Tag: feminine

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November cards: Dragonfly and the Mother of Cups

Dearest Wolflings,

We have passed through a harsh month, full of dichotomies and conflicting energies. I am happy to say that November is going to be a time of reflection, tapping into mindful directions, and listening to the rolling waves of our hearts. We move into the month of the Dragonfly and the Mother of Cups. Both cards tap into ancient wisdom of mindful intentions and actions. These cards harness a need to go deeper into the psyche, to heal wounds and learn more about our power.

Dragonfly and the Mother of Cups

Starting with the Dragonfly, this spirit animal has been seen in symbols across almost every culture. They have been around in some form for millions of years. They have seen the changes of the Earth, the rivers, the mountains, and the seasons through eyes that make the bulk of their head. They must keep moving, and they can move in all directions. These ancient ones call on us to see, to be still, and to move with direction. They call on us to quiet the mind and listen to the wisdom that come from being a part of this world. Acting with direction is key. Thinking before speaking is key. Creating powerful intentions and visualizations are key. The first step is to come into rhythm of silence by quieting the mind. Sit alone and meditate. Journal your thoughts and feelings. Create something for the simple sake of creation. The mind is able to move with purpose when we create buffers to safeguard the positive thoughts we are starting to manifest with this animal energy.

Free stock photo of nature, blue, eyes, grass

All the mothers are the Healers. They are the Keepers of knowledge, lineage, and ritual. They safeguard the treasures of history and heritage. The Mother of Cups is double-water. Everything about her flows from the well of creation and intuition. In some ways she is like the Empress, endless in her capacities of love for the sake of love. They both radiate the light of inner acceptance, inner bloom. Where they depart is the Empress is the bridge between the High Priestess and the Emperor. She understands the messages of this world, but she is creative and channels her gifts towards the dawn of new possibilities which the Emperor enforces.

Swan on Body of Water

The Mother of Cups is more internal, spending more time in ritual and in sacred space. She is highly intuitive and spiritual, but she is less public, less out in the open. Her gifts are born and brought from a place that she cannot share with others. Because she is a Swan, she is of two worlds. One of the land, and one of dark water. Because she is of two worlds she is also a bridge, a bridge between the tangible manifestation and the deep, pulsating quiet of the heart. She is a Keeper of the heart, of relationships, and selfless love, and a Healer to the world when she comes to the surface.

If there is one line I could write to describe what messages I am receiving from these cards, it would be: Quiet the mind. Channel the heart. Going deeper into the subconscious, into wishes and dreams, and manifesting positivity, ritual, heritage, our inner lineage is a tall order. How can we keep things out of our minds when so much is happening that is trying to force its way in? By creating boundaries. Like the Mother, we need to be of almost two worlds. The visible one on land where we bond and love and speak about how that love is never going to go away. But we also must go deeper to heal and learn and channel that love into ourselves for manifestation. Last month saw intense energy, now we must quiet the mind, and channel the heart for change.

**Thank you for reading. Please let me know your thoughts on these cards for November. Much love. Stay wild, wolfling!**

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August Tarot Card: 2 of Swords

2 of swords

One of the things that I love most about tarot cards is the layers of relativity. There is so much to unpack with each picture and message that it is no wonder that those who learn tarot are often lifelong students. I am always looking for ways to go deeper into the cards, because that is how the meaning of each card manifests. When it takes the physical form of numerous situations in our lives is when it becomes more than just one interpretation.

To be honest, I am not sure how I want to tackle each month. There is so much that I want to discuss with each card. Scents, flowers, people, fictional characters, actions, cause and consequence, light and shadow. All of these could come forth in Tarot card of the month. There could be relevant articles, pictures, art, movies, or unknown connections that I have yet to see. What I do know is that this is the exciting part of tarot. I have always loved to see how tarot cards reveal themselves each day.

For the month of August, the 2 of Swords will be a major focus card. Others will be pulled, discussed, and shared, but I am being called by my guides to really dig deep right now. Maybe it is just a backlash from such an exhausting summer school semester that I feel detached in my own way from the cards. Maybe it is just a new revelation that came in the subconscious river up the cord and into the mind. Whatever the source, I am being called to go deeper into the cards, to really unpack them, and to go slow.

I hope you will join me, and let me know how the 2 of Swords surfaces for you over the next month. My hope is to post something everyday on at least one of my platforms: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or here. My hope for this is to keep the flow of the card moving and growing, so that every day reveals another breadcrumb on this trail. Also, please understand that this is not the only way to learn the cards. In fact, this is not how I initially learned. I pulled all the cards that I could all the time. I was so intensely invested in learning and discovering each card that I may have missed some messages that were coming from an individual archetype.

This isn’t a huge project, but it is a endeavor that I am finally realizing in manifestation. I would love to hear how the 2 of Swords comes around in your life. Stay wild wolflings!

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The first book I learned to read tarot with, and how a glossy page can make all the difference.

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Do you ever stand in a bookstore, your eyes darting back and forth between the titles, unsure of which one is the right keeper of knowledge? When I first started to read tarot, it was out of necessity. I needed to put a pulse back in my chest, and a roar back in my throat if I was to brave another year. I went to the bookstore, knowing that I wanted a book worthy of this step. But all the titles professed the same action. They all held promise of expansion and depth, spirit making strides.

I finally settled on this book: The Key to Tarot: From Suits to Symbolism; Advice and Exercises to Unlock your Mystical Potential by Sarah Bartlett. Why did I settle on this book, because it felt beautiful in my hands. The hard, chocolate brown cover felt appropriate. The pages were colored. The pages were glossy. There was something about the shine, the texture, the lift of reds and blues from the page that made me settle on this one.

This book is a great beginner’s book because it goes into each card well for a beginner level. It includes exercises and meditations to connect more deeply into yourself and the craft. It also has some good spreads that I still use today. I must admit that I no longer reach for this book that much, but as my very first tarot book, it was a star-find. Other books that I have purchased since then have not fully compared to this book. Perhaps it is my nostalgia. Perhaps it is glossy pages and way the spine creases into the skin of my folded legs. I don’t know, but I love this little book.

I had placed this book on a shelf after I read it, and moved on to other titles. I came across some journal posts from when I first started reading, and I realized how much writing I did when I was travelling through this book. I wrote in my journal constantly. Everything was somehow related to the meanings of the cards that I was slowly absorbing with this book. I din’t think too much of it. I read the journal posts, smiled at how far I have come, and went about my day.

That was about a week ago. Since then I have gone through many books on my shelves, packing the one that I know I want to keep, but will not read for some time. Others, given away as donations. I pulled this book down off the shelf I was going through and again felt that tinge of nostalgia, like looking at an old picture of myself. I really wanted to go through some of the meditations and exercises again to really see how my tarot interpretations have become layered.

If you are new to tarot, document everything! Write it down, film it, take pictures, draw it. However you do it, just do it. Document your travels because it will become a map. It will show you how to rejoin an old part of yourself that perhaps has slithered deep into the dusky layer of the subconscious. Document so you can look back and see what your gut thoughts were. Don’t take the interpretations in the pages (no matter how glossy) as gospel. Make your own choices and see what is right for you. For example, the book mentioned here reads Court Cards as other people. I have never found Court Cards to be representative messages of other people. Never. Do what feels right, and keep it documented so you can come back with a seasoned heart later for reconnection.

You can find Sarah’s book here, along with many other books that she has written. This is not an affiliate code. I think this is a great little book if you are a tarot novice, or looking for your first book. I would love to hear the books that guided your path, tarot or otherwise. Much love wolflings!

 

 

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Card Profile: The High Priestess

 

Card 2 – The High Priestess

Perhaps one of the most mysterious cards, the High Priestess here is depicted as a white tiger (which is meant to denote a rarity because they are hardly seen in nature. The white tiger is seen as a high status commodity in the private and public eye due to the Captive Wildlife Crisis but I digress….). She sits in the darkness of night, with a crescent moon in the background. In between her paws is a crystal ball, an illumination of the veil between the worlds. She is in a state of BE-ing, and it acts to radiate her light outward, reaching up to the Moon. Both entities promise a bringing forth, and new creation.

Although the elemental nature of the High Priestess is highly feminine, it can be hard to describe in physical language what her nature is. This is because the High Priestess is extremely internal. She is constantly sensing, observing, and feeling. She harnesses everything around her without judgement, because there is always something to learn, to understand, or to use as a form of growth. To and through the High Priestess, everything is sacred. Everything serves a role. Even the bad, the minuscule, or misunderstood. When one of these elements surfaces in our lives, it is the High Priestess who urges us to go deeper, to not be afraid, and to comfort in our sacred selves within the good, the bad, the ugly. When we can find the sacred in these forms, we find more sacredness in our very bones.

Intuition is the vein that taps into the pay-dirt of this card. Intuition is something we are all given, which strengthens the notion that we and everything are sacred. Intuition is the ability to understand something, without having the physical proof, or need for proof. Intuition is the pull on us when something or someone is not as they seem. Intuition is the voice that urges us to do or act on something because it feels right. The High Priestess is the embodiment of this gift because there is a sense of ownership with her. She is not relying on the crystal ball, the cosmos, or the veil to channel her ability of understanding. Those messages are, and have always been there. But because she is able to harness those messages uniquely to her through intuition, she is equipped to utilize both the messages and the tools.

As mentioned, all of us have intuition. We all have the ability to go deeper into the shadows. She did not just attain this ability, and that is not what is portrayed when this card is pulled. The use of practice, process, or ritual is paramount with this card and her energy. Because the High Priestess is in the balance between internal recognition and external sources, it takes times to really go deep. One does not sit down for one meditation and suddenly become enlightened. It takes practice, process, or ritual to really start building the links between the internal and the external.

As beautiful, rare, or exotic the High Priestess looks, she is not portrayed in a world of glitz, fortune, or fame. Everything in her energy is very subtle. Her rarity comes from the fact that she can alter the energy around her. She can take in messages from the Universe and write her narrative of intention. She is present for the energy of the Universe. This is her presence. She is present. She is sensing the the subtle fingers of all the creatures that share this globe. She is creating a river of energy from the messages around her. Her intuition guides her forward.

How does your intuition guide you? When you have you stopped for a few moments and just held your form? Do you remember the sound of trees, the smell of Earth, the light of the Moon? Take time to connect deep into the skeleton of your sacred self, and into the skeleton of the Earth. The High Priestess reminds us that everything is a river that flows into the ocean of our mind.

 

**Tarot card pictured is from The Wild Unknown deck, and can be found at http://www.thewildunknown.com. This is not an affiliate link**

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Manifestation Package

manifestation package 2

When you book a reading with me, one of the things that I offer is a Manifestation Package. This is more than just a free gift to say thank you for allowing me to work with you. The Manifestation Package is my attempt to help you channel the reading, long after our session. I want your reading to shake your bones and fill your space with stars. I want your feral, untamed nature to howl and sing forth the new energy that is coming in.

If you choose to accept this package. You get everything you see in the photo. There is a candle to help shed light on any card you are fixated on, or perhaps do not understand in its entirety yet. The candle is also meant to set an intention, and send the light out. Even the flame itself can show energy. If the fire is bright and vibrant, your energy is strong. If the flame is moving, or hard to manifest, this could be where you place your intention, an attempt to make your inner light breathe again.

The little incense stick is to consecrate your space. I fully believe in the energy of a space, and incense has been used for thousands of years to consecrate and channel a sacred feeling. The incense is Jasmine, and this scent has been used for many different purposes. More than anything, I hope it helps you feel intimate with your situation, and not wary. I hope you can stand in the smoke and be knighted in your attempts to deepen the reading into your source.

The Tiger’s Eye is meant to symbolize power. It can help rid anxiety and promote positive action in your endeavors. I believe you are already strong, but a reminder is always nice. You can hold them and help use the intention from the candle to connect further into your reading. You can channel a certain card or image that you want to hold. Stones are the weight of the world. They will keep burdens that you and I cannot bear to carry. Whatever came up in your reading, you can place it or release it with these stones.

The tea is meant to create a needed pause for reflection. As you sit with your reading, I hope in the moments when you know and feel you can sink in a little deeper, the tea is there to help be a catalyst. Allow yourself the time and silence to reflect on your reading, and what feelings and thoughts it brings up. This is the best way, the only way, to deepen your relationship with your cards.

The bag itself can even become a sacred space. You can anoint it with oil, use potpourri, keep written or physical insights from your reading. Bags have long been used as a way to keep close what we hold dear. I wanted the bag to dual purpose for that reason.

What is not shown is the handouts I also send via email. One in particular has spaces for you to write down anything that surfaces from using your manifestation package. I, as a tarot reader, am here to hold the torch for you. I am not here to simply give a reading and then forget the energy in a poof. I want the reading to resonate long after our time together. My card is in each package, and I hope that through our space, you can go deeper in a safe way to what is needed most.

Thank you for all that you give wolf-darlings! If you would like to book a reading with my check out my Policies and Code of Ethics and my available spreads.

Stay wild wolflings!

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The Pros and Cons of Different Forms of a Tarot Reading.

 

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There are different ways to receive a tarot reading. Before, the list was limited to mostly face-to-face readings, calling a hotline, or knowing someone personally. These are all great ways to receive readings, but the internet has now offered the ability to communicate with someone you connect with, even if they live across the country, or globe.

There are pros and cons to different styles of readings. These numerous options allow you to find someone that will match the reading style, or attitude you share with tarot (predictive, intuitive, counseling, etc.).

Please keep in mind that these are my opinions, and many other readers will differ. This is a great thing, because it means that different readers are suited towards different seekers. Please also note that I have not done fairs, telephone, or Skype readings for clients, so in the spirit of honesty, I will only be listing in-person, and email readings.

Reading in person: Pros

  • Being in person allows a great freedom for energy transfer, dialog, and safety. I love when I get to sit with my clients because I get to share that space with them. Having the space to just sit, communicate, cry, laugh, and question without any judgment amplifies how worthwhile a reading can be.
  • Another positive aspect is the commitment. If you commit, either through appointment, or walk-in, you have already made a huge step in loving and empowering yourself.
  • If weather and trust permit, you can take tarot on a walk or to the park. You can step out of the walls of buildings. Spaces have energy, and if the energy is good, it can enhance the reading. Buildings can also hold so much love, so there is no hierarchy.
  • The atmosphere can be multi-layered. It can be casual, but also serious in the attempts to reach the bedrock of a problem or question.

Reading in person: Cons

  • Space is often an issue. I read at White Wolf Medicine, which is a beautiful holistic pharmacy in Elizabeth, Colorado, but it is not close for many people. If people want to book with me, but cannot justify the long drive, space becomes limited.
  • I personally do not like to do readings in coffee shops, book stores, or restaurants. Tarot brings MANY emotions up. The subconscious is brimming with held-in feelings and thoughts, and a tarot is a easy drive to release that energy. I don’t want my clients to feel like they have to suppress needed emotions because we are in a loud Starbucks. I don’t want to feel like I have to hold back things that the tarot surfaces. Many spaces are much more forgiving, but it still feels like an intrusion to me.
  • Many tarot readers love to read in these places. I like private settings. I like a more intimate space where it is just me and my client, and the tarot. The other con is that sadly, many people still look on and judge tarot as artificial or cheap. I would not want that energy to permeate a beautiful space.
  • Finding time is hard these days. Everyone is working, or on the go. Face-to-face readings, while beneficial in many ways, promotes one more deadline or appointment to keep.

Email reading: Pros

  • Tarot does not have to be done face to face anymore. In fact, many tarot readers have websites where spreads are listed, prices are enclosed, and other information is given. Social media accounts can help determine if a certain reader will suit your needs. If they do, but they are in a different state, you can still connect with them for a reading.
  • Email readings are often written as word documents, so you have the reading at your disposal. You can print it out, hang it up, make notes, and come back to it as you need.
  • Another positive is sometimes distance makes the difference. When there is the distance of an email, some people may actually respond and connect with it better. They may feel insecure with face-to-face reading. They may feel too raw to meet in person. An email reading allows them the full energy of a reading, without the worry.
  • Finally, time is hard to come by these days. Cars are not always reliable. Family needs are a priority. An email reading takes a lot of the hassle of keeping an appointment away.
  • Email readings do not cheapen the quality. Many readers prefer email style because it allows them to devote that time to the seeker uninterrupted by outside noise or neighbors.

Email Reading Cons:

  • Things can get lost in translation, and it is not as easy as simply asking a question. There must be detailed follow-through from the reader, and detailed notes from the client.
  • For those who prefer readings in real-time, emails can sometimes lack personal connection. It is doable, but it does not give the shared energy of the person sitting there with you.
  • The wait time is often a standard 7 days. Often the reading comes before that 7-day deadline, but 7 days is a standard time. With booking a real-time reading, you receive the reading that day.

These are some of the pros and cons to in-person vs. email readings. Thank you for reading. Please let me know what your preferred tarot reading styles are and why. Stay wild wolf-pack!

Much love darlings,

Ashlie