Christmas Countdown - Day 1: Six of Swords

Today is the first day of my Tarot Advent Calendar Christmas Countdown, Thursday 1st of December 2011. Here's a quick reminder of my intention for this 24 day advent calendar reading: "Please show for myself & all living beings a clear path to creating a solid foundation for our collective great wisdom and transformation." 

So here we are on the very first step of the journey aiming for great wisdom & transformation for myself and all living beings. The card is Six of Swords of The Shadowscape Tarot.

I get a sense of our collective exhaustion having overcome many trials and tribulations. As this year draws to an end, there is an accompanying feeling of collapse, having managed to deal with all the challenges and now being able to rise far above them, finally getting a chance to rest and reflect with the advantage of some breathing space and perspective.

Do you ever find yourself getting ill or run down when you get to your holidays? In today's busy busy busy society, finding a bit of sanctuary space can be a rarity unless we are able to actively schedule it in. If we aren't able to look after ourselves well most of the time eventually our bodies force us to take a break, even if that means confined to your bed with colds or flus. The end of the yearly cycle is a good time to nourish ourselves and look within, especially if we 'haven't had time' to do so throughout the year.

The swords represent the air element which can indicate the worries, concerns, the fraught nervous systems that have been the result of all the stresses we have had to endure this year. In this card, the person is snuggled up in comfort on the back of a swan, a symbol for grace and beauty, and looks like she or he is getting some much needed respite from the bleak and daunting scene below.

The sparseness in this image also brings to mind the harshness of winter and our natural desire to hibernate. Although nature reminds us that it is time to slow down at winter time, our man-made landscape, electric lighting, the 9-5s, shift work and alarm clocks keep us imprisoned behind imaginary metal bars (the swords) and exhausts us by forcing us to go against the grain. 

Is this a sustainable way to live? Unless we ensure that we are getting adequate rest, relaxation & connection to nature, we can endanger ourselves with chronic fatigue, adrenal burn out, severe ill health, or even accidents due to poor concentration and lack of mindfulness. 

Winter is time for recuperation and recovery from the year's onslaughts. This six of swords gives us the wisdom and good fortune of some time out this festive season to assess the way we live our life. Boost your immune system by eating well and keeping warm and cosy. Let's get plenty of sleep and dream deeply of all our hopes and wishes for the coming year.

With love & wisdom,

Fiona

Cosmic Countdown to Christmas! Creating your own Tarot Advent Calender

Feeling inspired by Barbara Moore's Tarot Advent Calender, I intend to make my own christmas tarot countdown creation. While the cauldron of creativity bubbles and before I reveal my own work of art in the near future, I have decided to pull my own 24 advent cards share each of my 24 daily cards till Christmas with you starting today, Thursday the 1st of December 2011.


A lovely fellow tarot loving & herbalist friend, Elly, came to stay with me this summer. As a thank you gift gave me a beautiful deck of cards: The Shadowscape Tarot.


Needless to say if you have ever laid eyes on this deck, I fell in love immediately with the beautiful flowing details, dancing colours and stunning symbols. These cards were illustrated by Stephanie Pui-Mun Law and the accompanying book by Barbara Moore herself. So I choose these cards out of my quite extensive collection as the ones currently closest to my heart and that I would like to connect with more deeply.


Since I am sharing these with all of you here, rather than just for myself privately, with greatest respect for all of life's mysteries the intention I put into these cards is motivated by great kindness, love & compassion: "Please show for myself & all living beings a clear path to creating a solid foundation for our collective great wisdom and transformation."


My spread starts at the top and spirals round ending with the last card in the centre, representing the sense that great wisdom and the foundations for transformation lie within, symbolised by the candle in the middle. I have decorated it temporarily with some ivy and red berries that I picked on a foraging walk recently to make a festive wreath. Perhaps these will become incorporated into the final creation?

Hope you feel inspired to have a go at creating your own tarot advent calendar or even just pulling out a card from your own beloved packs to reflect on daily until christmas day. Just follow your intuition for ideas. This is a lovely creative way to deepen your connection to your cards.


Feel free to join me on my tarot journey till Christmas whether you are new to the tarot or experienced. I always find other people's perspectives on the cards continually shed new lights and insights that I had never previously considered, the tarot is a constant treasure box of wisdom and always full of surprises, each card a gift of profound universal wisdom.

Finding Astrology Symbols in Tarot Cards

I came across a great little youtube video, with some helpful simple tips on finding astrological 

symbols and connections your tarot readings. The video poster also has a collection of 

spreads you might be interested in. I often find that learning visually with videos helps deepen

my understanding of the cards. 

Please enjoy! I would be delighted to hear your feedback and your own personal astrological

intuitions and interpretations when reading tarot cards. 

Kind wishes,

Fiona

Recognizing Zodiac Correlations in Tarot Cards

The Astro Tarot Journey begins...

Today we embark on the first day of a new adventure. 

Ladies & Gentlemen, I present to you... 

Day 1 of The Astro Tarot Journey

New Moon in Leo * 30th July 2011

This space is being created to share information, inspirations and intuitions about two of the great soul enriching loves of my life: Tarot & Astrology.

My hope and intention is that this blog will become a platform for Astrology & Tarot lovers, students and readers, like myself, to help us broaden our horizons & interpretations of the universal symbolism contained within Tarot and Astrology through our everyday experiences and encounters. This will range from diverse subjects such as art, poetry and literature, to gardening, cooking, health and well being, from travel, science and innovation, to spirituality, meditation and introspection.

May this project contribute to supporting us through our own personal life journeys and shedding new light on the stages of life that we all collectively encounter, but in our own individual ways. May it help us grow in love and wisdom as we continue to co-evolve on earth's path, enabling compassion for others and healing the difficult relationships and situations that cross our paths.

How apt that the first day of this brand new blog coincides with today's New Moon in Leo!

The New Moon symbolises new beginnings, taking action and the seeds of great potential. This is a good time to start over and to witness the spouting of new seeds and habits that were conceived during the dream time of the previous lunar cycle. Whether these seed sprouts will grow depends on the continuous care and attention necessary for them to flourish over the coming weeks and months. At this point, the future is not clear in the darkness of the concealed moon, hidden from the sun currently on the opposite side of our home, planet Earth. However, the New Moon is a time to leave the past behind and move forward into a new cycle re-instilled with new hope, optimism and energy.

Leo is a fire element sign and fixed in quality, self-assured and talented in its ability to shine and present its confident and playful energy to the world. This sign is ruled by the Sun - warm, life-giving, encouraging growth and a sense of fun and playfulness. Leo has the energy of a child, free from inhibitions, curious and delighted, refreshingly free from the dark shadows that can seem to multiply as we grow older and increasingly fixed in our beliefs and habits. However, Leo also has the potential to abuse its dynamic power, becoming a proud domineering tyrant, a spoilt brat. When there is a deep awareness of this tendency and the motivation is love, then the powerful Leo energy can be nurtured and cultivated, becoming a joyful force for rapid growth and development as we see in growth of children.

Today's New Moon in Leo gives us a great potential for setting off on a new Astro Tarot Journey. The brilliance of the sun is poised behind the earth to reveal its light on this new moon - a clean slate, ready to radiate its illuminating light on life's mysteries that are recreated within the dance of symbols, mythology, movement & colour contained within the infinite combinations of Astrology and Tarot.

Astro Tarot Journeys is dedicated to the happiness, enlightenment and self awareness of each and everyone of us, but will be of particular interest to those of us for whom the ancient wisdom and mysticism of Astrology and Tarot resonates, whether you are a beginner or deeply experienced. In true Leo style this journey will be an unashamed celebration of our unique approaches and diversity through our shared passion of navigating life's mysteries through the vehicle of Astrology & Tarot.

The Chariot card comes to mind as we pause to collect our thoughts and energies for the journey ahead - a need to stop and reflect with wisdom, set an intention, visualise our goals, acknowledge and balance the dark (moon/yin) and light (sun/yang) sides before we can proceed with our journey in confidence...

What an outfit and carriage too! Leo would be proud ;)

I welcome your thoughts, musings and suggestions. Looking forward to meeting you on this journey with an open mind and open heart. Let's see how this magical mission will unfold...

With love, compassion & wisdom,

Fiona