connecting with deck

Oracle: Deck Interviews – The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Deck

Today’s blog will be showcasing The Wild Unknown Animal Spirit Deck by Kim Krans.  This is a beautifully illustrated oracle deck.  On the surface the meanings behind the cards are simplistic, however these simple reflections to ask oneself can have you diving quite deep into yourself.
New Deck Interview
…5……6…
……4……
…3……2…
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1. Tell me more about yourself; What is your most important characteristic?
**Hummingbird**
Positive, Enthusiastic, Spiritually Resourceful
Inside the tiny hummingbird resides in endless well of energy and positivity. The hummingbird’s secret is that it has learned where to gather nectar, and it returns to these sources daily for nourishment and rejuvenation. The secret elixir springs from many sources, but usually involves nature, creativity, and exploring spirituality. Follow the way of the hummingbird and you cannot go wrong. Every drop of life becomes sweet, every moment worth savouring.

2. What are your strengths as a deck?
**Bee**
Earnest, Hardworking, Democratic
The Bee personality is a delight to be around, especially when there’s a team project on the horizon. Bees love to work steadily and thoughtfully until the final task is complete. They are sensitive creatures, aware of many subtleties at once. Since they’re artists at heart, they usually add creative details to the overall vision. For the most part they have bustling, joyous personalities… until they’re too tired from all the work… then they gripe. And then sting.

3. What are your limits as a deck?
**Owl**
Abundance, Clairvoyant, Treasures
The owl is a mysterious and otherworldly creature found in folklore from East to West. The white owl in this particular deck is the companion of the Goddess Lakshmi and represents wealth, beauty, and good fortune. When the owl card appears it’s an omen that a boon or treasure is on the way, either in spiritual or material form. With owl wisdom on your side, you’ll “see” and “know” exactly what to do with this boon… how it can further serve your dharma and bring abundance to the world. Trust that the wellspring of treasures is infinite.

4. What do you bring to the table; What are you here to teach me?
**Unicorn **
Reconnecting to higher wisdom or divinity
It’s difficult to see, hear, or think of a unicorn without immediately questioning if it’s real. Did they ever exist? Perhaps long, long ago? The Mind answers, “maybe…” or “it could be…” or “no way.” This very contemplation explains our relationship with divinity, and encapsulates our wavering belief in the Unicorn. We wonder what Divinity is. We wonder where our intuition comes from and if we can really trust it. We think about a higher power and our mind hesitates between yes, no, and maybe. Is it male or female? Does it have a name? Is it just a feeling? The Unicorn card appears and “wakes us up” to curiosity about the higher self and the Divine. It is a card of questioning, exploring, and contemplating the inexplicable. The mind’s eye knows there is something beyond our day-to-day lives, a deeper dimension to our experiences. The mind’s eye reaches and reaches and reaches out to grasp something more. You are the unicorn, and you have begun your quest for answers.
The unicorn and the sixth chakra
It’s no surprise the subtle essence of the Unicorn card resides at the third eye, the exact place from which the unicorn’s horn extends. This center is called the ajna chakra, or “command center.” The ancient yogis believed it to be responsible for intellect, intuition, and deepest wisdom. Some say our two eyes see the past and present, while this third eye peers into the future.

5. How can I best learn and collaborate with you?
**Whale**
Desire to delve deeper, Profound peace, Ancient wisdom
The whale represents profound emotional health and stability. Whale personalities are not afraid of emotional expression or traversing difficult terrain, as they have overcome many challenges in their lives. These experiences have enriched them, giving them stability, strength, and a depth that is rare. Whale energy is usually linked to the feminine forces of compassion and communication. We can depend on whale personalities when all else seems lost, and trust them to be the beacon in our darkest hour.

6. What is the potential outcome of our working relationship?
**Cosmic Egg**
Completion, Harmony, the infinite within the finite
The cosmic egg is the final card in the journey of the Animal Spirit deck, and it represents the unfolding of cosmic consciousness. This state emerges after we have tread the path for quite some time, and through self-effort and grace we experience self-realization. A sense of contentment and oneness spontaneously arises within us, and the veils of our self-limiting beliefs are lifted. When the essence of the cosmic egg has not been activated, we may feel as if we will never “get there,” or that we travel alone, disconnected from others. Even if our encounter with this card is brief, appearing as a momentary glimmer or flash of interconnectedness, it’s potent energy stays with us. It’s through the power of this card that we are reminded  of the cosmic contract written at the beginning – we hold on to life, and life hold on to us. The journey is complete, but it does not end.
The cosmic egg in the seventh chakra
The subtle essence of the cosmic egg resides at the crown chakra at the top of the head call the sahasrara. One of the aims of yoga and meditation practice is to channel energy from the base of the spine upward towards sahasrara. Each of the six lower chakras plays an important role along this journey, and once the final epicenter of consciousness is activated it is said to radiate the light of a million suns.

Overview:  This deck will provide a creative new perspective on things.  This deck is best suited for someone who is interested in doing work involved with spiritual and personal growth.  It is limited in the sense that it is not going to provide the insight for you, but rather guide you to find it within yourself.  This deck is designed to give you something to think about, to reflect on, to question within yourself.  Gently nudging you to your true path.  This deck will provide an opportunity to explore emotions that one may not have considered, or have been willfully repressed; essential to aiding in spiritual and personal growth.

Photo credit: Echoside Phoenix Rose 2018


Brightest Blessings,
Phoenix Rose
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Tarot Talks: Choosing a Deck

A conversation happened recently where a good friend was asking about the concept of how tarot decks have to be given to you, that you shouldn’t buy one for yourself. He threw out his deck based on this information he was told. While this old wives tale has a mysterious allure to it, almost a romanticism that somehow makes a deck more special, it is still just an old wives tale. There is an adage to “the deck must be given” and it’s “or stolen.” I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m not becoming a thief to acquire a deck, not in today’s day and age when they are so readily available!

Our fore-mothers, the old wives that made up all these tales, I do not wish to discredit them. There are still nuggets of truths that are valid today, though some things just no longer hold truth, and we need to use discernment in the now-moment.

I have been given decks that I absolutely adore. My first deck, Rider-Waite-Smith, was given to me. I did my best to use and connect with it. However, I didn’t really connect with it. I struggled with reading from it. I had it for a few years before I decided that I want a new deck. I was also gifted Mythic Tarot within this time, and it was without a book, I was lost with this deck and rarely ever touched it.

One day I found the Essential Tarot, a deck by Hansen-Roberts, and bought it on the spot from a local bookstore. I LOVED the artistry on the cards. Beautiful work. It is based on the RWS system, so I was familiar with it, but these pictures *popped* for me. I also enjoyed the accompanying little white book that came with it.  I used these cards with great success for the next decade.

I have since moved on from using the Hansen-Roberts deck. I picked up the RWS deck again and use it with much more success than I ever have. I have over two dozen decks now, half given and half I purchased by myself for myself. The ones I tend to connect with the best are ones I have been able to pick myself. This isn’t a truth across the board. I have picked decks that have ended up being a flop. I have also been given decks that have worked fabulously.

My point here: you do not have to be given a deck – or steal a deck – in order for it to “work” or for it to be “real.”

The skill to read comes from the reader, not from the cards. The cards are merely a tool to unlock your intuition. In this day and age with all the different artistry, and even pop-culture based decks, I would say choose a deck you feel you will connect with. It will be much easier to learn from if you enjoy the tools you are using.

Brightest Blessings,
Phoenix Rose
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Tarot Talks: How to Be Objective in a Reading

Last week I said that I would be posting sample questions and spreads for using tarot to navigate your life. However, I am going to go a different direction given a conversation I had this week with some dear friends in the tarot community. I do apologize and will get to it in a future post. This seemed like a more pressing thing to talk about as even the most skilled readers will ask other readers for input in interpreting cards for themselves. This is because it can be difficult to remain objective when you are too close to the situation.

We can’t see the forest for the trees.

How I learned to become objective for myself is to read cards for other people. Not close friends and family. Reading for absolute strangers (you can find many groups where readers do free exchanges). Reading for people or situations you know little about can have a great impact on exercising your intuition. One mistake I made reading for myself is that I would look up every single possible meaning of each and every card. I was on information overload. Not knowing which interpretation to accept. It was stressful to say the least.

When reading for others is when I stopped stressing over possible meanings.  If I did a 3-card spread I would literally only read the meanings of each card that pertained to the other cards in the spread. Nine times out of ten this hit the nail on the head for those I read for. This lesson is two-fold because I learned how to connect the card meanings to each other, which is common for any newbie to struggle with.

The following are some methods to remain objective in a self reading (or reading for a situation you’re too close to):

– Act as though you are reading for someone else, what would you tell them based on the cards you see?
– Act as though it is your Spirit Guide / Guardian Angel who is giving you a reading, what would they say to you through these cards? What kind words, advice or encouragement are they trying to send you?
– Make note of all the things that come to mind from your reading, ask another reader their input without seeing what you’ve noted, and compare what interpretations line up.
– Pick a book, or website, of interpretations that you don’t normally use and use strictly those interpretations (www.biddytarot.com is a great resource)
– Read for someone else, often there are messages in there for the reader as well as the querent.

Most important thing is to relax, breathe, and don’t take the reading too seriously. We can only perceive from our current mindset. If we are in a bad mood we are likely to only see the negative aspects of a card. Sometimes I take the cards at face value and see what humor I can see in the pictures (see below memes). It’s a valuable lesson in shifting focus. As that’s what you have to do to gain an objective perspective. Remove yourself from the center of the storm and get a bird’s eye view for more clarity.

What are some methods you use in remaining objective in readings?

Images found on www.facebook.com/dankesttarotmemes

Brightest Blessings,
Phoenix Rose
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Creative Tarot – New Series

I’m going in a different direction with tarot.  Today I am announcing a new blog series entitled Creative Tarot.

Tarot is and has been a useful tool in divination – the art of looking beyond what we can see with our eyes, for divine guidance or predictions and fortunetelling – for many ages.  Tarot has also been used for the mundane as in playing card games.  I will not be discussing interpretations, readings, history, or anything of that nature in this new series.

What I will be using the tarot cards for is to assist in creative writing.  Someone with absolutely no knowledge of tarot or their meanings can use this method to work in conjunction with a creative writing project.  While I do have knowledge of the card meanings, I’m not relying on that for creating a wee story.

I will be using the classic Rider-Waite-Smith deck, basing the story strictly on the pictures, and what comes to mind.  I will pull 3 cards per blog post, and 3 parts per series.  There are many decks out there, each with their own artwork.  The possibilities of using tarot in this way is endless!

Not only is this a fun and creative exercise using tarot or oracle decks in this manner, it also is an exercise in connecting with your deck, and expanding your intuition.  I feel the novice and adept alike can take something away from this creative process.

Stay tuned for part one in this Creative Tarot series.

I would love to hear your experience with putting this method to use!

Brightest Blessings,
Phoenix Rose
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