Hello 👋

I know I've been quiet. Changes coming. 😉

Baby made me do it

So - I’m upstairs ironing, and I remember that I need to do something when I get downstairs. My memory for To Do type stuff isn’t reliable, so I call on my guides to remind me when I get downstairs (as you do). I begin going through those I know by “name” (in quotes because I don’t think they really have names in that sense, that’s just how they help me to differentiate between them), hoping one of them will take up the cause. Moments later I hear the name Baby.

What? A new entry? “Who are you?”

“I’m the one who bought the biscuits yesterday.”

Let me explain. While out grocery shopping yesterday I was drawn to the packets of Lemon Puffs in the Biscuit (Cookie) section.

Now, I don’t normally buy biscuits. For one thing, I’m trying to cut way back on the amount of sugary stuff I eat, and if I do crave sugary it’s usually in the form of chocolate or soft American-style cookies, not our crispy biscuits. But I bought them, despite the fact that I have a vague recollection that I've had them before and I didn’t actually like them.

But now it seems I didn’t buy them, Baby did. This could be a great get-out clause for all my impulse purchases. Baby made me do it.

I asked her “What else do you do besides make me buy biscuits?” and she just giggled. She giggles a fair bit. Because of her general childishness, I asked if she was a friend of Claire, my inner child (yes, I’ve named my inner child; it makes it easier to relate to her). “No.” Just like that.

So it would seem she’s not something internal but a distinct new “entity” in my spirit team.

She nagged a bit about the biscuits but I told her she’d have to wait – I’d have a couple with a cup of coffee this evening. That seems to have mollified her.

She has a somewhat annoying habit of saying my name. A lot. Maybe it’s just because it’s new to her. She’s quieted down now.

Why am I sharing this? I’m curious if other people have similar interactions with their guides/spirit team/woo woo crew. I’d love to hear your stories.

And, yes, I did remember the thing I needed to do. Really can’t say if it was a nudge or just that this whole experience kept the thought in my mind. But objective achieved, so it’s all good.

Big Brother? Or a Tarot fan on their lunch break?

So why does someone from the UK Government Department for Work and Pensions keep visiting my blog? Like 23 times now?

Maybe someone who works there logs in on their lunch break. If so, I'm flattered you keep coming back. Drop me a comment and say "hi".

Otherwise, one might think they're checking up to see if I'm selling readings, LOL! 

Divining the Dentist's Decision

I’ve had a tooth that has been giving me all sorts of trouble, frankly for years, but particularly for the past 6 months. This week my husband and I were due for our regular dental check-ups and I’d made up my mind to tell the dentist I wanted that tooth pulled!

Would he agree? Would he do it today or would I have to wait and come back another day?...

The closer we got to the clinic, the more these questions nagged at me. Eventually I thought I’d try a bit of bird augury. If the next bird I see flying across the road is heading right, the dentist will pull the tooth today. If it’s flying to the left, he won’t .

So I sat there, looking up into the sky expectantly (hubby was driving). And I waited.

And waited.

And waited.

Not a single bird flew across the road in either direction for what felt like ages. It didn’t seem feasible that no birds would be flying anywhere in the vicinity during all that time.

And then finally I spotted him. One lone seagull, fairly high up, flying to the right. Tooth out today, then.

As I lowered my gaze, my eyes fell upon a street sign. Of the road my dentist is in.

Ah, that would explain it. Nice touch, guys.

Was the augury correct? Let me put it this way –

The worst part of having a tooth pulled is the crunching sound.

Beauty

I was gifted a set of Earth Magic Oracle cards for Christmas. I'd seen sample spreads posted here and there and was drawn to the card images. They were particularly appealing because I noticed to how clearly they seemed to speak to me.

Naturally, I couldn't wait to open up the box and have a look at my new babies. But wow! I was not expecting the backs.

Is that not beautiful? I love the heron. And the bears! And the way the reflection of the tree looks like roots burrowing into the earth. I'm in lurve.

Smellies!

I blame Ember HoneyRaven.

I've been gorging myself on her videos lately - a lot of catching up to do - and I got to her Incense Tag offering the other day. Oh boy.

So when I found myself in Colchester today I had to pop into Traders of the East and check out their supply. It was good. It was very good.

I've used Satya's Nag Champa for years - love it! I bought these three on Ember's recommendation and I lit up a Patchouli Forest as soon as I got home. It is beautiful. And quite powerful. I can't wait to try the others - they smell great in the box. I've just rewatched the video, though, and I'm kicking myself for not remembering Satya Nirvana but I don't actually recall seeing it there in any case. eBay here we come!

But I did find some Nag Champa soap. Couldn't resist.

They also have HEM brand, among others, so I've made myself a little shopping list for the next trip. And maybe I'll even 'achieve' Nirvana. :)

Paying It Forward (hehe)

I don't see why I should be the only poor schmuck who's seduced into buying (yet another) tarot deck I don't really need simply because some other poor schmuck with equally little self-control dangles pictures of its gorgeousness in front of my nose.

I made the mistake ;) of visiting Le Fanu's blog, My Curious Cabinet, when he posted a review of Le Tarot Noir, a Marseille deck, by Justine Ternel and Matthieu Hackière.

And now I am the, admittedly proud, possessor of said deck.

I love the size of these cards - 10.6 x 14cm, 4 3/8 x 5 1/2". Chunky! Good, substantial card stock so they don't feel flimsy. With their 'picture frame' borders, they look like fine art miniatures ready to hang in a gallery. In fact, one of the reasons I bought them was to occasionally place some on display. I can just barely get my hands across them lengthwise to shuffle. And I do so very carefully, as I don't want to chip the black borders.

The colours are lush and velvety, but I would have liked a bit more intensity (they do appear more vibrant on screen). Love the "gilt" edges. Wish the "gold" of the borders was gilt, too. The backs, sadly, leave me cold. They might have benefitted from being the same gold as the borders rather than a dull dark buff.

Minor whinges aside, I am glad I bought this deck. Maybe I've tempted you to buy it* now, too. Just to make me feel a bit better about myself, LOL!

*But if you're thinking of putting one aside as a collector's item, be warned. Like Le Fanu's, my book fell apart on first opening. Do not do more than peek inside.

Lucky me!

Every month, the American Tarot Association (ATA) runs a contest in their e-zine. And every month, I enter it. Me and 10,000 others, I always think. But guess who won the March contest?

I've already spent some of it on a new tarot deck - Dame Fortune's Wheel Tarot. A friend of mine posted a reading with these cards recently and I was intrigued by the use of Etteilla's meanings. Can't wait!