Various Paganism, Tarot, Etc

Yule Lenormand Reading

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Yule Lenormand Reading with the Santa Claus Lenormand

What I need to complete.

The Ring and The Bed – You need to make sure that you are focusing energy on your commitment to getting back on track with your self care after the holiday rush. That commitment and determination needs to be resurrected and placed at the top of your priority list.

Where I need to protect.

The Chimney and The Bear – Protect and uphold your boundaries with yourself and others. Now is not the time to be lackadaisical about your boundaries or unobservant of those that might try to cross them.

What joy is coming.

The Garden and The Key – Remember that time with family and friends does not need to be a trial. It’s all in your perspective. If you are determined to have a bad time… you will.

DECK USED: SANTA CLAUS LENORMAND

Winter Solstice 2022 – Yule

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

The Winter Solstice is tomorrow! This holiday is (in essence) the Pagan equivalent to Christmas. Fun fact… when Christmas was placed on December 25th, the church chose that day to coincide with the pagan holiday of Yule (because as most know, Christ was actually born in the spring, not in December).

Although many of us have been feeling like we’ve been in it for months, the Winter Solstice is the “official” first day of winter, and marks  its spot on the calendar not by its date, but by being one of only two days each year where the daylight and darkness are equal.  In my path, this holiday marks a day of hope for the future, and candles are lit to celebrate the return of the sun as it begins to now become more and more prominent with each day that passes and every day becomes longer as the nights decrease.

Yule

Like with new moons and full moons, I usually do a spread to check in with myself and give myself some direction for the next couple of months for each solstice, equinox, and other Sabbats. This spread is an adaptation of my Self Care Saturday spread, so there are some similarities in how it is read. The focus of this spread, though, is not about Self Care, but rather about progress and my path. The time period is also longer, reaching through the next handful of weeks until the celebration of upcoming Imbolc at the beginning of February.

Winter Solstice Tarot Reading with the Pagan Otherworlds Tarot, Compendium of Witches Oracle, Solstice Cards, and Healing Herbs Oracle

Theme of the Season – Winter Solstice, New Moon, Zea Mays

The Winter Solstice is a time of celebration that the light is to begin returning to us.  From now on until  mid-summer, each day will be longer and each night shorter.  With the longer days and the return of the sun, the earth will begin to warm.  It is the very first step towards warmer weather, spring, and rebirth.

This year, the Winter Solstice lands on the Waning Crescent Moon. This is a very auspicious time for the Winter Solstice, as the holiday itself is about the end of the cold winter and rebirth of light upon the world as the days begin to become longer. With the Waning Crescent Moon, we see themes that do with putting away and setting aside the old so that we can begin making room for the rebirth to come.

Corn (Zea mays) is associated with the sun and the elements of fire and earth, and are often associated with good luck, abundance, prosperity, and the balance between life and death.  Arriving as it does in this card on Winter Solstice, this card reminds us that the sun will soon come again.  It is a promise of what is to come, just as this holiday is as a whole.

When looking at these three cards together, the theme that I see here is all about looking forward to the thaw.  Yes, it is still a long way off, but there is good fortune and warmth coming, and the first and finest seeds of that are being planted in the present so that they can awaken as the sun becomes more and more present each day… and flourish as spring and summer eventually arrive.

Earth – Nine of Cups atop Three of Cups – It’s time to once again return to leaning into what makes you happy and celebrating those things you enjoy. Spoil yourself with the bounty of what lies all around you.

Air – Ace of Cups – Don’t sink into your head, but instead be open to the return of your emotions now that the holiday rush is coming to the end and let them flow freely.

Water – Wheel of Fortune – Not everything is going to go 100% smoothly all the time. Just make sure that you are flexible enough to land on your feet no matter the scenario before you. Becoming disheartened and giving up will help no one.

Fire – Nine of Coins – Appreciate and enjoy what you have accomplished throughout the holiday season. I look at where you are with clear eyes and a positive outlook in order to keep yourself from falling into negative patterns.

Waning – The Weaver and Offering – Throughout the holiday season you have created many beautiful things that you have sent out into the world at a rapid pace.  Now that things are slowing down, it’s time to turn all that energy in another direction.

Waxing – The Alchemist and Bee – Creativity abounds, and with the support of your community around you, you will have the time and energy to pour into your creative spark. Give it some priority moving forward.

Take Away – Plant the seeds for what you want to flourish later on next year.  Now is the beginning of these things, so reflect upon what you want to accomplish and start planting those seeds in your life now.

DECKS USED: SABBAT THEMED ART CARD, PAGAN UNDERWORLDS TAROT, COMPENDIUM OF WITCHES ORACLE, HEALING HERBAL CARDS VOL 1 & 2

Overwhelmed Cartomancy Reading

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows: “This week, let’s talk to our divination tool of choice what’s overwhelming us, and how we can work to either lessen our load or take care of what’s overwhelming us.”

Old Time Christmas Angels Playing CardsWhat is overwhelming me at this time?

Eight of Diamonds atop Ten of Spades – You have spent years honing your skills and building your business, and now that business is a success. With that success comes the holiday rush, which is not just overwhelming, but absolutely exhausting as well. You need this time of year and how busy it is, just as most businesses do, to catch up on any lag your finances… and yet it beats you into the ground year after year.

How can I best work to ease the load and lessen my overwhelm?

Jack of Spades and Five of Hearts – Use your sense of innovation and exploration to fight against feelings of dissatisfaction and pessimism. When the world looks brighter, your heart is a bit lighter. That helps you handle the struggle and chaos just a bit better than you otherwise would.

What is the best way forward to take care of myself during this time of overwhelm?

Ace of Clubs and Jack of Diamonds – Be enthusiastic with the opportunities that a bit more financial freedom can give you. Look at the good that is coming from this temporary overwhelm, and don’t let uncertainties slow you down.

DECK USED:  OLD TIME CHRISTMAS ANGELS PLAYING CARDS

Unknown Darkness Tarot Reading

/ Twist the Leaf / 1 Comment

Unknown Darkness Winter Solstice Oracle Reading with The Christmas Oracle

My unknown darkness.

Shoes and Hay – The fear that what you offer will not be enough. That you are not enough. You work very hard to avoid and not acknowledge this fear, but it is always there lingering just out of sight, driving you forward in many ways that are both healthy and unhealthy.

How to overcome this darkness.

Yule Log – Return to and focus upon the changes you have made in your life to lighten and brighten your outlook. Lean into your efforts towards positivity, optimism, and self-kindness. When you lighten your outlook, you also lighten the dark inner narratives that whisper in your ear.

How to use this darkness productively.

Lights – This darkness shines alight upon those things you can do better and improve, both in what you do as well as within yourself. It pushes you to be better and do better, and to fight to exceed even your highest expectations.

Why does this darkness scare you?

Tree – This darkness scares you because it makes you feel barren and empty, separating you from others and leaving you all alone. It is hard to connect with others when you are forcing yourself to put all of your focus and efforts on your own performance.

Why do you enjoy this darkness?

Rudolph – You enjoy this darkness because it is a useful tool that forces you to strive harder for a level of excellence that allows you to stand out from the crowd.

Your guiding light this solstice.

Cookies and Milk – Generosity, kindness, and taking time to truly appreciate the little things are where you need to lean in and focus.

The conquering light.

Angel – Listen to your guides and reach out to them for guidance when this darkness becomes too much, or when it begins to take over and overwhelm you.

DECK USED: THE CHRISTMAS ORACLE

Winter’s Cold Lenormand Reading

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

Winter's Cold Lenormand Reading with the Vintage Christmas Lenormand

Das erwärmt meinen Geist? (What warms my Spirit?)

Ship and Bear – You have connected with a mothering energy over the past few months, and the trips you take to go and visit with her warm your spirit, giving you a sense of belonging, nurturing, and strength that you haven’t felt before. This connection bolsters your spirit in a way only the warmth of a mother can.

Das erwärmt meinen Herz? (What warms my Heart?)

Man and Dog – Close friendships that you hold dear warm your heart. Specifically, that friendship you have with your best friend. He has been by your side through thick and thin, even when either of you have fucked up along the way.  Even during these times, the friendship has continued to hold strong and warms your heart, providing faith that such friendships can and do exist… even for you.

Das erwärmt meinen Seele? (What warms my Soul?)

Stars and Letter – Time with the one that inspires within you feelings of hope, joy, comfort, support, and guidance. Your partner holds your heart and soul in his hands, and uses this power only for good… only for -your- good. Warming your soul with his love, care, and devotion. Distance doesn’t matter, as the connection is solid and strong whether it is face to face or with miles between you.

DECK USED: VINTAGE CHRISTMAS LENORMAND

Storytelling Cartomancy Activity – The Bard’s Dilemma

/ Twist the Leaf / Leave a comment

The prompt for this reading came from one of my Discord servers and is as follows: “Using a deck, let’s write a little short story using 3-5 cards to come up with it!”

Storytelling Cartomancy with the Charlie Brown Christmas Playing CardsBeing the writer for the school play made Andrew super happy and he was so excited as he put the last touches on the script and got it ready to turn in. (Nine of Hearts)

That happiness lasted right up until they wanted to change what he’d written, and began tinkering with the script (Six of Diamonds), something he hadn’t thought anyone would want to do!  He was crushed that they didn’t like it as-is and wanted to change everything. (Three of Diamonds)

So disappointed was Andrew, that he decided “SCREW IT!” and that he wasn’t going to do any more of them in the future. It was too hard… too much work… and ended in disappointment and despair. Especially when the whole production eventually fell apart and no one could agree on anything!  (Ten of Swords)

And yet?  Once the season was at an end and a new one began, he had spent some time away from his writing and realized that he really did enjoy it.  Having taken some time off to consider the situation, he felt renewed and ready to try again… perhaps with a bit better boundaries in place this time. (Four of Spades)

DECK USED: CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS PLAYING CARDS