I have been looking for an appealing Celtic, Earth themed tarot deck for some time and have finally found it in the Druid Craft Tarot Deck.
I will say at the outset that this deck does have some full frontal nudity so it may not be the best deck for psychic fairs or
appropriate for all clients even in a private setting. For me, however,
it is a wonderful deck for personal readings and learning learning Celtic myths and symbols (continued below).
As
can be seen in the images above each card is a stand alone work of art.
Symbolic elements abound and every card invites a question. Is the hen
in the Magician card a reference to Cerridwen? Why does a great tree
stand before the crossed swords of the Two of Swords? Does the hare and
bare tree in the Queen of Pentacles suggest the rebirth of early
spring? Is the Ace of Swords Excalibur?
The
skies in the deck are amazing and the detailed images impressive While the cards above may not be the best example, I
particularly enjoy the way the artist has included highly
representational and identifiable plants, trees and flowers in his
imagery - a great inclusion for an earth based deck! This is a type of symbolism I have not explored and I'm looking forward to doing so in the future.
Overall, the traditional references in this deck are fascinating, the artwork and color outstanding, the elemental associations strong and the images close enough to the RWS to be easily readable for most. I highly recommend it!
Overall, the traditional references in this deck are fascinating, the artwork and color outstanding, the elemental associations strong and the images close enough to the RWS to be easily readable for most. I highly recommend it!
It's hard to believe that my online course Lucid Dreaming and Living Lucidly taught by lucid dreaming author and expert Robert Waggoner (Lucid Dreaming: Gateway to the Inner Self
) is about to end. I have so enjoyed the course!While I have not had a fully lucid dream so far, I have improved my dream recall and had one pre- or semi-lucid dream already. I take as a very good indicator that a fully lucid dream is within my reach.
I've also learned some important things about dreaming and dream awareness - including the subtle differences between lucidity and OBE (out of body experience). This was of particular interest to me because I believe that several of my dream experiences involved travel to and from other dimensions, as well visitations from the beings of those dimensions in the form of guides, avatars, angels and friends and relatives who have passed. I wasn't aware however that others believed it was possible to move from a dream or apparent sleep state to an out of body experience until I took Robert's course.
One of the great things about this course is the personal help available through the forum (in which Robert is very active). I was curious about what someone with Robert's knowledge base would have to say about some of my experiences. I decided to ask him about a particularly vivid, unusually complex and very coherent dream I had in 2008.
Robert told me that this dream could be a Jungian 'big dream' or possibly an OBE (unrecognized because it didn't begin with the buzzing or humming that often launch OBEs). He went on to say that when people tell him about a vivid, complex and very coherent dream, he suspects an OBE "8 times out of 10." I found this information very validating.
I've had several very notable dreams since 2008. While none were as involved as that first dream of spirit, at least one was just as vivid and several others were also quite coherent (and / or unusually bright) - all supplied me with information I could not have otherwise known. I'm very interested in exploring both dreams and OBE and find the intersection of the two absolutely fascinating!
Robert told me that this dream could be a Jungian 'big dream' or possibly an OBE (unrecognized because it didn't begin with the buzzing or humming that often launch OBEs). He went on to say that when people tell him about a vivid, complex and very coherent dream, he suspects an OBE "8 times out of 10." I found this information very validating.
I've had several very notable dreams since 2008. While none were as involved as that first dream of spirit, at least one was just as vivid and several others were also quite coherent (and / or unusually bright) - all supplied me with information I could not have otherwise known. I'm very interested in exploring both dreams and OBE and find the intersection of the two absolutely fascinating!
I'm now in my second session at the International School of Clairvoyance. I'm really enjoying the process. And I had an interesting experience related to the class that I wanted to share here today.
I had asked for guidance on my life path, and began my clairvoyance practice session (using Debra's process). For a several moments I got nothing then all at once a glittery, bright turquoise, high heeled shoe popped into my (psychic) sight.
While I might have worn (and loved) such a shoe at one time, I'm a flip-flop or sneakers sort of person now. So I knew that this fancy, sparkling vividly turquoise shoe was meant to be symbolic. And I found the style and color intriguing.
The shoe was the exact shade of blue, in fact, that I've come to think of as 'my blue' because it comes to me in dreams and meditation and other peoples readings (of me) over and over again.
For me that color blue means communication which is a big part of what I'm doing - here in the blog, on the radio show and in the writing of my book. So I liked that it showed up when I thought about my life path. I was less sure about the style - though I did like the bright, look-at-me sort of presence that bright blue shoe seemed to project.
 |
| Current Favorite Footwear :) |
Psychic impressions come to me in many different ways. Some are faint and fleeting. Others stand out. Some are literal and some are symbolic. And I love the depth of meaning and the mystery that symbols can offer.
Next week in class we are doing life path readings. These are my favorite types of readings and I am so looking forward to learning Debra's method!
Dream journaling is the hands down most important part of dream work. Without our trusty dream journals almost none of us would remember our dreams - at least not on a regular basis.
Dreams are fragile things and disappear from memory very, very quickly. When we wake up, however, our dreams are very close to the surface of our conscious awareness even if we don't remember them right away.
If you don't normally remember your dreams, don't feel discouraged. The simple act of of recording and honoring our dreams captures those dream memories hovering just under the edge of consciousness and brings them into to our waking reality.
Don't feel it's necessary to incorporate all the tips that follow. Start out with the first four or five and then add any you find interesting!
If you don't normally remember your dreams, don't feel discouraged. The simple act of of recording and honoring our dreams captures those dream memories hovering just under the edge of consciousness and brings them into to our waking reality.
Don't feel it's necessary to incorporate all the tips that follow. Start out with the first four or five and then add any you find interesting!
- Get an attractive notebook or journal and dedicate it exclusively to the recording of dreams. My brand new dream journal is a cute butterfly themed journal from a discount store and cost under $2. I didn’t feel the need for anything pricey as I know I’m going to be scribbling in it in the middle of the night in my very worst handwriting but a really nice journal works too.
- Record your dreams immediately after awakening. Use your journal to record key words, sequence of events and anything you can remember about the way image and characters looked, sounded or smelled – including your reaction to them.
- Don't tell yourself that you will rest for a millisecond and then write down your dream. You won't!
- Keep your journal close and move around as little as possible until you've written down your dream. Consider keeping a low light or bright night light on your nightstand so you don't have to turn on jarringly bright lights.
- Begin writing even if you don't remember much. Keep asking yourself, what happened before that? Often dreams are recalled in reverse order so working backwards can be very effective.
- For those who hope to lucid dream - record anything unusual including bizarre elements and any event that wouldn't normally occur in waking reality. (This is the beginning of the catalog of dream signs Dr. Steven LaBerge recommends in Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming and will increase your awareness of the dream state.)
- Record all dream fragments no matter how how fleeting. Make quick sketches to record characters or scenes. Consider keeping a second small notebook with you at all times, to jot down any dream memories that pop up during the course of the day.
- After recording your dream, put the date at the top of your entry and leave some blank space for notes or sychroncities that pop up later. If you recall a whole dream, give it a short catchy title which captures the subject or mood of the dream (if you attend a dream group this will come in handy!).
- When you have accumulated some material, look back on it and ask yourself questions. Try to become familiar with what is dream-like about your dreams so you can recognize them while they are occurring.
- Note or underline symbolic elements so that you can track them in your waking life.
- Make little drawing of anything you are too sleepy to write about - even if it doesn't seem to especially important.
- Go back over each entry as soon as you can. Puzzle out the sloppy handwriting, cross your T's and rewrite entire words when necessary. It may be hard to figure out what you have written now but it will be even harder later on later in the day - and completely impossible next week.
- Consider using a recorder if you are too tired to write. But do be aware that a very sleepy person may think they pressed a button when they actually did not!
I have just started the second course in Debra Lynne Katz's two part Clairvoyance training program.
The course (Clairvoyant 2) is a 12 week telecourse (taught live by Debra using the approach explained in her wonderful books, "You are Psychic," "Extraordinary Psychic," and "Freeing the Genie Within") picks up where Clairvoyant 1 left off.
One of the things I really enjoy about Debra's approach to clairvoyance is the way she applies this very powerful psychic sense to manifestation and healing work. Debra introduced us to these applications in session 1 and we will be continuing to work with them throughout the summer.
I am also really looking forward to the brand new material we'll be covering in the session - such as advanced healing, out of body work, life path readings and Akashic readings. This is going to be a wonderful course!
For more on the International School of Clairvoyance and Debra's wonderful classes please visit DebraKatz.com. For more on the fascinating areas of study covered in Clairvoyant 2, please see the list below.
- How to structure a reading
- Focus on different types of telepathy
- Life path readings
- Medical Intuition
- Past life readings
- Out of body work
- Dealing with troublesome entities
- Mediumship
- Clairvoyant Challenges
- Psychic Speed Reading
- Remote viewing
- Deprogramming
- Advanced Healing Techniques
- Professional Development
- Akashic records
- Remote Viewing Real Life Issues
I'm thrilled to announce that I am now a certified Denise Linn Soul Coaching® Oracle Card Practitioner! I so enjoyed this wonderful course. In it I learned a new and extremely positive way to work with the cards and it helped me to understand how to (as Denise says) be the oracle!
I am now about to embark on my Clairvoyant II Course through International School of Clairvoyance and am so looking forward to the next 12 weeks. Clairvoyant I has really helped me to improve my clairvoyant abilities. And I now base my readings on a combination of psychic impressions and oracle card insight. What an incredible journey this is becoming!
Watch the trailer for the fascinating documentary "Afterlife" featuring the work of Raymond Moody and Jeffrey Long below. The documentary not only features inspiring interviews with individuals who have personally experienced NDE but clearly presents the common characteristics of the Near Death Experience.
These characteristics as noted by Dr. Moody are:
- An overwhelming feeling of peace and well-being, including freedom from pain.
- The impression of being located outside one's physical body.
- Floating or drifting through darkness, sometimes described as a tunnel.
- Becoming aware of a radiant golden light.
- Encountering and sometimes communicating with a "being of light".
- Having a life review or rapid succession of visual images of one's past.
- Experiencing another world of incredible beauty.
Dr. Long presents nine characteristics of NDE in his wonderful book "Evidence of the Afterlife" which I am currently reading and recommend to anyone interested in learning more about the hard evidence for NDE. His study results and incredible NDE database are also available at his informative and very comprehensive website: nderf.org.
This documentary is available on to watch instantly on Netflix!
This documentary is available on to watch instantly on Netflix!
Vision is a German film that chronicles the life of the 12th century Christian mystic Hildegard von Bingen. The film begins with her early childhood and covers all of the known major events of her adult life. It is subtitled but moves at a readable pace.
Hildegard von Bingen was not only a visionary. She was also a gifted healer, a painter, religious leader, poet, and composer. One of the things I especially liked about Vision was the beautiful sound track based on Hildegard's own compositions. I was less impressed with emphasis on the saints personal relationships.
Not that I doubt that she had them or suffered at times with them, as do we all. But, to me, she is so much more than that.
Hildegard's Visions
According to multiple sources, including Barbara Newman, author of Voice of the Living Light: Hildegard of Bingen and Her World, Hildegard experienced (and recorded) a series mystical visions that she had been having since childhood. These writings describe a brilliant light pouring down from heaven, which the saint referred to as "the living light."
Because angels appeared to Hildegard in her visions, she gave a lot of thought to the relationship between angels and man. The saint foresaw an apocalyptic future giving way to a new heaven and a new earth as described in the book of Revelation.
Direct translations of Hildegard's visions may be found in Hildegard von Bingen's Mystical Visions which I have not read. But hope to read soon.
Hildegard attributed most of her accomplishments (including her incredibly beautiful musical compositions) to her visionary experience. But she remained modest throughout her life, giving all glory and honor to God as shown in the following letter to another religious leader:
A wind blew from a high mountain and, as it passed over ornamented castles and towers, it put into motion a small feather which had no ability of its own to fly but received its movement entirely from the wind. Surely the almighty God arranged this to show what the Divine could achieve through a creature that had no hope of achieving anything by itself. ~ Hildegard's letter to Abbot Philip
Hildegard and Holistic Wellness
Hildegard believed in a strong connection between body and soul and regarded physical disturbance as a sign of a deeper imbalance. Her pharmacopoeia, The Physica (Hildegard von Bingen's Physica: The Complete English Translation of Her Classic Work on Health and Healing) discusses the specific medicinal qualities of plants, elements, living creatures and metals.
The Physica does mention the use of crystals which (as an ex new ager) I do not recommend. It is worth noting, however, that Hildegard seemed to be attempting to utilize the mineral (rather than the magical) qualities of the stones. In many instances she placed the recommended stones directly against the skin or asked the patient to hold them in their mouth.
To me, fact that the Physica must be read critically (like all historical medical treatises) doesn't detract from its value. As one of the three female doctors of the Catholic Church, Hildegard's medical and visionary writings may be taken seriously.
To me, fact that the Physica must be read critically (like all historical medical treatises) doesn't detract from its value. As one of the three female doctors of the Catholic Church, Hildegard's medical and visionary writings may be taken seriously.
Hildegard's Legacy
Assuming a leadership position throughout her life, Hildegard served as magistra of the sisterhood at Disibodenberg and went on to found her own convent at Rupertberg in the face of great opposition. She was the author of the Physica three books of visions, numerous musical works and what many consider to be the first morality play.
Her many visions are thought provoking and well recorded.
Her delicate and haunting liturgical melodies speak directly to the heart. To me, their survival over these last 800 years is a remarkable testimony. I listen to them often. To me, they are more effective then any new age or Eastern meditation.
One of the things I love about Hildegard is that she reminds us our Catholic faith IS all encompassing. Thanks to Hildegard and other saints we are the recipients of both a rich mystical tradition and an approach to wellness that is well worth exploring.
Please note, the post includes Amazon affiliate links. This means that if you chose to purchase through Amazon I will earn a small commission at no cost to you.
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