YouTube - Balthazar's Conjure: Using the Tarot for Spirit Communication

This is right up my alley! A detailed and lucid explanation of how to converse with spirit using this particular method PLUS clear guidance on how to phrase questions for Yes/No enquiries.



I have a majors only deck I bought last year that told me I shouldn't use it for ordinary readings. Perhaps it was meant for this type of spirit communication.

Maybe I should ask. 😉

The Seven of Spades = Five + Two (Instagram)

A post shared by Judy K (@weirdeye) on Nov 1, 2017 at 2:26am PDT

"The Seven... shows a group of five 'arrows' on one side... and two on another... an image of being stuck between the Mortal Injury of Five and the conflict of Two - it is an image of being delayed or stuck, unable to move without harm..." - pg. 25, Hands of Fate, Robin Artisson.

I read that passage and suddenly thought of Pamela's Seven of Swords. I'm not suggesting the playing card meaning relates to the RWS meaning - but it is a curious visual coincidence.

Thank you, ATA!

Thank you, American Tarot Association (ATA)! I won a $25 Amazon voucher* in their April e-magazine contest, and immediately set about spending it! On cards, of course. . Believe it or not, I don't actually have that many decks on my wish list. Even fewer that can be bought on Amazon. But these two were there and cheap enough that I could get them both and cover the postage. . (*They kindly sent me the equivalent Amazon UK voucher.) . Tarot des los Angeles - Fournier, Spain (with instructions in English as well, fortunately) Tarot: The Complete Kit - Dennis Fairchild (aka Tarot Nova - so cute!) #igotlucky #newdeck #newdecks #tarot #angelcards #tarotreadersofinstagram #fournier #tarotdeslosangeles #tarotnova

A post shared by Judy K (@weirdeye) on Apr 29, 2017 at 10:26am PDT

Crazy thing is, this is the second time I've won. With all the members ATA must have, I can't believe that's possible! But I'm not complaining. 😁

Oracle Haiku

@otmoraclecards has been hosting a #haikuoraclechallenge this month. I wasn't up for taking part (Judy has declared herself a Challenge-Free Zone for a while) but I was smitten with the idea of using ordinary oracle cards, the #wisdomoftheoracle especially, to inspire haiku. . Wisdom of the Oracle - Colette Baron-Reid #haiku #oraclehaiku #oracle #oraclecards #cardreadersofinstagram

A post shared by Judy K (@weirdeye) on Apr 17, 2017 at 9:18am PDT

As one of my commenters said, "It's so fun!" 😃

Follow your star!

I don't make a habit of sharing my Instagram posts here because if you were interested you'd be following me there.

But sometimes the cards are so spookily synchronistic that I *need* to share the magick.

Like this one for today... 6 January... Epiphany....
"The day the Magi visited the Christ Child".

Follow your star! . Color Mage Oracle - Bernard Charles, The Color Mage #colormageoracle #dailydraw #dailycards #twocarddraw #cardreadersofinstagram #oracle #oraclecards #oraclereadersofinstagram #thecolormage #citrine

A photo posted by Judy K (@weirdeye) on Jan 5, 2017 at 11:59pm PST

How do it know?!?

Color Mage Oracle - mine, all mine

Sqweee! I finally have my copy of Bernard Charles, The Color Mage's Color Mage Oracle! I've wanted this for so long,
because Bernard. 

It's been charging overnight on my altar with a malachite, serephinite and amazonite. Why these crystals? No idea. They're just the ones that shouted "Me, me, me" when I went looking.

You can never have too much colour in your life. 


2-Jan-17: I'll be using this deck for my 2-Card draws over on Instagram for a little while, if you'd like to see them in action.

Filling the Gap

If you've been missing my Open Readings (hey, I can dream), then you might appreciate my 2-Card Mini Reads over on Instagram. They happen much more frequently - usually four or five a week. Here's my latest offering:

Don't take it to heart. . Ground and shield. . Graven Images Oracle - Natalie Zaman, Katherine Clark Zerner-Farber Tarot - Amy Zerner, Monte Farber #dailydraw #dailycards #cardreadersofinstagram #tarotreadersofinstagram #oracle #tarot #gravenimagesoracle #zernerfarbertarot #calcite #greencalcite

A photo posted by Judy K (@weirdeye) on Oct 27, 2016 at 11:38pm PDT

Instagram - Intuitive Interview Project for October @hobosafecamp

A photo posted by Judy K (@weirdeye) on Sep 27, 2016 at 10:08am PDT

#regram
#hobosafecamp "It's not so much a #tarotchallenge as it is an attempt to focus our combined energies to raise the global #frequency to a more loving tone. Use #tarot cards, #runes, #freewriting, #photography, or any form of artistic #divination. Get creative!"

I think I could get into this. I'm not entirely sure if this is intended to be a divinatory exercise or a tarot-based art project, but I'm going with divinatory - using random card to universally "answer" the interview questions. This "universal" aspect is more clearly stated in Papa Hobo's explanatory video.

Find me on Instagram.

La Corte dei Tarocchi - new deck interview (Instagram)

Questions 2, 3 and 4 from Ethony's "Get To Know Me" spread. 1. What are your strengths as a tarot deck? - I am the spark of Creativity. 2. What are you here to teach me? - To reach out to others. 3. How can I connect best with you? - Let go. I love this Dancing Death, swinging his scythe and boogieing on down. :D #tarot #lacortedeitarocchi #tarotreadersofinstagram #newdeckinterview #ilmeneghello

A photo posted by Judy K (@weirdeye) on Sep 8, 2016 at 10:22am PDT

There's an interesting play within the imagery here. Imagine Death's wrap extending underneath the table and appearing as the arm holding the Wand. Birth, communion, death. Repeat...

MT June Challenge (Instagram) - Week 4

Hey guys, here's week four! I'm going to use them as journal prompts. Feel free to snatch this image up and use it to get on with your decks in June and hashtag with: #mtjunechallenge 💕🌺💜⭐️🦄 link to video: https://youtu.be/5Fqht39_TwM

A photo posted by Sherry C (@moonlit.tarot) on Jun 22, 2016 at 5:27am PDT

This has been a very useful exercise and I'm looking forward to working with these final questions during the last week of the challenge. I'm going to keep a list of all these questions, so that in future I can apply them to some more of the underappreciated decks in my collection.

Well, I wasn't expecting that.

I bought the Connected and Free - The Alchemist's Oracle* because the artwork appealed to me. It reminded me of the Wild Unknown Tarot, which I admired but wasn't going to buy because the images were so divergent from my understanding of the individual cards that I would have had to read it as an oracle. Better to just buy an oracle in the first place. :)

But I have to confess I had misgivings about this deck when I first flipped through it. I quickly realised that the keywords and the images didn't seem to relate to each other, at least in any way that I understood. Uh oh. How was I going to apply intuition to cards that seem to pull in two different directions? What was I going to do with a DIS-Connected and Free oracle?

My initial thought was to read them much like some people read Gypsy Witch cards. Sometimes the symbol on the card is at odds with the meaning of the playing card inset. For example, No.9 The Birds: "The birds signify dire misfortune and fierce enemies..." This is coupled with the Ace of Diamonds which traditionally and at its most basic represents a letter or a ring. How do you reconcile those two? Well, you could go with the one that "jumps out" at you first when you look at the cards. The Birds meaning may tie in better with the surrounding cards. Maybe the letter meaning will strike a chord with the question. Flexibility.

So with that in mind I figured I'd give the Connected and Free a chance. But first, I'd subject them to Moonlit Tarot's June Deck Challenge questions, and I'm so glad I did. By pulling one card in response to each day's question I quickly realised that the images and keywords, although not obviously related, did in fact play off each other in a unique and compelling fashion. This was one instance where reading the accompanying book made all the difference. If ever a deck could convincingly claim to have been "intuited with the guidance of the Universe" this would be one of them. The connections do seem to emanate from a different plane of existence.

This deck spoke to me in a way I'd never experienced before. It was uncomfortable. It presented me with my fears, those things I avoid or resist. I couldn't *not* see it. And yet with each revelation the interaction felt positive and safe. This deck wasn't out to wound me but to show me the disparate pieces of myself and help me to wholeness.

I can't call this a review - it's just a very personal reaction to the deck. But if you're prepared to see the world and yourself from a different angle, I can recommend it.
(*except that it doesn't seem to be available at the moment 😢 but they might still have copies here.)

MT June Challenge (Instagram) - Week 3

Hey guys, here's week three! I'm going to use them as journal prompts. Feel free to snatch this image up and use it to get on with your decks in June and hashtag with: #mtjunechallenge 💕🌺💜⭐️🦄 link to video: https://youtu.be/5Fqht39_TwM

A photo posted by Sherry C (@moonlit.tarot) on Jun 13, 2016 at 6:38pm PDT

I'm still enjoying working with the Psychic Tarot for this challenge. I'm a day or so behind, mind you. Life, plus a new gaming addiction, LOL, which I might feature on my other blog, but I will keep going.

What really impressed me, though, was how well my reprise of the week 1 questions went with the Connect and Free Oracle. Frankly, I think it saved the deck for me - details to follow in another post.

Connected and Free - The Alchemist's Oracle / Inner Hue

MT June Challenge (Instagram) - Week 2

Hey guys, here's week two! I'm going to use them as journal prompts. Feel free to snatch this image up and use it to get on with your decks in June and hashtag with: #mtjunechallenge 💕🌺💜⭐️🦄 link to video: https://youtu.be/5Fqht39_TwM

IA photo posted by Sherry C (@moonlit.tarot) on Jun 7, 2016 at 5:39pm PDT

I thoroughly enjoyed working with the Psychic Tarot (John Holland, Hay House Inc.) this past week. It really opened up a connection between us that I hadn't managed to develop before. I'll probably keep using it with the Week 2 prompts.

But I've just received Connected and Free  - The Alchemist's Oracle (Lauren Aletta, art by Tegan Swyny, self-published: Inner Hue) and I think it would benefit from a run through of the Week 1 questions. I guess I can do that, too,

So, I'll be posting a few more pictures on Instagram over the next week. Come and see me. ☺️ And take part - it'll be fun!

I might try this

Hey, remember the video I made? The decks I don't use? Well, this is the questions I'm going to be asking for the first week. I haven't decided if I'm going to be changing them up. I'm going to use them as journal prompts. Feel free to snatch this image up and use it to get on with your decks in June and hashtag with: #mtjunechallenge 💕🌺💜⭐️🦄 link to video: https://youtu.be/5Fqht39_TwM

A photo posted by Sherry C (@moonlit.tarot) on May 26, 2016 at 12:02pm PDTI

Edit 2Jun16 - I did try this, and it's turning out really good. The "deck I don't use" that I'm using for this challenge, LOL, is the Psychic Tarot by John Holland. I've had it for a while and I love the images but for some reason I've never used it. I can see it being used a fair bit in future.

Change up your Daily Draws

I don't do daily draws.

Perhaps because the results are so open-ended. What could the 4 of Swords be trying to tell me, for example? I should take a nap? I'll be visiting the hospital? I'm going to get a headache?

So when I spotted Christiane of Cosmic Faery Tarot's suggestion on "How to Supercharge Your Daily Tarot Card Draw" it seemed like an excellent solution. I have a bunch of old cards I'd saved for craft projects. I have a corner punch. I can do this!

And this was the result. A set of cards with "focus" questions on the back. Just shuffle and pick one and apply the question to your Daily. Random instant context.

I decided to print the prompts on a sheet of labels and stick them on rather than write them all out. I have a nice handwriting, but only for about two sentences. Then it deteriorates into a scrawl.

This was my first go (originally posted on Instagram). Looks like I should just kick back and enjoy the fruits of my labour. Ok, I can do this, too! ☺

What a team

Tarot Balbi, using Eudes Picard's* meanings: A collaboration will give birth to a woman who earns her money in an unusual way.

Backstory:

1) Taliesin McKnight recently posted a video about Sigil Magick and encouraged viewers to give it a try. I thought "Why not?", so I scratched around for something to manifest and decided on "It is my will to make money reading cards." New decks don’t pay for themselves. 

2) During a guided meditation one of my spirit guides, Daisy, reappeared after a long absence.

3) I'm taking part in the #WithinWithoutAdvice Tarot challenge on Instagram and decided to pull three cards asking Daisy if she had anything she wanted to tell me.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

*Using only this deck for a few weeks has been very useful, as it’s drawn to my attention that Balbi (or whoever actually wrote the LWB) redefined a fair number of the cards while staying somewhat true to Picard’s images, which has led to some weird visual mismatches.

So having translated almost all the Spanish, I find I now have to translate all the French. But when I'm done I intend to share my findings here. So if you're at all interested in the Tarot Balbi, watch this space.

Side note: Yes, I do have a candle labelled "Spirit Team" - what of it? LOL! I burn it for a short time every morning to "check in". And the crystal is the one I've charged to aid me in connecting with them.

Chatting with my grandmother

This is why I love working with cards. Gentle reader – allow me to introduce my grandmother.

I was listening to WitchUpTheRoad talking about how important it was to her to remember her family history and honour her ancestors, and I was moved to ask my ancestors to give me a message for today's #WithinWithoutAdvice.

I use my grandmother's, Oma’s, playing card method and she sometimes “drops in” as the Queen of Spades. So imagine how delighted I was when she appeared in this spread in such a familiar and unambiguous way. And notice the zodiac sign on her chest? No prizes for guessing what sign Oma was.

My ancestors are always Within.

The Balbi '8 of Coins' speaks of legacies, and the fair distribution of property or inheritance, as well as perseverance. Value my inheritance and continue to share it Without.

The Hanged Man confronts the various possibilities between the past and the future. It is the balance of power between necessity and freedom, between that which is an essential part of us from our past and that which we make for ourselves in the future. I’m Advised to acknowledge that balance.

Thanks for stopping by, Oma. x

#WithinWithoutAdvice

Patrick of In The 78 Cards and Kelly of The Truth in Story are "hosting" an Instagram Tarot challenge for the month of March.

Dig out one of your meaty, intense, challenging decks and go deep with it, using the Within Without Advice spread created by Marie White for her Mary-El Tarot companion book, hence the hashtag #WithinWithoutAdvice.

My deck of choice will be the Tarot Balbi - because a) I've already committed to using it exclusively for the next 2 weeks, and b) I'm not drawn to "challenging" decks, so the Balbi is as challenging as it gets for me at the moment.

All the details are in Patrick's intro video. I'm weirdeye on Instagram - hope to see you there!