.

It’s all there inside you. Believe in yourself. Trust that whatever comes up in your head is meant to be.

4. Have the courage to leave your comfort zone behind.

When learning the Tarot, it’s new unknown territory. It’s normal to feel nervous (especially when you read for others), but it’s also exciting.

Be prepared for not getting it quite right sometimes. It’s all part of the learning and growth process.

5. Last but not least, be patient and persistent.

It takes regular practice to improve and deepen your skills. Although with basic knowledge of the Tarot you can quickly do simple one-card readings, mastery doesn’t happen overnight.

It's also useful to find a tarot buddy you can learn with, perhaps join an online tarot study group, where you can meet like-minded souls and get some personal support.

Enjoy the journey⭐

Christiane

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Finding Direction in Your Life with the Tarot

Smith Waite Tarot, Centennial Edition

If you are feeling a little rudderless and wonder where to go from here or if you're on the right track, then it can be helpful finding direction in your life with the Tarot.

Autumn is Hermit season (he's linked to Virgo), and at this time of year questions about purpose, progress and direction often pop up in people's minds.

First, contemplate the symbolism of the Hermit.

He's reached the top of the mountain (the one that is in the background of the Fool), and with his lamp illuminating the way he is trying to find a path down the mountain on the other side.

The top of the mountain represents the current situation, a milestone, where he is right now in his life. What next?

In practical terms, this can relate to a job, relationship or lifestyle choice you are thinking about.

Try the following spread to explore your current path, a path that is open to you or the path you wish to take:

Path - Obstacle - Growth

Example - a relationship situation:

Sharman Caselli Tarot Deck

The Seven of Swords as the current Path suggests something being hidden, which needs to be revealed, or at one point the truth will come out. There's a need to be open and honest, with yourself and the other person.

The Knight of Swords as the Obstacle suggests cruel words, accusations, quick judgement, but also brutal honesty, which can clear the air but can be hurtful.

Avoid nastiness and words you may regret later. Be kinder than you want to be.

The Three of Pentacles as Growth indicates the possibility of reconciliation and rebuilding of this relationship in a healthier and more sustainable way.

Lessons learned include a greater mutual understanding, building trust with honesty and supporting each other.

Support may also come from a third party, like a family member, friend or counsellor.

Here's another spread to explore your current situation and new direction:

Where I am now - Where I want to be - Action to take

Here are some spreads that help you make choices:

Choice a - Choice B - What you need to know to decide

You may even have the choice between three options, so add Choice C if necessary.

Heart - Mind - Balance

Torn between head and heart? This can relate to a career change for example. How can you balance your conflicting thoughts and feelings?

What I want - What I need

Morgan Greer Tarot

What you want is not always what you need right now.

The Sun suggests the desire for happiness, but the Three of Swords may indicate that you need to work through some unresolved grief first.

And if there is no grief in your life, why are you not happy? It's your choice.

Here are some journaling prompts that can help you find purpose and direction:

• What gives me joy?
• Where do I need to be patient (or have been patient for too long)?
• What do I need to release?
• What do I want to walk away from?

Wait and See

Sometimes it is counter-productive to think too much or putting pressure on yourself.

It is actually okay to float for a while and let answers come to you while searching for some inspiration (another Hermit hobby 😁)

Here are some cards that indicate the need to be still, to contemplate, to surrender to the present, to wait and see:

Tarot cards indicating contemplation, wait and see, a new direction ahead... Sharman-Caselli deck

The High Priestess: The mother of wait and see. Silence is golden. Be still and listen. Sit back and observe.

Two of Swords: Caught between a rock and a hard stone; trying to balance heart and mind. There is no harm taking your time. Procrastination can lead to a situation resolving itself or a decision is made for you.

Four of Swords: Take time out from over-thinking. Just rest. Before you can make any kind of decision or gain clarity about what to do next, you need to unplug from the overwhelm for a while.

The Hanged Man: my year card in 2012, and it took me a whole year to start moving again. At one point you just have to surrender, bend rather than break. It's not always down to you, so go with the flow. In your own time.

Seven of Pentacles: a choice between something established and something new. The new is still a seed and needs more attention before you can see its true potential, so be patient and let it grow while you still nurture what you have. And that new seed may never grow into anything. Time will tell.

Seven of Cups: a castle in the sky, which needs a solid foundation. Daydreaming about beautiful possibilities is fun, sometimes it's all you need. Sometimes you don't need to turn a dream into reality, as long as it makes you feel happy and inspired.

Finding direction with the Tarot is a fun and insightful way to reorganise conflicting thoughts and gain some clarity before you take the next step on your journey.

Want to learn more? Check out my tarot courses and ebooks.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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How Curiosity Can Boost Your Happiness

“Why is it that when one man builds a wall, the next man immediately needs to know what’s on the other side?”  

- George R.R. Martin, A Game of Thrones

Do fears, low self-esteem, and other self-imposed restrictions hold you back? 

You might be surprised to learn that developing and nurturing a curious mind can help you overcome these blocks and boost your happiness.

As children, we had no inhibitions when it came to expressing our creativity or exploring unknown places.

However, as we grew up, we started to develop insecurities and self-doubt, which have become difficult to shake off."

Curiosity is a surprisingly simple and useful tactic that will help you make some positive changes, and that’s why I included it in the Cosmic Journaling Oracle.

Next time you feel fearful, try approaching the situation with curiosity instead.

Explore despite your fears. Express yourself and be curious about where it leads you.

Invited to a party, where you don’t know anyone but the host?

Say yes, even if you fear awkward moments or lack confidence talking to people. Be curious about getting to know new folk.

Show off your art anyway, even if you fear criticism or rejection.

Be curious about what people have to say. Even ask them for feedback. Wouldn’t it be great to know what people think rather than making assumptions?

Be curious about different places to visit, different music, food, activities, even a different career.

Curiosity boosts your happiness as it creates excitement and the thrill of conquering fears and self-limitation.

“A much more interesting, kind, adventurous, and joyful approach to life is to begin to develop curiosity, not caring whether the object of our inquisitiviness is bitter or sweet.”

- Pema Chödrön

Curiosity in the Cosmic Journaling Oracle asks you to replace any blocks you have with a sense of wonder and the open mind of an explorer.

Explore new opportunities and experiences.

Instead of No, say Yes. Why not?

When this card comes up in a reading, ask yourself:

• When were you last curious about something? Did you ignore the feeling or embraced it to experience something new?
• What do you need to be more curious about in your life? You could draw an additional card to find out.
• How has curiosity affected you in childhood? How does it affect you as an adult?
• Has curiosity at any time got you into danger? If yes, when and what’s the story? How was it resolved? What did you learn from it?
• Likewise, when this card comes up in a “what not to do” position, you may want to avoid being nosey, e.g. meddle in other people’s issues that are none of your business.

And curiosity isn’t about being reckless, ignoring your inner alarm bells ringing, getting yourself into danger or gamble all your life savings…

The Cosmic Journaling Oracle is now available as a digital edition together with a guidebook containing journaling sheets and other printable goodies.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane 🦄

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How To Create Your Own Oracle Deck

It is surprisingly easy to create your own oracle deck. That's because anything goes.

You don't need to be artistically talented. You can choose your own artwork, but you can also use photography, your own or stock and public domain images.

It can be any theme, with or without keywords, phrases, size, any structure you like.

You can even choose how many cards your oracle deck contains. It's all down to your imagination.

But you need to ensure that the deck you create actually works in a reading.

When I created the Cosmic Journaling Oracle, I applied a little trick to give it structure:

I used the Major Arcana from the Tarot to cover a universal range of life experiences, so the oracle would offer meaningful advice in readings.

For this purpose, choose an upright and reversed keyword for each of the 22 Major Arcana cards, and hey presto, you have the titles for 44 oracle cards.

For example:

• The Fool - new beginnings, folly
• The Magician - potential, trickery
• The High Priestess - intuition, illusion
• The Empress - creativity, lethargy
• The Emperor - leadership, control
• The Hierophant - stability, dogma
• The Chariot - independence, struggle

Once you have completed your list of cards you want to create, you can decide whether to just use the keywords or turn them into a phrase.

For example:

• New beginnings: A new journey bears risks but also great reward.
• Trickery: Beware of deception. Not all is what it seems.
• Stability: A solid foundation provides security.

You can also expand on these phrases. In fact, if you don't have the artwork for your oracle deck yet, you can just print the oracle messages.

I have done this for the Mainfest Change Empowerment Cards and the healing cards included in Cosmic Journaling Through The Year.

Next, print your cards. Insert them in a Word table (you can also do this in Google Docs) and convert the document to PDF:

Cards printed on 180g light blue card stock suitable for inkjet printers

For the artwork I have used my own photography.

Check out How to create your own Tarot Deck for more information on photo editing websites and where you can get your deck printed, if you want to sell it.

However, as a first step create your own oracle deck for personal use and try it out.

A handmade oracle deck would even make a great gift for a friend, who is into this kind of thing 🦄

Tip

Just in case you do decide at a later stage to have your deck printed by a printing company, make sure the size of the images complies with standard playing card sizes, otherwise you will have to reformat all your images, which would be a lot of unnecessary extra work.

You can find the sizes on printing companies' websites, most of which will have templates for you to download.

You can choose from mini size (like mine) right through to tarot/large playing card sizes. Some companies even offer round and square card printing.

Try this...

An oracle deck with keywords can also be used as a random tarot spread generator, a technique I have already mentioned in my previous post.

Simply draw three cards to create your spread. Here's an example:

You can either formulate a question around each keyword or just keep as it is to read intuitively with a tarot card drawn for each keyword.

Now it's over to you to create your own magical oracle deck, or make a start by downloading the digital edition of the Cosmic Journaling Oracle.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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The Magic of Doing Nothing

Cosmic Faery Tarot

Many people live busy lives full of errands, commitments and self-imposed recreational activities such as sports, social events and travelling.

Perhaps they want to give the impression how fun and interesting their lives are, an they believe that an admission of doing nothing could damage their reputation.

I’m doing nothing sounds a bit like I’m being lazy.

Doing nothing makes some people feel guilty, as doing nothing is a bit of a taboo in our society.

If you do nothing, you’re a lazy waste of space.

But of course, there is nothing wrong with doing nothing.

Doing nothing means you don’t have any commitments.

You don’t need to rush anywhere.

You have time for yourself, and can do what you like.

And those are the moments when magic happens.

Suddenly you aren’t busy, which can make you feel a bit lost.

Good.

Feel lost and savour that moment. Make yourself comfy on the sofa and put your feet up. Close your eyes and relax.

Listen to the silence, or listen to the radio.

Look out of the window with your cat.

Make yourself a cup of your favourite beverage and savour it in peace without any pressure of having to dash off soon.

See how your plants grow in your house or in your garden. Smell the flowers.

There is absolutely nothing you should do. The time for commitments and errands and work will come back again later.

But not now. Enjoy the moment. It will give you strength when you remember it later with fondness.

Suddenly you decide to look through your book collection or some old photos.

You may just decide to have a bath.

Or light some candles on a gloomy, rainy day.

Maybe you are thinking of leaving the house for a walk. Or you might just stay in.

Meditate.

Write in your journal. Doodle.

You see, even though you think you are doing nothing, you are actually doing something.

In those moments when you surrender to the bliss of nothingness, you are resetting your brain. Unconsciously, you are looking for inspiration.

Cosmic Journaling Oracle

Rather than letting the outside world with all its activities influence your thinking, you are taking back control.

Your brain has to adjust to standing on its own two feet, using imagination and jumpstarting your creativity. 

You begin to generate ideas, like you want to tidy up your messy desk, or you want to bake a cake.

These ideas spark your passion and enthusiasm.

Once you have decluttered your desk, it looks inviting. So you sit down and start writing or crafting or whatever you normally do at your desk.

Doing nothing can contribute towards wellbeing and growth. It relieves tension.

⭐Give yourself permission to do nothing⭐

You will feel so much better afterwards. Don’t feel guilty. You will have done more good by doing nothing than you think.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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Combining Tarot And Oracle Cards In Readings

Combining tarot and oracle cards in a reading can offer you a fresh and innovative approach to divination.

There are no rules except experiment and use your imagination.

For that reason combining tarot and oracle cards can be confusing at first, so I've come up with some ideas on how to get started.

Take a look at the following image. How would you interpret the cards to answer the question?

Cosmic Faery Tarot and Cosmic Journaling Oracle

While the tarot card in the centre offers you an overall theme or direction, the two cards of the oracle deck focus on specifics.

Sometimes it is the clarity and succinctness of the oracle that can help you pinpoint the true heart of the matter.

It can offer straightforward and immediate empowerment, something you can act upon straight away.

Instead of Help you could have drawn the Six of Pentacles from your tarot deck, or the King of Swords instead of Knowledge. Possibilities for interpretation would have increased but also become more vague.

What also works is the complementary artwork of both decks, which can make readings more fluid and coherent.

Here are more examples of tarot and oracle decks that work well together:

1. Rider Waite Smith Tarot - Pixie's Astounding Lenormand

Can you combine Tarot and Lenormand cards in a reading even though they are totally different systems?

Yes, why not? If you want to learn more about the Lenormand system, check out Lenormand Reader.

In the meantime, here is a 3-card reading I have done to address a possible career move using Tarot and Lenormand cards together:

Here, the focus is on the Tarot while the Lenormand indicates underlying influences / energies.

The centre card is the heart of the matter surrounded by two energy cards, whereby the card on the right offers an insight into future development / possibilities / direction of this situation.

Eight of Pentacles / Tower: Effort, mastery, a full schedule; being immersed in work. The Tower suggests that the working environment allows advancement, but bureaucracy can be stifling. Timing (Lenormand): 19 days or weeks, so this can be a long-term situation.

Three of Cups / Tree: The total opposite to hard work is having fun and joyful times with people. The need for work-life balance. Reaching out, being social. The Tree suggests that this will maintain health and keep me grounded.

The Star / Child: (Starchild!) Hope, optimism, the future looks bright. The child suggests new beginnings albeit on a small scale. Timing (Lenormand): soon, so there could be some short-term developments that may lead to new opportunities in the future.

Tree - Tower - Child: It is also interesting to look at the Lenormand row separately for additional information.

The combination of Tree and Tower suggests hospital, and funnily enough my part-time work is based in a health service/care environment.

The combination of Tower and Child suggests child welfare, adoption services and teenagers. I'm blown away how much this relates to my work and life (my teenage son lol).

The bigger picture is slowly emerging from this Tarot/Lenormand combination.

2. Morgan Greer Tarot - Chakra Wisdom Oracle

If you would like to combine tarot with chakras, then the Chakra Wisdom Oracle offers a great introduction to chakra balancing and healing.

The spread in the above image is taken from the Chakra Wisdom guidebook and about removing blocks:

What do you perceive as a problem: Empress - Instinct (trusting inner guidance, solitary journey, self-reliance, moving into sovereignty)

What is blocking you: Three of Pentacles - Impatience (wishing for quick results, being exhausted by efforts, forcing something, uncooperative people)

What would create a breakthrough: Six of Swords - Impartiality (take a step back, detach from emotions, take a break, distraction can offer new perspective)

What you must do to create what you desire: Knight of Wands - Insecurity (tackle insecurity by being bold and taking risks; be more confident about your abilities / opportunities)

The tarot cards (Morgan Greer) in this reading  point to the how, why and where. 

In order to get used to combining tarot and oracle cards, you can try this reading using both decks seperately and see what information would be missing by only using one deck.

3. The Wild Unknown Tarot - Connected & Free Oracle

Here, I have used the Connected and Free Oracle to determine positional meanings for this 3-card spread with the Wild Unknown Tarot:

Surrender: Son of Wands (Knight)

Beginnings: Daughter of Swords (Page)

Be You: Six of Pentacles

I love how you can create new intuitive spreads with the Connected and Free Oracle. Here's another one:

Sun's Rays (what is becoming clear)

Flying High (what will accelerate creativity / raise your vibes)

Slow down (where do you need to take it easy / rest / slow down)

4. Bohemian Gothic Tarot - Madame Endora's Fortune Cards

For this tarot and oracle combination, I have chosen a 3-card spread from the Cosmic Tarot Faery Guidebook:

Reflect: The World - The Sphinx (Choose your words carefully)

Illuminate: The Sun - The Harlequin (True feelings are masked)

Discover: Knight of Cups - Fire (Reckless actions lead to conflict)

I love how Madame Endora's Fortune cards offer a sinister but revealing twist to this reading with the Bohemian Gothic Tarot.

Again, explore the difference if only one of these decks was used for this reading.

If you are new to combining tarot and oracle cards, you can start off by drawing an oracle card at the end of a tarot reading as a special message or overall advice.

For this purpose, use an oracle deck with phrases or complete message rather than just keywords such as the Spirit Oracle:

On the other hand, when you do an oracle reading, you can begin by drawing a tarot card to determine the theme or situation.

As you can see, possibilities are endless, and I have only scratched the surface with this article.

Hopefully, my suggestions offer you inspiration to start combining tarot and oracle cards. You will find that this technique will open up a new dimension in your readings and uncover new insights.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

Connect with me on:

Substack - Live more Magic

Medium - Simplify your Life

Ko-Fi - Creative Tarot Journaling

Manifest Change Empowerment Cards

Whether change is forced upon us or we actively seek it out, we must either learn to adapt or take the initiative to make it happen.

Once we have the will and commitment to embrace the new, letting go of our old lives can be painful, and we can easily fall into the trap of procrastination.

It’s time to examine our habits, beliefs, behaviours and thought processes to make conscious choices about what we need to strengthen, release or change in order to heal and grow.

We need 30 days to free ourselves from outdated thought and behavioural patterns.

During that time it is essential to take action every day towards manifesting the desired change.

After that, another 70 days of daily practice will help to anchor the new patterns in our mindset, so they are more likely to be permanent.

100 days is the magic number, but if you can stick to 30, then you will be well on your way to where you want to be.

So what can you do each day that will help you transform your life?

Hop over to my Ko-fi space and print the Manifest Change Empowerment Cards I’ve created, pull a card each day and take action according to the message.

The idea of these cards is to shake up your routine and push your comfort zone a little on a daily basis.

The cards are divided into three types:

1. Mantras

Mantras are just like affirmations, but they work by repeating them throughout the day in a musical way.

Basically, sing them! Create your own melody, which will help you remember its powerful message, and gradually it will help you eliminate negative thought patterns.

Mantra cards are marked with - M -

2. Explorations

These are prompts to help you explore your way of thinking and how you can unblock and actively influence your mindset.

You can use tarot or oracle cards with the explorations, and it will be particularly helpful to record them in your journal.

Exploration cards are marked with - E -

3. Actions

These are tasks you should do on the day you draw one of these cards.

I have made these actions as practical and easy to follow as possible, so please try to stick to this rule, even if you only spend ten minutes on it.

You’ll be glad to did it afterwards!

Some of the actions are also worthwhile journalling about. Record what you did, how it turned out and made you feel.

Action cards are marked with - A -

All you need to do now is download and print the cards (36 plus bonus cards and blanks for your own messages) on cardstock or heavyweight paper (min.120 gms), cut them out and start using them.

Please do let me know how you get on with them. I’d love to hear from you.

And if you like the cards, please share a link to this post with your friends. Thank you💚

Warmest wishes,

Christiane 🦄

Connect with me on:

Substack - Live more Magic

Medium - Simplify your Life

Ko-Fi - Creative Tarot Journaling