Permission To BE Cards

Our state of mind is complex and fragile. Most of the time we are focused on DOING and (OVER-)THINKING rather than BEING.

We don’t allow sufficient time to just BE, but now you can manifest change with my printable Permission to BE Cards.

Uncomfortable feelings, emotions and perceptions are often blocked out as we find it hard to face the pain they often cause.

Healing takes place, when we face the discomfort and sit with it for a while, so we can learn to accept and move forward.

Sometimes we are deeply entangled in acting in a particular way, because we feel obliged to live up to other people’s or society’s needs and expectations.

This may include working too hard or keep going in a job or relationship that no longer serves us.

We sometimes are up against prejudice and obstacles because of our gender, race or ideas and opinions.

We then need to challenge those obstacles within ourselves to break through and beyond.

Then there are the barriers and limiting beliefs we have cultivated ourselves, often because of the way we were brought up and as a result of trauma.

Self-Exploration

Drawing a card every day (or as often as you are called to do so) encourages you to question your ingrained habits, beliefs, attitudes, perceptions, and insecurities.

The prompts are intentionally open to interpretation to allow deeper exploration by generating questions and find solutions.

Some are very vague and meant to be humorous to encourage you to BE less serious and more light-hearted, having fun even when life seems a struggle.

This is a printable mindful activity card set for personal development, healing and transformation.

Simply print, cut out the cards and the mini reading mat, and draw a card.

• What does the card mean to you?
• How does it fit into your life?
• Is this something you are struggling with?
• Is this something you have been avoiding or are in denial about?
• How does it make you feel?
• Imagine Being like this or the persona. What would it BE like?
• What are you learning from it?

The Permission to BE Cards Set contains

• 108 cards

• six blank cards for your own choices that are meaningful to you

• mini reading mat (on the image above it's in purple)

• brief instructions

It comes as a 12-page PDF document that you can easily print on your favourite colour cardstock.

⭐Exclusively available on my Ko-Fi space⭐

Grab your set and start exploring TODAY💚

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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Being Creative During Challenging Times

I love creating Divination DIYs, and the other day, I created the mantra cards, you can see on the pic above.

I've printed mine printed on kraft paper, and used glitter pens to make the borders a bit more magical. 

In real life those cards look truly sparkly, and I'm using them for my meditation space.

I must admit that staying in the creative flow has been quite a challenge in recent months.  

After the novelty of lockdown had worn off, I began to realise how much I get inspired by travelling, enjoying quality time with friends and attending fun social events. 

They say you don't know what you are missing until it's gone, and I think that's happening to many people right now.

I also read the other day, that our brains have switched over to survival mode as a result of the pandemic and its global fallout, which can cause fatigue, lack of focus and a drop in creativity. 

That's so totally me🤪 But at the same time, I'm always on the lookout for inspiration, which I mostly find in books, magazines and podcasts, and suddenly an idea pops up 💡😃

I have found that the best way to recharge my creative mojo is to snap out of routines and shake up daily tasks and habits, taking small steps and enjoy the process rather than focusing on the outcome.

Recently, I've discovered the Hurry Slowly podcast, which is about finding more calm, comfort, and clarity through the simple act of slowing down. And I loved the Frida Kahlo and Tracey Emin biographies  - two very interesting and inspiring women🤩

What are you doing to keep yourself grounded, sane and inspired in these crazy times?

Let me know in the comments. I'd love to hear from you 💚

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

⭐Grab my printable Mantra Cards in my Ko-fi Shop⭐

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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

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Spice Up your Tarot Readings with Divination Add-Ons

If you feel your regular tarot practice has become a little stale or boring, here's a new way how you can spice up your tarot readings - simply add some divination add-ons like the ones you can see on the pic above.

While I've created just eight cards, you can add more prompts, such as

• enjoy/avoid
• learn/release
• think/feel

From your selection of divination add-ons, choose specific card pairs like yes/no, or draw random cards to create a spread.

How to use the cards

Each keyword can bring up a number of different questions, and your intuition will guide you to which question to ask.

For example:

Rest - What do I need to let rest for a while? What do I need to put to rest? What can help me rest?

Grow - What do I need to grow? What is ready to grow in my life? What needs tending to? What is growing? What can help me grow?

More - What do I need to do more of? What am I receiving more of? What do I need to be more?

Stop/More - If you draw two cards at random, you can combine them as follows:

If I stop doing this ...., I will get more of that.... 

or

I will stop this ...and do more of that...

(... = tarot cards drawn)

Simply go with the flow. Different questions or messages may come up for you when you tune into your reading.

Making your cards

Be resourceful with your cardstock - I've used a colourful cardboard box of paper tissues, which would have otherwise been thrown away. Upcycling rather than buying new.

I also decided to try my hand-lettering and doodling skills - not that brilliant, but I like it!

⭐If you would like to download my version of the cards, hop over to my Ko-fi page⭐

In the meantime, check out my video for more ideas:

Let me know, how my divination add-ons spice up your tarot readings. I'd love to hear from you 😃

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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22 Equinox Journaling Prompts To Balance Your Life

Today's Equinox marks the day when daylight and night-time are equal in length. It also coincides with the sun entering Libra, which is linked to the Justice card in the Tarot.

So, whether you are celebrating the Spring or Autumn Equinox, the common theme is Balance.

Hence, the following equinox journaling prompts are universal rather than specific to any geographical location. 

These prompts are designed to explore opposing energies in our lives and find ways to align, adjust, and integrate them.

Creating balance in your life is an ongoing process, and with this collection of seasonal prompts you can do some serious but also fun and fascinating soul work over the coming weeks.

Each prompt consists of two positions. Draw a card for each, and if you like you can also draw a third card to explore how to align the opposing energies.

22 journaling prompts to balance your life:

1. Withdraw from… / Connect with…

2. My heart / My mind

3. I learn / I teach

4. Denial / Acceptance

5. I am free to… / I am responsible for…

6. I am confused about… / This will give me clarity:

7. Imagination / Reality

8. Knowledge / Wisdom

9. My struggle: / My power:

10. I trust: / I doubt:

11. My plan: / My action:

12. I fear: / I embrace:

13. Habit / Change

14. Stop… / Start…

15. Renew: / Discard:

16. Slow down / Accelerate

17. Fly high / Lie low

18. My pain: / My pleasure:

19. This is ending: / This is beginning:

20. Conflict / Peace

21. I resist: / I surrender

22. I choose: / I receive:

⭐Play the Equinox Divination Game⭐

Just like the Solstice Divination Game, playing with these journal prompts doesn’t have to be limited to the time of the Equinox.

Play whenever you feel you need to create balance in your life.

Printable cards and instructions are available on my Ko-Fi page

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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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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 🦄

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How To Supercharge Your Daily Tarot Card Draw

When you start learning the Tarot, most books and more experienced readers recommend pulling a daily tarot card in order to familiarise yourself with your deck and the images.

At this stage there is no pressure to come up with a relevant interpretation; just record the name of the card on a sheet of paper together with a note of the day's events to compare.

The next step is to ask a question before you draw your card, such as "What do I need to pay attention to today?" 

Quicker than my more detailed one-card reading approach, the random question technique offers you new insights every day.

Asking a question will help you focus and make your daily draw a little more specific. Even better when you ask a different question every day.

For this purpose, I have compiled a list of questions you can ask at random:

1. What do I need to do differently today?
2. What do I need to embrace?
3. What do I need to avoid?
4. How can I invite positive change into my life?
5. What will be my strength today?
6. How can I tackle a challenge today?
7. What new opportunity do I need to look out for?
8. How can I be more positive today?
9. What new potential will be emerging?
10. How can I nurture new growth?
11. What do I need to let go of that prevents new growth / opportunities?
12. What can I be grateful for today?
13. How can I nurture myself?
14. How can I help others?
15. What can I let go of without losing anything?
16. How can I simplify my life today?
17. How can I increase abundance in my life?
18. What can I do to have a good day today?
19. What lesson will I learn?
20. What is happening in my life that I am not aware of?
21. What step can I take today to reach my goal?
22. How can I raise my confidence / self-esteem today?

Over time, you can add more questions to this list to expand your self-exploration.

And here is a cool way to choose a random question to answer each day:

✨Make your own question cards✨

Here's how:

Use old greeting cards you received (e.g. Birthday, Christmas, etc.) and cut them into mini size cards (mine on the image above are approx. 45 x 75 mm). Write a question on the back of each card.

Mix the cards and lay them face down. Pick a card and hey presto, you've got your question for the day.

As I mentioned before, you can extend your card set when you think of new questions you would like to add.

Take a look at what I have created:

Random questions are a great way to add variety and depth to your daily tarot card draws, and hopefully you are inspired to create your own set of questions cards 😃

For more journaling ideas, click HERE and follow me on Ko-fi for more inspo⭐

Also check out my latest ebook Cosmic Journaling Through The Year, which includes printable cards with above questions (and some new ones), healing cards and much more...

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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How To Make Your Own Rune Set

Would you like to learn more about runes and how to read them?

In this article, I'm showing you how you can easily make your own rune set and start learning the basics.

One of the tasks of the 30 day divination picture challenge I recently participated in was to write my name in runes.

That challenge reminded me of a fun workshop I enjoyed at a TABI conference many years ago, in which we created our own rune set on paper cards, and it also reminded me that I always wanted to learn more about runes.

If you feel the same and are curious about runes, you can make your own card set before you spend money on ready-made runes or rune decks.

Materials you will need:

• 200gsm heavy cardstock
• ruler
• ballpoint pen
• colour pens
• scissors (or guillotine paper cutter)

Instructions:

Cut the cardstock into 24 card squares measuring 55 x 55 mm. You can use ruler and scissors or a guillotine paper cutter.

Then fill out each card as per image on the left:

• rune in the centre with a colour pen
• name of the rune underneath
• corresponding alphabet letter in the bottom left-hand corner
• its symbolic meaning in the bottom right-hand corner
• divinatory meaning at the top

Scroll down for full list of runes and their meanings.

If you feel adventurous, you can choose more expensive card stock, glitter pens and stickers to make your rune set more special.

If you want to use coloured or patterned card stock, make sure it is white on one side, so you can write on it.

You can increase the size of each rune card (perhaps to the size of a standard Tarot card), if you want to add more information or illustration.

Once you have completed your rune set, you can start getting to know the runes by spreading out your set face down and picking one each day as a special message.

For more information about runes, try the following websites:

1. Divination using Runes

2. Futhark – Rune Meanings

Divinatory Meanings:

Fehu Frey - Cattle - Wealth, Energy, Mother Rune

Uruz Power - Wild Ox - Power, Creative Force, Health, Strength

Thurisaz Thor - Thorn, Giant - Protection, Irritation, Polarity, Regeneration

Ansuz Odin - God - Ancestors, Inspiration, Wisdom

Raido - Wheel - Journey, Growth, Rhythm, Solar Chariot

Kenaz - Torch, Fire - Clarity, Illumination, Knowledge

Gebo - Gift - Love, Sharing, Divine Interaction

Wunjo - Joy - Harmony, Contentment, Kinship, Heritage

Hagalaz - Hail, Air - Change, Transformation, Crisis, Egg of Life

Nauthiz (Nied) - Need - Necessity, Friction, Shadow, Distress, Recognition, Self-Reliance

Isa - Ice - Stasis, Blockage, Cosmic Coherence

Jera - Year, Earth - Harvest, Reward, Good Timing, Cycles, Right Action

Eihwaz - Yew, Horse - Protection, Endurance, Relationships, Twin Gods

Perthro - Hearth, Lot Cup - Risk, Gamble, Fun, Divination, Primal Law

Algiz (Elhaz) - Elk - Protection, Sanctuary, Awakening, Connection to Spirit

Sowulo - Sun - Hope, Warmth, Success, Wheel of Power, Thunderbolt

Teiwaz (Tir) Tyr - Victory - Justice, Analysis, Masculine Gods, Warrior Rune

Berkana (Beorc) - Birth - Fertility, Liberation, Earth Mother

Ehwaz - Two Horses - Harmony, Trust, Journey

Mannaz - Man - Community, Awareness, Order, Divine Union, Manifestation

Laguz - Lake, Water - Flow, Life, Vitality, Unconscious, Fertility, Renewal

Inguz (Ingwaz) - Fertility - True Love, Passion, Gestation, Growth, Music, Harmony

Othila (Othel) - Property - Home, Economy, Ancestral, Inheritance

Dagaz - Dawn, Day - Coming into Light, Intuition, Light Within

This is all the information you need to make a start. Please do let me know, how you get on. I'd love to hear from you.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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How to Create Your Own Tarot Deck

I first announced my intention to create a Tarot deck back in April 2012.

It was on a whim, although I had been playing with the idea to turn my own photography into Tarot images for years.

But this is what you do, when you have been working with the Tarot for a while: you look at your life and your environment with Tarot eyes!

First, you start to associate your everyday experiences with specific cards.

For example, last year was my Hanged Man year, I’ve been dealt some Tower moments in my life and made a momentous Lovers choice in the early 90s, which has led me to where I am today.

Then you start looking at your holiday snaps and think oh, that would make a great High Priestess or this is just the perfect Star for me, and so on…

My drawing talents are very limited, but with the advance of photo-editing software and online resources it has never been easier to turn regular photos into magickal images.

⭐If you are interested in creating your own tarot (or oracle) deck, but you cannot draw or paint, then consider using your own photography instead⭐

Here are some tips and resources to get you started:

1. Equipment

It’s perfectly fine to use the your smartphone camera. You can even use an easy-to-use photo app to edit and beautify your images.

However, I have found it easier to store and edit my photos on my laptop using the following web-based photo editing software:

https://www.befunky.com/

https://www.picmonkey.com/

https://pixlr.com/

These websites offer many free features, but you can also subscribe to premium membership to access even more.

2. Theme of your Deck

The deck I’m creating reflects my personal life – experiences, interests, philosophy and spirituality.

Think about the theme and framework of your deck, and choose your images accordingly.

For example, for a deck reflecting your personal life, you could include snapshots of family members as court cards (or the people cards of the Major Arcana), you could use a photo of your local church/mosque/temple/synagogue as the Hierophant card, etc.

Eva, Queen of Wands (c) 2013 Image used with permission

Next, you can add a specific atmosphere to the cards, such as a Gothic or whimsical feel by choosing the relevant location for your shot and/or adding effects with your photo-editor.

3. Getting Started

Set a realistic goal. Unless you are a prolific creator, focus on completing the Major Arcana first.

This makes your project seem less overwhelming, and it is very achievable.

Choose the image for each card carefully, but don’t spend too much time on each image either.

You can always adjust or change it later. That’s the beauty of digital work.

Make sure you save all your images (originals and edited) not only on your computer but also separately on a memory stick or in cloud storage!

4. Sizing and Printing Your Images

When you start creating your images, make sure you size them correctly from the start, otherwise you will have to resize your images later.

You can download Tarot card templates from Ivory Graphics, where you can also have your deck printed, once it’s finished.

 5. Designing Your Images

As you begin to use a photo-editor, you will learn to add effects and overlays to your images.

The first images I created were only cropped, resized and the titles and quotes added, but by the time I reached the World, I have learned to fuse various photos into one image.

It takes some experimenting, but you can do this too!

6. Copyright

If you are thinking of using images found on the internet as overlays for your own photo, then you need to be careful about copyright.

For example, avoid using celebrity photos for your deck, if you want to publish and sell it (this doesn’t apply, if you print your deck as a one-off for strictly personal use only).

Marilyn Monroe might be a great Queen of Cups, but her photos are still under copyright unless otherwise stated with individual images.

Use public domain images or stock images that you can buy or are offered free:

https://www.istockphoto.com/ (pay per image)

https://morguefile.com/ (free images)

Wikimedia Commons (public domain images)

https://pixabay.com/

7. Have Fun

Don’t put yourself under pressure by setting crazy deadlines. I don’t know when my deck will be complete, but my target of creating four cards a month is realistic for me. So, if all goes well, May 2014 is my big goal.

Enjoy the process of designing each card and find the right image. It has prompted me to visit new places just to capture a specific image. Creating my own Tarot deck has certainly made me go out there 😃

8. Turn Your Images into Posters and Art Prints

The completion of your deck might still be light years away, but that shouldn’t stop you from turning the ones already created into hard copies or even merchandise.

Check out places like Photobox, where you can turn your creations into all sorts of goodies – from simple prints and greeting cards to canvas wall art.

The process of creating my own Tarot deck has been so enjoyable.

I have gained confidence in creating artwork without the need to paint, and it has also been a kind of spiritual experience, because it has made me think about how the image of each card is reflected in my life.

With today’s technology, it has never been so easy to create your own Tarot deck. If you are inspired, go for it and make a start today.

Warmest wishes,

Christiane

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Ko-Fi - Creative Tarot Journaling