The Energy Tarot Spread

Welcome to Sagittarius Season ✨ How are you feeling energy-wise? Sagittarius is a highly active and volatile sign, linked to the Knight of Wands and Temperance in the Tarot.

In true Temperance style, we are all trying to make the best of the current situation and resources available, and the latter includes our precious energy.

So let's take a closer look at where our energy is best spent and how to sustain it with the latest tarot spread I have created.

This is a spread you can use any time, not just during Sagittarius season.

⭐Download and print the journal sheet on my Ko-fi page⭐

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

Connect with me on:

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Ko-Fi - Creative Tarot Journaling

The Mars Retrograde Tarot Spread

If you want to know what Mars Retrograde (RX) is all about, just take a look at the reversed Tower in the Tarot.

A picture says a thousand words, and in the current climate it rings eerily true.

Mars RX occurs just once a year or even every two years, but when it does, we can all feel that planetary kick in the bum somehow.

Mars is linked to the Tower in the Tarot, but it also rules Aries, the Emperor, and this year, Mars stations retrograde in Aries on the 9th September until 13th November.

So, we can also envision the Emperor reversed, a ruthless, destructive and despotic male figure with an inflated ego, lack of empathy and not a care in the world how much damage is caused while pursuing his dubious goals.

It's funny, how Mars RX timing coincides with this year's US election. But we don't want to dive too deeply into those events. We all know how divisive, tense and even violent the situation is.

Let's take a look at what we can expect in our own little individual worlds.

Reversed aspects of the Tower include suppressed anger, power struggles, an impending destruction, revelation, epiphany or even revolution.

Mars RX is about acknowledging what is really going on and facing facts, even though it's more comfortable sticking your head in the sand.

But ignorance isn't bliss, and sooner or later it all comes to a head. Boom!

But there are also positive Martian energies bubbling amongst the mayhem:

a fighting spirit, more ambition, standing up for what you believe in, courage to tear down restrictions and start again from scratch, purging outdated beliefs, making space for a breakthrough, a re-structure of your life, acknowledging misplaced anger...

When you reverse the image of the Tower, the figures seem to rise rather than fall, which reminds me of the Osho quote Don't fall in love, rise in love.

A radical change of perspective.

Whatever upheaval or destruction you are facing, it may push you into a new way of thinking and acting, or you will realise that you don't have a choice if you want to survive this storm.

Retrogrades tend to focus on activities starting with the preposition re-:

• re-visit
• re-purpose
• re-evaluate
• re-vive

...and so on.

Re-tro. Blast from the past. Re-surrecting the past (and maybe not in a good way...)

The old world order is breaking down and shaken up, but new possibilities and opportunities are emerging from the wreckage. Mars RX intensifies the emotional upheaval.

Here's a tarot spread you can use to explore how to make the most of the Mars RX energies:

1. Something I am angry about, and I need to acknowledge it:
2. How to use my anger in a more creative and constructive way:
3. What aspect of my life do I need to be more ambitious about? Where am I aiming too low?
4. What is worth fighting for?
5. What do I need to be radical about?
6. A sudden realisation:
7. A limiting belief I need to discard:
8. What I am trying too hard to control:
9. What needs rebuilding:
10. My new world order:

Here is a layout suggestion, which is inspired by the Tower:

Sharman-Caselli Tarot Deck

Have fun exploring this spread. If you found it useful, please do let me know and share this page with your tarot friends.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

Connect with me on:

Substack - Live more Magic

Medium - Simplify your Life

Ko-Fi - Creative Tarot Journaling

One Powerful Way To Overcome Your Fears

Our irrational fears have the power to stop us from living life to the full, but there are also proven techniques that help us overcome them.

We are all fearful of something, for example:

• fear of flying
• fear of public speaking
• fear of meeting new people
• fear of darkness
• fear of heights
• fear of change

What are the fears you are grappling with that hold you back?

There are thousands of websites with tips on how to overcome your fears, and Feel the Fear and do it Anyway is certainly good advice.

You need to embrace your fear and carry it across the threshold of resistance, a hard step to take, and many people prefer to avoid what they are afraid of.

But there is one powerful way to overcome your fears, which I want to share with you.

First, you need to know what fear does to your body.

Imagine feeling nervous about an upcoming job interview.

Your body reacts by producing adrenaline that is circulating through your body, increasing your heart rate and after a while making you feel sick.

Your nervousness, which is caused by fear, increases, and reaches its climax when you actually attend the interview.

By this time, some people are visibly nervous and have difficulties communicating clearly and confidently.

But a rush of adrenaline is also caused by another feeling:

⭐ EXCITEMENT ⭐

Transforming your fear into excitement makes use of the adrenaline your body is producing.

This way, you are not fighting your body’s reaction to your fear but transmute it into new, positive energy.

Instead of telling yourself that you are feeling scared or fearful, tell yourself that you are feeling excited.

Excited about

• meeting new people
• showcasing your skills and expertise
• finding out, if this new job will be a good fit
• this new opportunity on offer
• learning from this experience

The more you tell yourself that you are excited about this job interview, the more your fear will weaken and turn into positive energy.

While fear is negative stress that drains you, excitement is positive stress that makes you feel alive.

Perhaps this technique is putting a smile on your face, it may even sound ridiculous to you, but try it next time you are nervous or afraid.

Turn your fear into excitement.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

Connect with me on:

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Medium - Simplify your Life

Ko-Fi - Creative Tarot Journaling

Why You Need To Discourage People From Buying A Reading From You

Powerful Me Oracle Cards

I see it all over social media: tarot readers enticing people to buy their readings with discounts and other special offers. It's a bit like clicking the Buy Now button for an email reading as if buying a t-shirt.

But if you are a tarot professional, then you actually need to discourage people from buying a reading from you.

Let's pause for a moment and think. Buying a tarot email reading shouldn't be like buying a t-shirt. It's a spiritual service that offers reflection and guidance.

The last thing we want to do as tarot professionals is to lower a reading to the same level as making an Amazon purchase, which you can return for a full refund.

While requests for refunds are rare, they do occur, mainly because some clients don't like the message they receive, and others weren't bothered to  peruse your website to learn more about what kind of readings you provide and your terms of service.

You need to discourage people from buying a reading from you as part of your marketing strategy.

This includes making it clear on your website what kind of readings you provide and your terms of service, which may include a NO REFUND policy for readings already carried out.

The latter is your personal choice and depends on your willingness to put up with "tarot reading shoppers".

These are people, who buy a number of readings online from various readers on the same question, and if they don't like your reading, they'll ask you for a refund.

There is this idea that you should offer a "money back guarantee" to make it easier for prospective clients to buy, but when it comes to provide a tarot reading in good faith, you will have spent time to carry it out, and that time is worth money.

By discouraging people to buy a reading from you with a no refund policy, you give them another chance to think before they buy rather than clicking the Buy Now button on impulse assuming they can ask for a refund if not happy.

Also consider listing reasons why NOT to buy a reading from you.

For example:

Don't buy a reading from me, if you

• want a prediction and then wait for it to materialise
• don't want to be pro-active about creating your future
• want a quick fix
• want the reading to be a miracle cure
• reject new perspectives and viewpoints
• are fixed on a certain outcome
• want me to tell you just what you want to hear

This way you may well get less requests, but you will get better clients who know what to expect. They will be a better fit and make this work more rewarding for you.

While "negative" marketing seems counter-productive at first, it can help you find more suitable clients who you can connect with more easily.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this.

Wamrest wishes,

Christiane

Connect with me on:

Substack - Live more Magic

Medium - Simplify your Life

Ko-Fi - Creative Tarot Journaling

Pluto Retrograde Guidance And Journal Prompts

 

Looks like we're currently experiencing Plutonian times.

Speak of the Devil (quite literally as you will see shortly), Pluto has stationed retrograde on the 25th April in Capricorn and will turn direct again on the 4th October 2020, also in Capricorn.

Capricorn is linked to the Devil in the Tarot, and Pluto is linked to Judgement and Death (Scorpio's ruling planet). These cards already give us an idea of what we can expect over the coming months.

For more info on Pluto in the Tarot, check out my blog post HERE.

Retrograde planets often initiate a certain level of re-calibration, and Pluto is going to intensify the global transformation it already started back in January, when it  was conjunct with Saturn (linked in the Tarot to the World and ruling planet of Capricorn = the Devil!).

Pluto Retrograde can increase fear of death and also resistance to change.

The whole world is scared of Covid19, and extreme laws and restrictions (Capricorn, Devil, World) are likely to cause more suffering and loss.

On a global level, we will have to face some very inconvenient truths about existing structures and workings of society and make some drastic changes on a large scale that are likely to affect us all and future generations.

On a personal level, what can we do to weather the storm?

Without any waffle, I'm just listing themes and qualities here that we will all need to focus on and cultivate as a collective - they are all self-explanatory:

• kindness
• generosity
• mutual support
• active listening
• understanding
• cooperation
• speaking our truth
• courage
• engaging in debates
• contribute towards finding solutions
• be discerning, especially when evaluating information and motives of powerful and influential people (watch out for lies and propaganda fuelled by fear and greed)
• moral and ethical integrity
• sustainability

Here are some journaling prompts to explore the energies of Pluto retrograde in your life:

1. What change/ending/transformation am I resisting?

2. What is no longer working in my life?

3. What boundaries that I set in the past have turned into self-limitations?

4. How can I transcend these limitations?

5. What unnecessary baggage am I holding on to that needs shedding?

6. How can I stay strong during this time of great upheaval?

7. What/Who is controlling me?

8. How can I regain my independence?

9. What in my life is in the process of being birthed?

The impact of Pluto retrograde will be felt by us all for quite some time, but in times of adversity there is always potential for growth and spiritual advancement.

Striving to live our best lives by cultivating qualities as listed above will make it easier to rebuild, evolve and thrive once we have arrived on the other side.

Stay well, and speak again soon,

Christiane

Connect with me on:

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Medium - Simplify your Life

Ko-Fi - Creative Tarot Journaling

NEW! Powerful Me Printable Oracle Cards

What do you do when the world is in lockdown, and you're only allowed one trip to the shop a week and an hour a day of outdoor exercise in a public place?

I started creating some oracle cards just for fun, and slowly they evolved into a colourful set of empowering prompts, which happen to reflect the challenging times we are all currently experiencing.

And hey presto, the Powerful Me Oracle deck was born.

It consists of 36 cards, and I have also created postcards of my favourite images.

I've created these images on Freemix.com, and due to copyright reasons, they're not available for sale.

However, I will be adding the postcards on my Ko-fi page soon for free. Please follow me there to get notified when they are available.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

Connect with me on:

Substack - Live more Magic

Medium - Simplify your Life

Ko-Fi - Creative Tarot Journaling

The Lockdown Tarot Spread

It's only been a week of lockdown here in the UK, but it feels a bit like forever. 

So many things I realise every day that I can't do, like going for my eye test and dental checkup. Not to mention regular activities like meeting friends and family. 

Another two weeks of social distancing to go, perhaps even longer. If this situation isn't creating an epic global mindshift, I don't know what will.

While I was writing my newsletter the other day, I came up with the Lockdown Tarot Spread to explore how this time is shaping and changing and helping us grow.

I've decided to expand the original 3-card spread and turn it into a downloadable and shareable image. 

I hope you enjoy spending more of your time reflecting, observing, experimenting and learning with the Tarot. I will post more resources over the coming weeks. 

And if you like what I post, please do share links to my website with like-minded souls.

If you are new here, consider following me on Ko-fi to access tons of tarot and creative journaling resources.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane 🦄