This year I’ve been getting a real life, finding community, trying to experience what it would be like to have a love life, but as a result my creativity suffered and became a low priority for me.

I’ve felt disconnected from myself as an individual this year, losing touch with my creativity and inspiration. I’m hoping in the next few months to turn The Hanged Man into The Hanged Muse, while I think about how to proceed without making promises I can’t keep in regards to my creativity.

I have felt creatively blocked for a long time and only this month started reconnecting with my creative side and letting my soul be free to express itself in whichever form it wants to, whether it be through writing, painting, photography, or just living life for myself instead of in constant service of others. I do think service is an important part of life and an important part of who I am, but I need to find balance during this Libra season to give to myself so I’m not running on an empty tank when serving others anymore.

I recently posted this spread on Instagram and was surprised by just how much people loved this and wanted to give it a go! A lot of us in the spiritual community are always trying to understand our path and our purpose, so I suppose it’s easy to see why people would want to try out this spread.

The reason I love this spread so much is because it is so easy to gain an understanding of our current soul lesson. Sometimes you want a spread so you can just do a general check in, but it gets boring to just ask the cards “tell me what I need to know” over and over again.

1. Current Soul Lesson
2. Awareness of Lesson – What awareness do I have/not have of this lesson?
3. Subconscious Understanding – What do I know
4. What Is Helping Me Through
5. What Will Resolve This Lesson

My cards were:

Current Soul Lesson – 2 of Wands

Ahhh, the move. I am moving out of home for the first time this year and am currently in the preparation and planning stage, just like this 2 of Wands. I’m holding on to what I currently have before I need to let go and actually take the first step.

Awareness of Lesson – 3 of Swords

I’m aware that it’s not going to be easy, that relationships and friendships will fall away, and that I will feel alone for the first little while when I move.

Subconscious Understanding – King of Swords

For the move to be successful I have to be very logical and authoritative, and make sure every box is ticked before diving into or signing something. I need to use my existing logic and intellect to navigate the path ahead and make well researched and thought out decisions to ensure that I am happy when I move.

What Is Helping Me Through – The Emperor

The most important man in my life – my dad. He passed away in 2000 but I know and trust that he helps and guides me every day, especially when it comes to important life events like moving.

What Will Resolve This Lesson – Queen of Swords

Being logical and proactive about this move. Making sure I am operating from my head, but being guided by my heart.

I was amazed at this reading as I used a random tarot card generator online instead of one of my decks – it is completely accurate. I don’t usually trust random online generators but in this case it worked phenomenally so if you don’t have a deck on you right now, give it a go and see if it’s accurate for you.

If you try it out please tag me on Instagram and let me know how you go.

19-09-15 Mind-Body-Soul Exhibition
by Jann Morgan

 

19-09-15 Mind-Body-Soul Exhibition
by Jo at Avalon By Nature

 

19-09-15 Soul Point Holistics
by Jo at Avalon By Nature

 

25-06-16 Mind-Body-Soul Exhibition
by Moore Than A Healing

 

14-10-16 Crystal Castle

 

13-11-16 Crystal Castle

 

13-11-16 Crystal Castle

 

27-11-16 Chameleon New Age Salon

 

12-02-17 Crystal Castle

 

21-04-17 Crystal Castle

 

08-07-17 Chameleon New Age Salon
Taken by Karim

 

12-08-17 Crystal Castle

 

24-09-17 Crystal Castle

 

04-11-17 Chameleon New Age Salon
Taken by Nikki

 

25-11-17 Crystal Castle

 

23-12-17 Chameleon New Age Salon
(Before Reiki)

 

23-12-17 Chameleon New Age Salon
Taken by Karim (After Reiki)

 

23-01-18 Chameleon New Age Salon
Taken by Nikki

 

26-02-18 Aura Photographics at Mind Body Soul Exhibition in Brisbane

 

26-02-18 Aura Photographics at Mind Body Soul Exhibition in Brisbane with Chynna

 

03-03-18 Moore Than a Healing

 

02-04-18 Crystal Castle

 

26-05-18 Moore Than A Healing

 

02-06-18 Chameleon New Age Salon

 

07-08-18 Crystal Castle

 

11-08-18 Moore Than A Healing (Before Massage)

 

11-08-18 Moore Than A Healing (After Massage)

 

09-09-18 Crystal Castle

 

01-10-18 Chameleon New Age Salon

 

23-10-18 Avalon by Nature

 

10-11-18 Moore Than A Healing

 

28-12-18 Melbourne Kinesiology & Detox Centre

 

06-04-19 Moore Than A Healing

 

13-04-19 Chameleon New Age Salon

 

12-10-19 Chameleon New Age Salon

20-01-22 Moore Than A Healing before Chakra Balance

20-01-22 Moore Than A Healing after Chakra Balance

Happy New Year!

2018 was a rough year for a lot of people. There were a lot of crazy energies and planetary movements that created a lot of shifts in people, and in our lives.

For me it was a year of frustration and becoming a decent driver. I moved house, and got 2 new flatmates. Had a couple of nice domestic holidays, and was trying to navigate my finances.

A lot was torn down and rebuilt. Building new relationships with people & God, tearing down old systems that no longer work for me, and destroying old beliefs that hold me back. It was painful at times, but necessary and for the best.

I started going to church again at the start of 2018 after a 6 month break in 2017, and ended up going pretty consistently every Sunday at 6pm for the majority of 2018. I have held back on participating or becoming part of the church due to some things that happened last year (and my fear of cults), but in 2019 I do want to become more involved and get to know people and contribute more. I tend to feel  more comfortable observing from afar with my head down, but started to make some big moves in my faith towards the end of the year.

A New Year Spread

I wanted to create a good new year’s tarot spread for you all to enjoy, which will hopefully bring some clarity and advice to you in your journey in 2019.

This New Year spread is one you can use every year. I love that it recognises the past, and also helps us move into 2019.

My cards:

1. Two of Wands reversed: Reflecting on the past 12 months and reviewing my personal goals, and the things that didn’t happen in 2018 that I want to happen in 2019 such as an international holiday.

2. The Chariot: Literally just move forward. Don’t look back in regret or in anger, instead move forward and focus on the goals and dreams that you want to happen in 2019. I can’t change the past and everything happens for a reason. Take action and choose to move forward at the right pace for me.

3. Seven of Cups reversed: I’ll be ending the year in a state of reality rather than fantasy. I’ve always been a daydreamer and loved to escape reality in my imagination, but 2019 will help me to live in reality and be more clear.

4. Eight of Swords: Hallelujah! We are leaving feelings of entrapment and being stuck behind! It’s no longer a time for fear or hiding. I am leaving behind the feeling of not wanting to be seen by others or experience things that put me in the limelight. I deserve to be seen and heard by others, and to embrace all life has given me. I am no longer my worst enemy.

5. Four of Pentacles: Bring financial lessons learnt in 2018, into 2019. 2018 was a year full of financial lessons – hardship, changes, challenges, budgeting… they were all major things I dealt with this year. Don’t repeat the same mistakes, and don’t make rash financial decisions. Steady progress and consistency is needed for progress to occur at all. Hold onto the reigns and be in control.

6. Five of Pentacles: My challenge is the “lack mentality” when it comes to the material world, even if I do have money in the bank. I may still feel down & out when it comes to finances even though I have enough money to get me through each month.

7. King of Swords: My support or strength is air sign males or people that represent that energy! For some reason I knew my dad would show up here (he’s a Libra) and help me through 2019. I am hoping to connect with more males this year as most of the people I interact with are females. I am craving some much needed balance in my life in that area.

I hope you all enjoyed the spread – please let me know if you use it, I would love to see which cards you get! Wishing you a lovely 2019.

Another Year Over, A New One Just Begun

Christmas is a strange time of year for a lot of people.

It’s a time that has a massive build up – buying & wrapping gifts, making plans, preparing meals, catching flights or driving home, counting down the days until the holiday break begins. Jesus Christ tends to be forgotten in favour of the commercial side of Christmas and how most people have come to celebrate Christmas in modern years.

I didn’t grow up religious at all. My parents christened my brother and I, and they got married in the local Anglican church, but we were never regular church goers. We never went to a service on Sunday or read The Bible. We never said grace before a meal, or spoke of God, Jesus, Mary, Joseph, or any other biblical concepts or figures.

Instead, we grew up with concepts of angels, fairies, astrology, creativity, witchcraft, morals, and just living in reality and living a beautiful life, but we were lacking belief systems.

Several years later in my early twenties, I started becoming more involved with angels, psychics, and everything new age. It was a natural affinity that took centre stage for a number of years, but in 2016 I started to become a bit lost and was looking for more. It felt like my tarot & oracle cards weren’t giving me the depth of connection with the divine that I was needing in my soul. I needed community and I just needed more.

At the end of 2016 at a photography exhibition, I met a lovely girl who mentioned she was a Christian. She invited me to Church and I ended up going for a couple of months in early 2017. Although I met a couple of lovely people, I met someone who was very judgemental towards me which put me off.

Something I really don’t like is being judged. 

We all make judgements, it’s a part of being human. But when someone attacks me I struggle to overcome it. I know it is a weakness in myself that I need to work on, however at this time when I was putting myself into something new and attempting to learn their world, I struggled with the lack of reciprocation and my open-minded and open-hearted efforts being met with judgement. I felt like I didn’t belong. I wasn’t spiritual enough and I wasn’t enough of a believer to fit in with anyone. Honestly, this girl wasn’t that bad. She didn’t say anything awful, she was just very clear and strong with her point of view which heavily conflicted with mine. She is a good-hearted person, but we clashed. Unfortunately this happens sometimes, even when both people are good. I also found some of the other girls had a bitchy high school attitude which bothered me.

As a result of these clashes, I stopped attending church and just decided to focus on real life for a while which was good. I moved out and got my Provisional License in those 6 months. It was a necessary progression in my life as a 24-25 year old. However at the start of 2018 I felt called to go back to the same church and go again. Things had changed a bit in the year I’d been gone – a lot of the people I had met had moved onto another church, and a lot of new faces were at the Sunday 6pm service. I felt a lot more comfortable attending and went most weeks. I became more comfortable with saying God or Jesus, and religious terminology seemed to become more integrated into my vocabulary. I prayed regularly (and he answered even small prayers like asking for a parking spot at a busy location immediately) and built a connection with God for the first time which has changed a lot of things for me.

On Christmas Day this year, my family and I spent the morning opening presents, watching Christmas episodes of Will & Grace, and playing MarioKart. There was no mention of Jesus or what this day means for believers, apart from a small gift in my stocking. It was a necklace from Sister & Soul which had a rose quartz crystal cross, a crown, and a hope tag on it.

A couple of months ago I felt like I needed a cross necklace. I researched lots of them but never found the right one, so I asked Jesus to guide me to the right one, or have someone give it to me as a gift. No one else knew I wanted it, so I was so shocked when I saw this necklace from my mum; I swear she is partly psychic because she just seems to know things. The fact that the cross is made of crystal makes me feel like I am accepted as I am, and I don’t need to abandon my new age beliefs in order to fit in with the Christians at church. It also has additional significance to be because I have a tattoo on my left wrist that says HOPE.

I’ve learned this year that we are God’s perfectly flawed creations. Jesus came to earth to walk amongst us and guide us to be more heavenly on earth, and died for us. We are already loved, and we are already forgiven for our sins, our mistakes, and our flaws. That is what I’ve learned this year, and am grateful for this Christmas.

Each church is different.

The one I regularly attend is quite new agey as far as churches go. Or at least, far from traditional. The band is a modern rock style band that play guitars, and the style of the sermons and music is very much in line with Hillsong which is a church that a lot of people are familiar with. I go to the service aimed at Young Adults that is held on Sunday evenings and tend to resonate quite well with it.

They tend to have a different series or topic each month that the sermons revolve around and August happened to be all about relationships and marriage. As most of the people attending the service are in their early-mid twenties, marriage is something that a lot of us haven’t experienced yet but most likely will in the next decade or so of our lives. This specific sermon happened to be based around sex.

When the preacher said he was going to talk about sex, I immediately got uncomfortable. I was expecting an abstinence only sermon that shamed people who had sex, but I was pleasantly surprised. The tone he took was more about why and how God designed sex to be within the confines of marriage, and that the reason why was because he cares about our bodies, and our souls. Sex is the ultimate bonding exercise on every level, emotionally, mentally, physically, and sexually.

He talked about how in this day and age people don’t value sex or look to the creator of it (God) for their knowledge, instead we learn about sex through friends, the internet, family members, or a magazine.

I am of the belief that people should be able to sleep with whoever they want, whenever they want as long as both/all parties consent. But I do agree that people in our current society don’t value sexuality, or their bodies which has led to this Tinder culture replacing courtship or dating culture.

There are positives and negatives to these new attitudes about sex. Positives being people (mostly women) are reclaiming ownership of their bodies from the men that have owned us for generations, and the negatives being that sex is not valued as it is so easy to come by in our current society. Men used to take out women on several dates, meet her parents and family, and months or years later they would have sex. They had to earn trust, respect, approval, and have patience. Why would they choose to do this now when they can go on their phone, swipe right a couple of times, send an unsolicited dick pic and send a direct message saying “wanna hook up?”

We have become lazy and entitled when it comes to love and sex, and I don’t think it’s our fault. It’s a result of our culture, and the technology now available to us. This is the first time in history where it is possible to communicate like this so easily with billions of people around the world, and we are all figuring out how to do so. Our teachers and parents have been unable to show us how to use it, because they have no idea.

Millennials are the internet’s test subjects.

Love, sex, and marriage have never looked like this before. Flirting and dating is almost non-existent for millennials. Getting to know someone takes a click, a scroll, and thirty seconds later and you know all their friends, their dating history, their previous hair styles and fashion choices, where they work, what like they to watch, read, and listen to. Why bother getting to know someone the old fashioned way when we can do it the quick and lazy way?

Since 1950, the average age of people getting married has risen from 20 to 27.5 years old. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think this is a bad thing – young people these days have so many more opportunities and goals for themselves. Back in 1950 the goal of young people was find a husband, get married, buy a house, have children. Nowadays our goals look more like: get an education, get a good job, travel, pay off debt, live our own life how we want to, find purpose and meaning, then find someone, get married, and buy a house.

The path forward isn’t as clear and focused. No wonder we are confused.

The Huffington Post wrote, “Young people want to have sex, connect and relate in a loving way with others, but cannot offer anyone their commitment when they themselves are still in flux.”

It’s hard to buy into the concept of life long commitment with another person when Gen X and Y are children of divorce. Very few of us had both parents in our lives until we were 18, let alone parents that were still together and HAPPY. When you experience that kind of abandonment or lack of a long term committed happy couple to look up to, it’s hard to believe it exists at all.

Both my grandmothers had very different experiences when it came to sex. My dad’s mother had several partners, and her children had different fathers. She was unlucky in love, and married my dad’s father one month before giving birth to my dad (to his surprise when he found out 35 years later after she passed away).

On the other hand, my mum’s parents were together for over 50 years. Her mother once told me when I was 18 years old, sitting next to her reading New Moon from the Twilight series, “I was still a virgin when I married your grandfather”. Literally nothing had prepared me for her to say it so it was very out of the blue and awkward to say the least.’

I, myself, have never had a slutty phase, and in fact, I’ve not had sex at all. It’s not that I haven’t thought about it or wanted to, I just haven’t been in a situation where it would happen before. It feels strange to write this on the internet for the world to see as it is a very personal thing that for some reason I’ve got a lot of shame and embarrassment around. I think because it’s rare to have someone my age who hasn’t grown up religious to still be a virgin at 26 years old.

In a lot of ways I’m grateful and lucky that I’ve been in control of it – peer pressure hasn’t got to me, and I’m very fortunate to have no experienced any abuse in my life, whether it be from partners or strangers. In a way my virginity is a gift that I have – the gift of choice. I know for a fact when I do meet someone and choose to have sex that it will be my choice, I will be ready, and I will be educated.

I have realised since going to church that if I started dating someone who was saving themselves for marriage, I could wait with them. I no longer have the desperation to lose my vcard that I once had. I don’t necessarily need my first time to be ~special~, but I do want it to be with someone I trust and like. For some reason it’s nearly impossible these days to find someone of the opposite sex that is trustworthy but I know that is one thing I won’t compromise on when it comes to having sex.

I’ve been a late bloomer in general this lifetime. I moved out of home and got my driver’s license at 25 years old. When others were learning to drive and experiencing relationships and intimacy for the first time in high school, I struggling with grief and depression, just trying to survive each day without tears. During university when everyone was dating, drinking and partying, I would go home, binge watch my favourite tv series by myself, shop online, and practice makeup tutorials I found on YouTube.

Being a late bloomer is okay. You’re still blooming, just in your own time.

These days we ask ourselves how long after sex are we dating, instead of how long do we date before we have sex?

I may be someone with traditional values when it comes to love, sex and marriage. I want to date someone, feel all the butterflies and excitement, and then decide together once we’ve talked about it to take that next step in the relationship when both of us are ready.

Going to Church has made me feel normal for my beliefs and values in so many ways, and like a weirdo because of my new age beliefs about what life is about and what happens when we die, as they don’t align with Christianity. I believe in Jesus, I now believe in God, but I don’t agree or believe in so many things from the Bible. I also believe we can learn from Buddist and Islamic teachings. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to reconcile it all, nor do I want to. Not every belief system has to be completely defined or confined to one thing. My openness is one of my strengths and I’m grateful I live in a country that allows me the freedom to have my own beliefs and express them.

Am I going to become a church blogger instead of a new age one? Absolutely not. But I do think it’s important to share some lessons I’ve learnt on both sides and recognise the different messages I’m getting and how they connect.

Image Credit: Unsplash 

The reason I love this spread so much is because it is so simple. Sometimes you want a spread so you can just do a general check in, but it’s hard to just ask the cards “tell me what I need to know” over and over again. Chakra spreads are great because you can check in with all areas of your body, mind, and soul and see which areas are thriving, and which areas need some TLC.

I love to use my chakra decks with this spread to see which energies are displaced or out of alignment, but you could use any deck with this spread.

Let me know what cards you get in the comments below! I’d be happy to help interpret them if you would like a second opinion.

This was inspired by my holiday to Tangalooma Island in November 2016.

Eight months ago I fell in love with you

As your rays sunk deep into my skin

Your warmth covered me

I felt love, no longer a slave to fear



After escaping my grasp for twenty five years

Love was given to me

In the form of your comfort

Unashamed, unafraid

Unabashed, unspoken



Twenty five years of being on guard

One decade of living in the dark

Now ready to bask in the light

Welcomed, accepted

Received, indescribable



How fortunate I am

To experience you every day

I ask myself

How did I get so lucky?

I really hope you enjoyed it. I’m no poet and I wrote this in about five minutes with minimal editing. On this holiday I realised how much I love the sun.

I had quite an interesting experience when I went to church for first time and had an intense release of emotion during the music before the sermon when they sang Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) by Chris Tomlin. Since then I have listened to a lot of Worship music (mostly Christian rock) and really connect with it. Worship music is a way for me to connect with Spirit and release some pain, fear, judgement, and negative beliefs about myself and the world.

Going to Church has made me realise that the Spirit of God is what I’ve been connecting with my whole life, I was just more comfortable with other words like universe, angels, loved ones, and would direct my prayers to them.

I’ve always been spiritual and interested in the metaphysical. I was that kid who would ask the universe to decide what I should do, I’d toss an eraser into the air with yes, no, maybe on each side and ask it to tell me if my crush liked me or not. I always believed there was more than what we experience in the 3D world as humans. I always believed in angels and fairies and felt very connected to them as a child. I’ve seen angels before. Now that my heart has expanded a little bit and accepted some Christian teachings, I feel I have a more rounded perspective.

I’m never going to be that person who shouts “so good” during a sermon because I’m very introverted and am there to listen and observe, but I’m hoping to continue to open up and become more open with my body language, and hopefully the music continues to help with that.

I’ve listed some of my favourite worship songs below, but as I am new to Christianity I know there are a lot more songs out there to learn! Please leave any recommendations in the comments below.

1. Oh Come to the Altar (Live) – Elevation Worship O come to the altar / The Father’s arms are open wide / Forgiveness was bought with / The precious blood of Jesus Christ
2. Real Love (Live) – Hillsong Young & Free You’re pulling me closer and closer / Holding my heart till the very end / Jesus, I’m found in your freedom / This is real love, this is real love
3. Yahweh (Acoustic) – Elevation Worship Holy, Holy is the Lord / Worthy to be praised / Yahweh / Fire rising in my soul / All consuming flame Yahweh
4. Spirit Move (Live) – Bethel Music We are fixed on this one thing / To know Your goodness and see Your glory / We’re transformed by this one thing / To know Your presence and see Your beauty
5. Love So Great – Elevation Youth You left Your throne in heaven up above / To walk among the selfish and the hurt / Bearing all our sin upon the cross / There is nothing like Your love
6. Reckless Love (Live) – Cory Ashbury Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God / Oh, it chases me down, fights ’til I’m found, leaves the ninety-nine / And I couldn’t earn it, and I don’t deserve it, still, You give Yourself away / Oh, the overwhelming, never-ending, reckless love of God
   
7. No Pressure – Elevation Youth The weight has been released / No pressure on me, no pressure on me / Your love has rescued me / Forever I’m free, forever I’m free
8. Holy Spirit (Live) – Jesus Culture
   Holy Spirit You are welcome here / Come flood this place and fill the atmosphere  / Your Glory God is what our hearts long for /  To be overcome by Your Presence Lord
9. More Like Jesus – Passion Oh Lord, change me like only / You can Here with my heart in Your hands / Father I pray make me more like Jesus / This world is dying to know who You are / You’ve shown us the way to Your heart / So Father I pray make me more like Jesus
10. Tremble – Mosaic MSC Jesus, Jesus, You make the darkness tremble / Jesus, Jesus / You silence fear
11. Amazing Grace (My Chains Are Gone) – Chris Tomlin My chains are gone I’ve been set free / My God, my Savior has ransomed me / And like a flood / His mercy reigns / Unending love, amazing grace
12. Resurrecting (Acoustic) – Elevation Worship By Your spirit I will rise / From the ashes of defeat / The resurrected King, is resurrecting me / In Your name I come alive / To declare Your victory / The resurrected King, is resurrecting me
13. Overcome (Acoustic) – Elevation Worship We will not be moved / When the earth gives way / For the risen One has overcome / And for every fear / There’s an empty grave / For the risen One has overcome
14. Jesus We Love You – Bethel Music
    You lift our weary head / You make us strong instead / You took these rags and made us beautiful / For all that you’ve done, we will pour out our love / This will be our anthem song
15. Wonder – Hillsong I see the world in light / I see the world in wonder I see the world in life / Bursting in living colour / I see the world Your way / And I’m walking in the light
16. The Cross Has the Final Word – Cody Carnes There’s nothing stronger, nothing higher / Nothing greater, than the Name of Jesus
17. No Longer Slaves (Live) – Bethel Music I’m no longer a slave to fear / I am a child of God
18. Wilder Waters – Elevation Youth You call me out to wilder waters / I’m not afraid with You / I’m not afraid with You / You are my strength and my defender / I will not be moved / I will not be moved
19. One Way – Hillsong You are the way, the truth and the life / I live by faith and not by sight for You / We’re livin’ all for You
20. There Is A Cloud (Live) – Elevation Worship And with great, anticipation / We await, the Promise to come / Everything, that You have spoken / Will come to pass, let it be done!
21. I Could Sing of Your Love Forever (Cover) – Justin Bieber Over the mountains and the sea / Your river runs with love for me / And I will open up my heart / And let the healer set me free.

One of my favourite worship performers is Chris Brown from Elevation Worship. He comes from a line of Christian ministers so he was destined for where he is now. His voice and his passion really connects with me and I think he is the reason I have still been going to Church 18 months after going for the first time. “Oh Come To The Altar” is the song that made me want to be a part of it.

Although these are religious faith-based songs, I would love to get some recommendations for music that are more spiritually based as well!

We hear a lot about ‘abundance‘ in the spiritual community – it’s almost like one of the pedestals our community was built on, but I’ve always personally struggled with the concept.

In many ways I know I am extremely privileged and abundant in this lifetime. I have more than I need when it comes to pretty much every aspect of life (except romance), and like most of us in the first world, I don’t even realise it and instead always want more, or something different than what we already have. It’s hard to appreciate the abundance you possess when you have advertisements coming at you from every which angle to make you feel like you don’t have enough.

They want you to get caught up in having a new cordless vacuum that costs $899 when you have a corded one that works just fine, along with a dustpan and brush, and a spray mop. That is the epitome of abundance, even if we are only talking about cleaning products.

Of course this lack mentality that we have makes us spend and be loose with our finances. I am definitely someone that falls prey to this and I want to reign things in and spend less.

Short term spending is not worth long term debt.

I currently have a $9000 debt on my credit card. This was accumulated in only one year (I got the card in July 2017) which shows the lack of control I have when it comes to spending. I have many bad habits (emotional eating being one of them) but impulse spending has done real damage to my finances over the last 3 years and I really want to sort that out.

This has been a learning curve for me as around the time I got the credit card I also moved out of home, got a car, and got on a mobile plan I had to pay myself as opposed to being added onto my mum’s phone bill like I had been since I was 10 years old. Most people learn these lessons at 16, not 26, but these bad habits can follow people for decades of their life until they finally make a change and learn the lesson.

As so much day-to-day marketing is targeted towards women, I do think that women earn less, and spend more than men. Female products cost more, and we have more expenses than men. Of course this is an unequal balance that needs to change, but we also need to take some responsibility for how we spend our money recreationally.

I created this Financial Flow spread to give me some advice on finances moving forward, and how I can start the new financial year with a more positive attitude in regards to money. It’s a really simple spread that gets to the core of any financial issues you might be having.

I used the ‘Tarot Made Easy’ deck by Barbara Moore and my cards were:

1. Wheel of Fortune – Like everything in life, finances are cyclical and money comes and goes. As this card was upright, I think it is saying that my finances have been bad, but they are about to improve due to my change in residence.
2. 9 of Cups – My need to be abundant with belongings and need for more more more is the true block. The needless overspending and impulse purchases are what are blocking my financial flow.
3. 7 of Pentacles – Thinking money grows on trees is blocking the flow. I have literally said in the past that I just believe money will come back to me as it was always there for me in abundance. Since moving out that has changed drastically and I think I am meant to finally learn these very human lessons at this time. If you spend more than you earn then the flow is never going to work. It’s like trying to get clean, fresh water from a dry and muddy stream.
4. 4 of Cups – I need to appreciate what I have and not be so ungrateful for the beautiful belongings that I already have and can enjoy. I need to make old things new again and focus on those instead of lusting over the new shiny thing that has just been released.
5. 2 of Pentacles – My finances need balance. I need to have a balance of paying bills and rent, saving, and spending. If I want to go on that overseas holiday to Europe next year then I need to sort out my finances first so I can pay off my debt, and start saving for it. I need to work on my attitude towards money – the second I have it I want to spend it, and that’s not a healthy way to manage money.

I found these cards to be incredibly accurate and am shocked and just how on point they were to my finances and my mentality.

Vix (New Age Hipster) has an old school blog post about How to be Spiritual on a Budget which I highly recommend checking out if you really think you need an aqua aura quartz crystal or the new indie deck that is all over your Instagram feed.

Please let me know if you try out this spread and if it sheds some light on your finances. I’d love to hear which cards you got and how you interpreted them for your situation. Leave them in the comments below or over at Instagram!

Who remembers the hit 1990-2000s tv show Charmed? Or at least the lyrics I am the sun / I am the air?

If you have never heard of or seen Charmed before, it was a tv series based on 3 sisters known as the “Charmed Ones” who each had a power inherited from their ancestor who was also a witch. The eldest has the power to move things with her mind (telekinesis), the middle sister can freeze time (molecular immobilisation), and the youngest can see into the future (premonition).

They are known as the most powerful good witches to ever walk the Earth and their destiny is to protect the innocent and rid the world of evil.

Featuring an episodic format, each episode brings a new battle, a new power, a new demon, or a new supernatural creature. 

My brother and I would spend countless hours watching and rewatching the series during our high school years, falling in love with the strong women at the beating heart of the show and the journeys they went on during the 8 years the show was on air.

One of the most fascinating things about the show was the girls love/hate relationship with being “The Charmed Ones”. Although they love what they do and know it is their destiny, most of the time they are focused on their love lives and careers and navigating that with their supernatural secret. Fighting demons and their Wiccan duties are burdensome to them at times.

I’ve wanted a Charmed tarot deck for awhile, but had never seen one until a few months ago when someone posted about the Prescott Manor deck in one of the spiritual FaceBook groups. I immediately wanted it, but was a bit disappointed to see it was a majors-only deck. Unfortunately only the major arcana are available and the minor arcana & court cards are not available. I still ended up purchasing the deck because I loved what I saw and knew I would love using the deck.

First things first, lets go over the facts and figures of the Prescott Manor deck:

• 23 cards (22 Major Arcana plus an additional ‘art’ card
• Card size is massive at 6.5 x 4 inches
• Comes in a blue velvet pouch – the sizing of it is a bit strange and is too small for the deck. The pouch only just fits the cards in and you can not do it up so cards are going to fall out if you pick it up.
• Cardstock: it’s neither glossy nor matte cardstock and it’s not too thick or too thin. It’s quite lovely.

The moments the creator chose for each card is near perfect – I absolutely love orbing as The Chariot, and the manor as The Tower as it opened my eyes to different ways to interpret those cards. I now see the tower very differently than I did before. As it is my card of the year in 2018, it came along at the perfect time as I was starting to stress out about it. The Justice card is pure brilliance. The Lovers is an interesting choice, one that I truly loved but I can see being controversial as there are a lot of people who loved Phoebe & Cole as a couple. 

I really hope in the future they release the minor arcana as well to round out the deck. There is so much inspiration you can gain from the show and so many ideas that would work for each of the cards. There were 178 episodes of the show and like I mentioned previously, each episode means a new demon or costume which means you could easily create the remaining 56 cards. You can tell they are a proper fan of the show and carefully chose each detail in the cards. 

I would love to see both child and adult Wyatt in the deck, and of course Chris too. Would also love to see Daryl included in the deck. If they do the court cards, I would love to see each of the girls as the Queens (Piper – Pentacles, Phoebe – Cups, Prue – Swords, Paige – Wands). 

If you have not seen Charmed but love the look of the deck, I highly recommend watching the show before purchasing as you will gain so much more meaning from the cards and artwork.

You can purchase the deck here from Prescott Manor. 

The power of three will set us free.

Like most people, I have struggled to get to know the Court cards in the tarot system. The Pages in particular are hard to read so when they come up in a reading I usually turn to a guidebook or the internet for some perspective on the card. If you’ve ever opened a guidebook to find out more about one of the Pages, you will have been met with something similar to “a young or childlike fire sign person”, which is quite broad and hard to resonate with, especially if you don’t have any children or young people around you at that point in your life.

Page isn’t a word we use to describe people anymore so there is a cultural gap between modern first world society and this concept. We are all familiar with Kings, Queens and Knights, but Pages? Not so much. So what is the definition of a Page?

Definition of Page (noun):

(1) :  a youth being trained for the medieval rank of knight and in the personal service of a knight

(2) :  a youth attendant on a person of rank especially in the medieval period

(3) :  a boy serving as an honorary attendant at a formal function (such as a wedding)

(4) :  one employed to deliver messages, assist patrons, serve as a guide, or attend to similar duties

Source

In my understanding of the tarot, the Pages represent someone at the beginning of a journey, whether they are 5, 15, or 50 years old. They may show up just before you begin something new, or if you are ending a particular way or doing or thinking about something in your life. To gain an understanding of each of the Pages of the tarot, you combine this notion with the energy or meaning of each of the suits. For example, Cups usually represent emotions, intuition, love, spirituality, and relationships. Therefore, the Page of Cups may be beginning a new journey in love, a new emotional journey or a new (or renewed) connection with spirit.

Depending on your choice of tarot deck, the Page may show up as female, male, or as a character who could be portrayed as either gender. There is a tomboy energy to the Pages and their main traits/qualities do not revolve around traditional gender roles.

Some alternate names for the Page are: Princess, Daughter, Seeker, Maiden, or Child.

The Page of Cups

Page of Cups has been my card stalker for the last few months so I’ve had to get to know him/her pretty well. The Page of Cups is all about developing intuition and insight, and having romantic and creative experiences. She creates from the heart, and comes across like a moody, emotional, hormonal teenage girl to those who have more experience than her.

The Page of Cups is the sensitive, romantic person in your life who is seeking love and connection, or the child who goes with the flow and just wants to have imaginary play all the time. They are quite soft, sweet, and sensitive. They wish the world was a peaceful place full of love and understanding. They choose to see the world through rose coloured glasses and when that image is inevitably shattered it breaks their heart.

They may come across as naive or childlike, especially during the pursuit of love. Other people don’t understand their way of thinking as it is based in fantasy and not in reality. People love to give the Page of Cups advice and tell them to be more realistic, but the Page of Cups is strong in their faith in love and will shake it off. Regardless of the advice they are given, they trust their gut instinct above all else and have incredible intuition, especially with people. Like the Page of Swords they are able to read people like a book, but they do it through feeling rather than through a logical process or analysis.

The Page of Cups is a great advice giver and can usually see the hidden emotional undertones or motivations of a situation. Even if they haven’t experienced love themselves, they are very knowledgeable about love and able to give great advice when their friends are having love troubles or relationship issues. This Page most likely has relationship karma from past lives, and has spent a portion of their early life being single so they can learn to love themselves, or flitting from relationship to relationship searching for true love to no avail. On the other hand, some Page of Cups experience the love of childhood or high school sweethearts as they have a desire from a young age to love and to be loved and may have entered this lifetime with their soulmate.

The can be prone to mental health conditions as a result of their sensitivity more than the other Pages – depression in particular.

Pop Culture Association: Charlie (The Perks of Being A Wallflower), Drew Holt (Parenthood), Chuckie Finster (Rugrats)

“Feelings can’t be ignored, no matter how unjust or ungrateful they seem.” ― Anne Frank

The Page of Swords

The Page of Swords is a card I don’t see too often (more likely the Knight of Swords), but to me they represent new mindsets, insight, and ways of thinking. Swords are all about air, meaning intellect and communication. They are great advice givers as they can see numerous perspectives or sides of a debate, but don’t necessarily deliver the advice with tact. Sometimes it’s that person that doesn’t mean to offend, but can just by being a bit blunt. They are calculating and usually think before they act. The Page of Swords is an innovator and creative thinker. If this doesn’t sound like anyone in your immediate circle, picture the nerdy/geeky guy you went to high school with. They usually wear glasses and their head may be larger than average or look slightly out of proportion to their body, their forehead may be on display at all times, or they have a lot of wild hair like Albert Einstein or Lionel in Dear White People, which is a reflection of their intense brain activity.

They crave depth of conversation, hate small talk, and are likely to be sapiosexuals (noun: finding intelligence sexually attractive or arousing). The Page of Swords understands technology and keeps up to date with the latest gadgets – they are more likely to invent groundbreaking technology than the other Pages. They can read people like a book and are great at picking up on subtleties that other people (especially the Page of Wands) may miss as they have an innate logical understanding of humans and the way they work.

Pop Culture Association: Luke Girardi (Joan of Arcadia), Lip Gallagher (Shameless)

“Curiosity is, in great and generous minds, the first passion and the last.” ― William Samuel Johnston

The Page of Wands

The Page of Wands is beginning a new creative hobby or pursuit, setting off on a new journey, or finally taking action after a little bit of contemplation. Actually, the Page of Wands doesn’t contemplate too much. They tend to do more than think, and act more than react. We all know a Page of Wands. They are usually the cousin or acquaintance you have who has travelled the world. They have been a teacher in Croatia, worked at an ice cream shop in the Bahamas, and have a fresh, youthful, adventurous glow about them whether they’re 25 or 65.

They are wide eyed and enthusiastic about life. They prefer to live in the moment and may find it fun to jump off a cliff, go skydiving, or bungee jumping on a casual Tuesday. The Page of Wands is a nomad, and always wants to be on the go. Even though they travel the world by themselves, they find it easy to make friends wherever they go and are rarely alone. Page of Wands takes full advantage of the resources and opportunities available to him/her and doesn’t question intentions behind the offers as much as other Pages might. They are the daredevils and risktakers of the Pages. They tend to not like authority and instead choose to work as a freelancer, in temporary positions or in a job where they do not have to work traditional business hours. They wake up with a lot of energy usually early in the morning and are excited to start their day. You will rarely find a Page of Wands who places all roots in one place.

Pop Culture Association: Alfie Deyes (YouTuber/Author)

“We must take adventures in order to know where we truly belong.”

The Page of Pentacles

You may see the Page of Pentacles show up around the time you are considering leaving a job, or taking on a new one, or making changes in your physical world. The Page of Pentacles wants to ground themselves and have a place to call home, if they don’t already. They seek security and stability in their lives and are just starting to find their place in the world, but unlike the Queen & King of Pentacles, they are more willing to embrace change if they know it is going to get them to a better place in their life.

Most associated with the root chakra, The Page of Pentacles is dealing with the home, career, family, and finances, most likely for the first time. They tend to live in the moment, but are also dreamers, which you might not expect as usually the suit of Cups represents the dreamers and idealists.

The Page of Pentacles is GREAT at games and quiz shows such as Family Feud because they are very grounded and accumulate a lot of general knowledge. Page of Pentacles enjoys their day-to-day comforts and their home environment, they love good food. They tend to take a lot of pride in their home and make sure it is a reflection of who they are, or the image they want to portray to others. More than the other Pages they are likely to keep on top of housework and to notice if something is missing or out of place in their environment.

This Page is more emotionally stable than the others and is able to give practical advice to their friends and family members. They usually have the best of intentions and like to be wanted or needed by others. If they are needed by others, they gain a sense of self-worth and importance.

Pop Culture Association: Jacob Black (The Twilight Saga), Joey Tribbiani (Friends), Miranda Hart (Miranda), Dean Forester (Gilmore Girls), Josh Nichols (Drake and Josh)

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” ― Milton Berle

I really hope this quick little post has helped you to gain a different perspective on each of the Pages, or has at least clarified what they are all about. Which Page do you most relate to? Can you see these Pages in your friends or family members?

“And suddenly you know: It’s time to start something new and trust the magic of beginnings.” ― Meister Eckhart

Mother Nature has been calling me to work with her in 2017 (probably for longer but I have only just started listening to her after realising connecting with earth is the key to my personal power). I created this spread to help me figure out exactly what I am trying to create in my life, and how She can help me. I have an earth-dominant astrological chart but for the first 25 years of my life I have been avoiding and running away from everything that embodies earth. I have never been an outdoorsy person and became even less so after my dad passed away, and I have never liked animals.

This spread is great for tapping into your Empress energy. We are all creative beings with the power to plant any seeds that we want! The things we usually forget, is that we need to water and nourish these seeds. I love to call upon the earth energy (I call her Mother Nature or Gaia) and ask her to work with me to create whatever it is that I am planting the seeds for. Something to remember is that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was the Earth. Every living creature is so intricately created, detailed and perfect. It takes time to create magnificent & beautiful things both in the world, and in our lives.

When you plant the seeds, your job is not finished, it is only just beginning. You need to water, nurture, and attend to the seeds until they start to sprout. You can’t see the work you are creating whilst the seeds are still in the soil, but you need to trust that something is growing as a result of your tender loving care.

I’ve been planting the seeds for when I move for the last few months now. I’ve known I was going to move this year since the end of 2016 so bit by bit I have been letting things go (both emotional and physical stuff) which has been hard, but necessary after being in the same place for the last 16 years.

Which seeds are you planting?

One of the most popular tarot decks I stumbled upon on Instagram is the Starchild Tarot by Danielle Noel. I’ve seen it around for a couple of years now but had never purchased it because of the crazy shipping cost (Australians always cop the brunt of this!). When the second edition of the Starchild Akashic Tarot was released I knew I had to finally have it in my life.

My first impressions: The deck is beautiful. With muted purples, blues and pinks and gold gilded edges, the Starchild Tarot feels very ethereal. The cardstock is gorgeous – thick but not too thick, matte but not too matte, and of course easy to photograph, hence the Instagram success. Shuffling is a dream and I have not had any problems with chipping or ruining the cards, although I have only had the deck for a couple of weeks. It comes in a good quality, hard box that will be sure to keep your cards safe and protected from the elements. It’s accompanied by a fabulous guidebook that provides clear and easy to understand card meanings that have elevated my knowledge of the tarot. Some guidebooks are really lame and have just a couple of keywords in tiny font on a bit of white paper, but the Starchild Tarot guidebook is one you can proudly display on your shelf.

The Starchild Tarot feels like a very soft, caring deck that wants to nuture you so you can reach your full potential. It acts like my best friend – encouraging and empowering me to tackle anything that comes my way. I never pull a card from the deck and want to put it back in and shuffle again. Even the 10 of Swords which usually depicts someone who has literally been stabbed in the back, is pretty and hopeful. It gives you the power, instead of the person taking it away from you.

Although some might say this is a “lightworker” deck, I do think it can help you work with your shadow self. Humans are holistic beings – you can not have light without the dark so if you ignore your shadow self, you are neglecting a part of who you are that has a lot to offer you. The Starchild Tarot will deliver some bad news when it needs to, but will always do so in a loving and uplifting way.

Danielle is also working on the Moonchild Tarot. As far as I know there is no release date yet, but I’m also not sure if I will pre-order it when it is available. It doesn’t feel like a deck I need in my collection as I don’t personally feel I have much of a connection to the moon, and instead am more drawn to the sun and stars. It also looks like the Moonchild Tarot will have western imagery and green/brown/orange colour tones like the first edition Starchild Tarot which is gorgeous, but not my personal style or colour palette (as you can probably tell from my website). 

We are all stardust.

If you have never gotten a psychic, clairvoyant or tarot reading before, you may be a bit nervous about it.

A lot of my friends and family are sceptical and fearful about getting a reading as the person may tell them a bunch of horrible things that will happen in their life. I have never had that experience in any of the readings I’ve had (whether I’ve thought they were good or bad reading) and I usually find it to be a positive, uplifting, and eye-opening experience. If you are a bit concerned about the reading, please know that usually a bit of scepticism and discernment is usually encouraged in readings as nothing spiritual is 100% accurate or factual. Sometimes going into a reading with a lot of fear can cause some negativity to arise as they may pick up on your fears or lack fo willingness to participate in the reading.

My mum is queen of living in the now. She gets upset and overly sentimental and nostalgic when she looks at the past, and looking at the future terrifies her. I’ve never been able to relate to that. I have always been nostalgic and sentimental about the past but have always been obsessed with the future. The now has never excited or satisfied me (although this year has been a little different). For her getting a reading would either make her sad or scared so she has never gotten one.

Many of my twenty-something friends have gotten readings and enjoyed the experience. Your twenties is a time where you can get really jaded and worried about the future, but getting readings where they give you hope and encouragement is a great experience to have at our age.

There are some people out there who are frauds – you can usually tell as they tell you something negative and then try to sell you a candle or something to help you fix whatever they said was wrong. Never believe those people. Real psychics, mediums, intuitives and readers will be primarily positive and want to uplift and encourage you. They do not want to scare you or freak you out at all. They are there to help shed light on situations and give advice when necessary. They are there to light you up and build you up, not make you terrified to leave the house ever again.

I hope this helps those of you who are contemplating getting a reading – it can be overwhelming choosing which kind of reading you want. I’ve had a lot of good readings from people I’ve been recommended (usually by hairdressers!) so ask around if you feel comfortable doing so and give your local intuitives a try.

Reading Style

Clairvoyant aka “clear seeing” – they can see your past, present and future like images in their mind. Don’t worry, they can’t see everything, just what spirit shows them which is almost always in your best interest. Clairvoyants usually do not ask you for much information and just start talking as soon as you sit down. They may ask for clarification or ask if what they are saying makes sense, but in my experience, the clairvoyant does 99% of the talking and they usually talk pretty fast so you get good value for money.

Mediumship – mediums communicate with spirit/the deceased. Each medium uses their different physical and psychic senses to communicate and interpret the information. A medium has to raise their vibration and spirit has to lower their vibration in order for the communication to take place – they need to meet in the middle hence the term “medium”. Famous mediums include Lisa Williams and John Edwards – I highly recommend checking out Lisa’s work and her tv show “Life Among The Dead” in particular. There are numerous clips from the readings she did on the show over on YouTube.

Psychic/Intuitive – these readings are the most varied type of reading as they can come in any form. Psychic readers, like mediums, also use their senses to perform the reading and usually have a sense of claircognizance (clear knowing), although again this varies greatly and is dependent on the psychic. Intuitive is a very loose term to describe clairsentience (clear feeling). Intuitive readers usually tune into your energy and then go with what feels true to them without any logic or reasoning involved.

Tarot – tarot readings are also extremely varied – different decks, spreads, questions, and the reader’s personal understanding of the cards mean that every single person on the planet would read the meaning of a card differently. Tarot is a structured system like a deck of playing cards and has four suits (14 cards per suit) as well as the major arcana (22 cards). Some readers are a big fan of intuitive reading rather than following the traditional card meanings, others like to look at the card and allow the imagery to tell the story – most of us combine all of these once we have basic knowledge of the tarot system. The intention behind a tarot reading is usually to provide understanding of a situation, and advice on how to proceed. Tarot is not primarily used for fortune telling although sometimes clear messages about the future will show up.

Oracle Cards – oracle cards are very similar to tarot cards, except it does not have an overall structure or system, meaning each and every oracle card deck plays by its own set of rules. These readings are typically done with the intention to help and heal the client, and provide direction if the client is feeling lost.

Astrological – there are a million ways to do an astrological reading. Natal chart readings are incredibly popular as they analyse everything about you and your soul based on the time, date and place of birth. I got a natal chart monograph reading from Benebell Wen which was a 440+ page book interpreting my natal chart.

Palm Reading – I’ve had a couple of different palm readings and they are very varied in style. Tony Legget does video palm readings where he reads your essence, your personality, gifts, current/past/future energies and potential for success. He doesn’t sugar-coat anything and told me in my second palm reading that he was “disappointed” which I understood perfectly at the time. His readings are very accurate and detailed and it feels like he is reading your soul or higher self. I also got an audio palm reading by Kat Anders where she looked at “facts”, timelines, talents, natural abilities, and guardian angel visits. Her reading is much more practical and is approached in a logical manner.

Elemental Realm – an elemental realm reading will identify if you belong to any of the following realms: Starseed, Fairies, Earth Angels, Wise One, Leprachaun, Cherub, etc.

Past Life Regression – a past life regression isn’t necessarily a reading like the ones listed above. I have not yet experienced a past life regression so it’s hard to give a view of what one is, but from my understanding a past life regression is done with the purpose or intention of gaining understanding and knowledge of a past life or lives, to help you to understand why you are the way you are, or why you may notice that you repeat the same patterns. Past Life Regressions are quite intense and can bring stuff to the surface that may be hard to comprehend.

There are many other kinds of readings, but these are just the ones I’ve experienced in the last couple of years or have heard about. If there is a type of reading that I forgot or you are curious about, please let me know in the comments below.

Tarot is a Mirror for Self-Reflection

Delivery Method

In Person

The face-to-face reading is my favourite. I’ve had around 15 in person readings over the last couple of years and they have all been relatively good (some better than others). Of course, this depends on the reader and how well you personally vibe with them. A lot of readers record the reading for you, or let you record it yourself with your phone. I had a really great reading once where I didn’t record it but later wished I had. It’s always best to ask before recording a reading. Some people opt to take a notebook and pen with them to a reading but I prefer to listen in the moment and give my full attention to the reading while it’s happening, then listen to the recording and make notes later.

Skype

Skype readings are a great option if you want a face-to-face reading with someone who lives across the world. You can also do Skype voice calls which I know people like Lisa Williams utilise a lot, especially with international clients. I have only experienced two skype sessions and they are not my favourite as they tend to have technical difficulties and I personally feel awkward during it as I don’t like people staring at me.

Video

Video readings are my second favourite – I tend to go for this option when choosing a reading from someone who lives far away from me. I like being able to rewatch the reading as needed and also see the cards being drawn (if it is a card reading).

Audio

This is the kind of reading I like to do myself as I feel like I channel when I speak and there’s nothing else to worry about.

Written

There are numerous ways that written readings get delivered. Some are sent as a PDF via email, others are just text sent via email, some are handwritten and posted to you (I do this; Get one here!) and some give you a book length reading.

“The eyes only see what the mind is prepared to comprehend.” — Henri Bergson

SKAM (translated to “SHAME”) is one of the most successful television programs to come out of Norway, if not THE most successful. There are two dominant themes throughout the series: first loves & identity. However, there is another theme that has remained present (albeit in the background) throughout the seasons: religion & spirituality. I will get to that soon but first I want to give a little background on the show and the characters.

If you have been living under a rock and never heard of SKAM, it is a series based on teenagers that attend Nissen High School in Oslo, Norway. It doesn’t sound ground-breaking when you read a one sentence synopsis, but the format of the show is unique and unlike anything that has come before it. Clips are released in real time throughout the week on the NRK website, and then combined into one episode that airs on a Friday evening. By doing this it targets both the teenage crowd (their target market) by allowing them to live their lives alongside the characters which keeps them engaged 24/7. It also targets the older crowd who are used to more traditional media and sitting down to watch an episode of a show on television each week.

To make the show even more realistic, we see their social media posts on screen. Messenger conversations, YouTube channels, Instagram posts, FaceBook accounts, and Tinder are utilised in a way that we use social media these days as millenials in a way that no other show has done yet. As a viewer you can follow the characters you love on social media for extra content, blurring the lines between the actors real lives and the characters.

You can compare television shows like UK’s Skins to SKAM’s format but SKAM is even better. It’s less gritty and peculiar than Skins, but just as juicy and entertaining. SKAM focuses on one character’s perspective each season, as opposed to each episode as seen on Skins. This allows you to dive deeper into a character’s story arc and follow their journey in-depth throughout the 3-4 months in which the season takes place.

All the characters make mistakes like any other teenager, but SKAM never judges or pities their characters, leaving you to come to your own conclusions and space to come up with theories to fill in the blanks. SKAM trusts that you are a smart individual and doesn’t treat you like you are an infant like some series tend to do. If I had to pick one word to describe SKAM apart from amazing, it would be heartfelt.

Warning: This post will contain spoilers up until episode three of season four.

“It’s 2016 and the world is progressing.
Don’t you get that it’s [religion’s] nonsense?”

The first season focused on Eva; a girl who had no friends apart from her boyfriend and his best friend. We follow Eva’s journey while she finds a new group of friends and navigates her messy, seemingly perfect teenage relationship. Eva never mentioned her religious, spiritual or personal beliefs and most of her moral compass was influenced by the people around her. Spirituality was not a factor in Eva’s season apart from the offensive remarks made towards Sana who is a Muslim girl in Eva’s friendship group.

Fan-favourite Noora was the focus of season 2. Noora is a strong feminist and loyal friend that we fell in love with in the first season. We followed her journey of falling in love with the teenage heartthrob/fuckboy, William (aka Willhelm). We mostly see her struggle with her feminist identity and navigate her way through her feelings for William as her judgement is clouded by love and she feels not like herself. Unlike Eva, Noora’s moral compass is completely internal which is why she found it so challenging when William challenged her views. Spirituality and religion was not much of a factor for Noora either as she was so self relient and introverted when it came to her values. When Noora began questioning her own ideals during her relationship with William, Sana gave her the following advice: “If you say you’re in favor of a world full of peace you actually have to try to understand why others think and act the way they do.”

Note: Season 2 also deals with darker themes that may trigger some people so please be sure that you will feel safe watching.

“If you say you’re in favor of a world full of peace you actually have to try to understand why others think and act the way they do.”

Season 3 was the most popular by far and focused on Isak who is struggling with his sexuality and home life so he moves into Noora’s old room once she leaves to move to London (spoiler: she returns). His relationship with new student Even is complicated, messy, on and off, and devastatingly beautiful. To quote Ronan Keating, life is a rollercoaster for Isak. Although Even is not the first boy Isak has had a crush on, he is his first real relationship and like Eva and Noora, we watch him navigate the waters of his first love.

Isak’s mother is very religious and sends him regular Bible passages via text message, causing Isak to roll his eyes and question if his parents will accept him if he is gay. He stands up for Sana (his biology partner) when a teacher calls her hijab a burqa, but struggles to understand her faith himself. He once asked her, “no offence, but why are you actually religious?” Towards the tail end of the conversation Sana asks him what he believes in, his reply is “I believe in science. The theory of evolution. Nothing else.” Despite not identifying with any religion, Isak is still somewhat interested in the metaphysical and has his own beliefs about parallel universes and infinity.

Towards, the end of the season Isak finds out that his boyfriend Even once memorised the Quran in Arabic. Although this has not been discussed further in the show yet, there are many fan theories about what this could mean in the context of the fourth and final season with Sana as the main character. Even’s secret past at his old school has not been exposed yet, all we know his that he “acted crazy” and was friends with Sana’s older brother at one point. This is going to cause a lot of drama between Isak and Even as they have never talked about it and Even continues to hide what happened even when questioned about it.

“Can’t we just agree that there’s a lot between heaven and earth none of us know about? Instead of sitting here criticising my religion, just respect that we have chosen different beliefs.”

After being a scene stealer in the first 3 seasons, Sana is now the main for season 4. Sana is a muslim girl who is a badass, a fiercely loyal friend and an all-around adorable munchkin (but don’t tell anyone). Continuing the theme of the show of ‘first loves’, Sana’s season seems to be heading towards being about her first relationship (she is not in a relationship as of the time I am writing this during episode 3) as she is crushing on her older brother’s friend, Yousef. Yousef is a sweet, caring, funny, smart, attractive boy who works at a kindergarten and wants 12 (yes TWELVE) kids so he can have his own football team. Being an introvert, Sana keeps her cards close to her chest and doesn’t let on to her friends about her crush.

In her own words, Sana’s main struggle is being “a muslim girl in a faithless country”. Balancing her home life, her spirituality, and her friends is a continuous juggling match and she is going to drop the ball eventually. She is on a russ bus with her friends and has not told her mum about it yet. Her friends have no concept or idea of her culture and beliefs; her friend Vilde in particular has made offensive comments in the past (Sana just glares, rolls her eyes and moves on as she is used to it). In previous seasons Sana has been an enigma; we have had jokes made about her “magical hijab”, reflecting just how naïve most of us are to Muslim culture.

Julie Andem, creator of SKAM, said the following in relation to creating a character like Sana, “The point was to make a character that chooses her own relation to her religion. She has strong faith, but she doesn’t need to relate to the whole package the culture is trying to push on her.” It’s incredibly interesting as the season 4 trailer when reversed plays the song “Don’t let me be misunderstood” which was performed by a women who converted to Islam.

The first three episodes of Season 4 were quite peaceful but most of us knew it wasn’t going to last as Julie Andem said, “shit’s about to go down”. She wasn’t wrong. At the end of the third episode, Sana finds out that Yousef (the boy she’s been crushing on) is not Muslim like she had assumed he was. Although it remains to be seen how she will proceed knowing this news, it’s safe to say that it will cause a lot of inner turmoil for Sana.

But I’m just a soul whose intentions are good
Oh Lord, please don’t let me be misunderstood

As someone who identifies with new age spirituality, attended a Lutheran high school and has mostly as athiest or agnostic friends, I am incredibly fascinated by Muslim culture and Islam. All I have heard about Muslims prior to SKAM is what is depicted on the news or shared on social media which is incredibly racist and xenophobic. There is a lot of fear in Australia about Muslims and I am so grateful that a show like SKAM exists and has reached me on the other side of the world thanks to the internet. This season of SKAM has come around at the perfect time. We need to be educated and we need to have our eyes opened instead of living in segregation and ignorance.

One of the most interesting things is how SKAM plays on the prejudices we have internalised so much that we don’t even realise how judgemental they are. This is shown through the character’s own prejudice. Isak has internalised homophobia and despite questioning is his sexuality and living with his roommate Eskild (who is an openly proud gay man), he claims in Pride (click and scroll for full clip translation), “There’s nothing wrong with being gay, it’s just that I’m not gay gay. […] You understand what I mean. You talk about sucking dick and Kim Kardashian and lavender scents out loud. I mean, I totally respect that you’re taking the gay package all out, I’m just not like that.”

Instead of Eskild having an immediate hot headed tumblr-like reaction, he takes the time to educate Isak in a calm, quiet way, ending the conversation by saying, “and now I don’t really want to talk more with you, so now you can just sit here and think about what I said”, then calmly leaves the room. There was no shouting, yelling, accusing or abuse. In such a simple yet thoughtful way SKAM shows us how to treat each other and how to have important conversations with the people in our lives. Isak is not a villian for saying what he said which was quite offensive and thoughtless, but he is flawed like the rest of us. Flaws do not mean you’re a bad person. Being uneducated does not mean you’re a bad person. It just means you have something to learn.

“Islam says the same as always. That all people in this world are of equal worth. And that no man shall be slandered, violated, judged or ridiculed. If you hear someone use religion to justify their hate, do not listen to them. Because hate doesn’t come from religion, it comes from fear.”

SKAM’s success is unprecedented, especially for Norwegian entertainment. One-fifth of Norway watch SKAM on a weekly basis, and in 2016 it became popular worldwide thanks to social media (Tumblr in particular). Unfortunately, it was recently announced that season 4 was going to be SKAM’s final season. The fandom remains confused, devastated and in disbelief at the news as SKAM was perfectly set up for six seasons, but we keep on carrying on and are enjoying this season while it lasts.

A US version of SKAM called SHAME is currently in development. This has caused both excitement and concern amongst the fandom as SKAM is a precious series that is dear to our hearts. We hope that SHAME does justice to the original, whilst not being a direct copy. It will be interesting to see how they approach the spiritual and religious themes portrayed in SKAM, as America is a very religious country with 70% of the population identifying as Christians, 30% being agnostic or atheist, and less than 1% identifying with Islam. The United States are known to be a very racist and intolerant country when it comes to Islam and depending on the team hired to write the show, they may fail to straddle the line between depicting the racism that Muslims face, and being downright offensive.

If you’ve watched SKAM please come chat about it with me in the comments below! I would love to hear your theories, analyses and straight up fangirling about this wonderful show. If you’ve never watched or even heard about SKAM, I hope I’ve inspired you to watch it and I hope you love it as much as the rest of us do.

As a lot of you will know by now, I have really been getting into spirituality and the whole concept of mind, body & soul. Most of my life I’ve been a big believer in angels, spirits, guardians, guides and so much more. It provides me with comfort and helps me to connect with my inner self more than I would otherwise, as well as my loved ones that have passed. Being a believer in spirituality and owning oracle cards helps me to gain wisdom and insight from somewhere that isn’t just inside my own head.

Late last year I purchased the Wisdom Of The Oracle Divination Cards by Colette Baron-Reid and have been loving them so I knew I had to share them with you.

There’s many ways you can do readings with oracle cards. My favourite way to do a reading for myself with this deck is to think of a question or situation I would like guidance on before I start shuffling the cards. Then I shuffle the cards and wait for any to fall out and lay them out in order. One of my favourite spreads to do is life-love-career. Sometimes I like to do a past-present-future reading but I find that I gravitate towards other card decks for that type of reading.

The cards themselves are the most beautifully designed oracle cards I have ever seen. If I was to ever design a deck, it would look a lot like this one – bright, beautiful colours and surreal images. The quality of the cards is great, which adds to just how incredibly beautiful the cards are. The one thing I did find a little odd with this deck is that the cards are numbered – I think it’s unnecessary and would’ve just preferred them with the message and the artwork.

Some of the recurring cards I get are: A Leg Up (always to do with my dad), Soul Mates (for my future love life), Yin (for me/my energy), The Fates, and Imagine.

Something that is very important to me with oracle card decks is that they come with a good Guidebook. This one is fantastic – as you can see next to the card deck it is pretty thick. It has a black and white image of each of the 52 cards, as well as an essential meaning, oracle message, relationship message, prosperity message, and a protection message to use if the card is reversed when drawn.

I do readings with this deck every couple of days and am always blown away by the cards it gives me. My mum loves this deck as well and I’ve found that her energy lingers on the cards for a little while after as I draw cards that I never normally get, so I cleanse them to make sure I get an accurate reading for myself.

You can purchase the deck for just around $20 over at Amazon. It truly is one of the most beautiful decks so I highly recommend it. If there’s any oracle card decks please do let me know in the comments – I have quite the collection brewing now but am always on the look out for new ones.

Church is something that has not really been on my mind or in my life. I didn’t go to Church as a kid apart from major family events such as christenings, weddings and funerals, and my family was not very religious. I was exposed to a small amount of religion at school; the teachings were based in Anglican/Church of England faith and then Lutheran in my high school years which was quite similar. We had chapel 3 times a week where the band performed religious songs, followed by a pastor’s sermon. Many of us dreaded it (it could get quite repetitive!) and the rest of us were ambivalent.

Very few of my friends were religious and no one in my year level cared about Christian Studies at all. I definitely didn’t connect to the dull way the messages were sometimes delivered. I wasn’t inspired or excited by anything they were talking about and it felt like an old ‘fuddy duddy‘ person thing to be into.

I’ve always been a spiritual person and been into magic and mystical things. Connecting with the divine, angels and spirit guides has always been close to my heart (I saw angels twice when I was 8 years old, right after my dad died) so it felt like my beliefs and experiences directly went against The Bible.

In the middle of 2016 when I was home alone for a month while my mum and her partner went travelling overseas, I started searching for churches in my area online. I wasn’t sure why and I didn’t end up going, but I looked at every website of Gold Coast churches I could find, as well as some Brisbane ones. There was one that stood out to me – Elevation – but I didn’t look into it further than that.

In December I was starting to feel like I was being guided towards Church. It first started with meeting my new friend Sophie at at the Indisposable Concept gallery event who mentioned she was a Christian. After adding each other on FaceBook and talking later that night she mentioned that she goes to Elevation and invited me to come along sometime. I was intrigued but I couldn’t help be a little nervous and resistant to the idea of attending church because I have been so set in my spiritual beliefs for the last two years.

Something that has come up for me while thinking about Church, is that I have an issue with the word “God”. It’s like this feeling of just inner clenching through my body when I hear it. Jesus I am fine with (this took some time) but the word God just puts me off and causes this unconscious reaction. Maybe it’s because so many unjustifiable, despicable acts have been done in the name of God. Even when I got into the medium James Van Praagh and he talked about God as the source of love, it still made me feel this way. I’m not sure if this feeling will go away or if it will always be with me.

Last Sunday night I went to Elevation for the first time. Sophie wasn’t there as she had to work, so I went stag. I am actually really glad that I did because it was a very profound experience for me. I got there 5 minutes before it begun, went into the auditorium, sat down, and wanted to cry. A few tears were welling up in my eyes, then the service started. The second the band came on stage a flood of young people came running in to the Church and hurried to find some seats. The band got it started by performing 3 songs (which made me cry even more because music always moves me). It surprised me how enthusiastic the group was and how into the music they were – the teenagers were jumping and so passionate about it. Whenever the band performed songs at school everyone just stood or sat there doing nothing, then did the polite clap when it was over.

After that, the service started. The founder of the Church came up to introduce the evening, then there was 60 seconds where you had to talk to someone next to you or around you that you don’t know. The guy in front of me turned around and introduced himself to me – Mike. He was really warm and friendly and we did the basic chit-chat while tears were still streaming down my face. After that the pastor began his sermon on the monthly theme “Atmosphere” and the sub-theme for the week was Agreement.

The sermon was based in faith but was not just repetition of bible verses which I appreciated. He added real stories from life and was definitely a relatable sermon which I appreciated. Do I agree with everything that The Bible says? Absolutely not and I never will because a lot of it makes no sense. But do I think we can learn something from The Bible? Absolutely.

After the Sermon ended the band came back on to continue performing whilst people went up to the front of the Church where the pastors were standing and would pray for each individual that went up. They encouraged people not to be shy but I was and stood back. Mike went up there and then when he came back he turned around to me and asked me if I wanted him to pray for me. I was still crying a bit at this point and said “if you want to, it’s new to me”. He then put his hands on my shoulders and started saying the prayer. I couldn’t hear most of it as the band was quite loud but I started crying even more while it was happening. It was a really kind gesture from him and I was grateful that he had offered it to me. I think it would’ve been too intense for me to go up to one of the pastors at the front my first time there in front of lots of people I don’t know.

The most profound moment for me was when the band were singing Amazing Grace.

My chains are gone

I’ve been set free

Those were the lyrics that really made me cry because I’ve always put chains around myself to protect me and to protect others. When I saw a psychic last year he told me that it’s like I’ve been putting chains around myself and my dad has been removing them.

I am definitely going to go back – probably not every single week but it’s too early to say at the moment. I enjoyed it and like the community vibe that Elevation has. It’s funny because about a week ago I pulled a card from the Crazy Sexy Love Notes cards and picked Elevate Your Energy. After the few weeks I have had with lots of emotional breakdowns and unstable emotions, it felt like the right time to go and I’m glad I did.

In the end of 2014, I became obsessed with palmistry. It was around the time I started getting into new age spirituality and after scouring the internet for information on how I could read my own palm, I finally came across Tony Leggett on YouTube. He did quick palm readings of some of my favourite celebrities and after watching him non stop for a couple of weeks, I decided to get my own video palm reading in January 2015. All I had to submit photos of each of my palms and a face picture and wait a week.

As it was one of the first readings I’d had in my life and I was excited to have a 20 minute video dedicated to me. Someone who understood me from looking at my palms. My palms are the road map I was given in life that I couldn’t read myself. Towards the end of the video reading he said he hadn’t been that enthusiastic about a palm in a long time which gave me a lot of hope for my future.

I had a follow up palm reading with Tony in early 2016 when I was feeling very lost, and he said he was disappointed that I hadn’t followed his advice from the first reading and that I shouldn’t have another palm reading done for at least a year.

I was a bit nervous about contacting them about getting an update but seeing as it had been nearly 2 years since my last one I thought it would be ok. I dedided to transcribe the reading below in case you are curious about the type of reading you might get from a palm reader, especially one like Tony. I have had readings with other palm readers but I always gravitate back to Tony and can’t recommend a reading with him more if you need some love and light for your soul.

Note: Text in bolded italics are my words. 

Hi Erin. Ok, this is a wake up call, listen to your Uncle Tony because you’re on the move and you’ve just got to move in the right direction. And you’ve got to let yourself be as free as a bird. No constraints of any kind. You’ve got to taste the flavours of life, get into the feeling of it. And it tells me you’re doing an awful lot of things and I’m thinking if you really want to get into a relationship to somebody, it’s got to come from learning together, learning something. I don’t think it’s just going to be eye to eye relationship, it’s going to be talking, discussing, feeling. I think a toastmasters – I know you have toastmasters in Australia, and if you belong to a toastmasters club, it will open you up into so many different ways, if you can find that.

I also think that photography is a hobby that you should develop and do as a sideline to make some extra money, whether you’re doing all sorts of portraits of children, all sorts of different things. I think because here you’ve got a-if I had hands like this, it shows that you’ve got to be a worker. It shows that you’ve got power in your hands, strength, quality. You shouldn’t be afraid of anything, you can punch anyone in the nose and get away with it. Really, really powerful hands.

You’ve got this mount of Venus which is so strong and energised. Anything you tell yourself you can’t, you can – without a doubt YOU CAN. So therefore you’ve got to go after what you really really want.

Again, the first finger of Jupiter and the Apollo finger, the same length, there’s real power there of being who you really really are. And coming from past lives out of Apollo which is so many different experiences – one of the things you’re searching for is soul food. One of the things you are searching for is to find the real you, who am I really. And it’s not on the outside, it’s on the inside, right deep down in your gut. You’ve got to make a list of things you want, things you don’t want and work from that vibration.

The other thing is I think you are communicating with people very well, and I think that you are clever in so many different ways. But I think you need a total makeover. In clothes, your hair, and fashion – so you feel different. Why you’re feeling the same every day especially with the breaks you’ve made which are very very bold, leaving home and all that kind of thing is very very powerful. I left home when I was 18 and I never went back again and things just got better after that. There is stuff going here that is allowing you to feel freedom. It is all about-this lifetime is all about freedom. It’s all about freedom of the arts, freedom of humans, freedom of the works, and I think I’ve told you this before again and again.

So you can’t be afraid of anything, just walk around smiling at people, give yourself a makeover in hair, makeover in colour, I would wear blue-greens a lot to help you open up into that vibration to attract. You say here you are working in administration for engineers and architects. I think you should be in sports of some kind, maybe get into a newspaper or maybe television or whatever. Somewhere you can deal with sports, whether it be women’s sports, or men’s sports. And I think it will open you up into a new horizon where it will attract different people and you will get the flavour – you will get the flavour of life. You’ve just got it, it’s getting stronger, and I think you’re right, that job is not for you anymore, so you’ve got to open up something really powerful. When the student is ready the teacher will appear and you are ready. So I’m saying, just take on different things – take on different classes, take on different people, take on all sorts of other things and smile and be lovely. Think freedom, think free, think free. Because that’s where you’re coming from.

Certain things in my life haven’t changed, I have not dated anyone. Why? You’re very attractive! Why? Do you smile at people? What kinda guy do you want? What kind of person do you understand? That’s why I’m thinking photography will be a connection there, and also other classes of some kind.

Look in the mirror every morning and say, “I give you permission to be free. I give you permission to be happy. I give you permission to do whatever you want”, and look right into your eyes,  right into your heart chakra, right into your stomach chakra, right into your soul. And allow yourself the feeling of freedom that is your right to grab hold of and live and work with ‘cause that’s what you’re here for.

Erin, you look playful. You look like you’ve got a sense of humour. And you go up to a guy that you like and say, “Hi want to go out, want to have dinner?” Something like that. And if you get rejected that’s alright, I was rejected for 20 years, nobody ever wanted to go out with me, but it turned around after a period of time when I did all the things I told I’m telling you to do and it will change your life too. It’s not that late, maybe you’re a late bloomer when it comes to relationships. The best is yet to come for you, I’m absolutely sure. So don’t panic about not being with the guy, not being married, not doing this or doing that, but just make yourself right with you. And that can’t happen if you’re finding fault, worrying about what didn’t happen rather than what did. You’ve taken that first step and I’m very proud of you.

If I should be looking or doing anything for work. I am good with administration, communications, social media, photography – boy that’s a lot! That’s a lot to be getting involved in. I’m working an administrative role for engineers and architects – that’s boring! That’s dull, that’s not what you are. You should be in the arts of some kind and really involved in it. I feel that path is coming to an end soon – well so it should because you don’t fit in there, and you don’t fit in there because it’s not for you. And your feeling is right because it’s not for you.

Now, the thumb is very solid, you are so set in your old ways that the more you change that the better-but look look at this line of life – what a power! And it shows here, this coming out of the head line – this little bit here, it lasts for about 10 years, where something kicks in where you find your purpose. You find your karma, you find out what you’re here for. This is coming out of Saturn, and it’s going to give you the flavour and then you can do it and you will as you have your free will.

I think you may be looking at your own business of some kind down the line but because you have such a working hand it means you’re going to have to work harder than most people who were given a job, or what you are doing. This is very, very powerful down here, coming out of the Mercury finger, the Mercury finger has a lot to do with intelligence, understanding, and opening up to the real world, analysing for what you have lived.

You have lived so many different lifetimes, been so many different people who are doing so many different things that it’s got to be confusing. If you died unhappily in your last incarnation, then you’ve got fear coming into this one and you don’t want to make mistakes ‘cause you don’t want to get bumped off or killed again. But lines coming across your line of heart, coming across your line of head, coming into your line of fate, coming out of Apollo, which all indicates your natural talents. Your natural talents are very, very good. Also connected to the finger of Mercury here coming out of the Lunar into the-coming out of the upper Mars into the Lunar, into the Mercury into the Pisces shows a lot of power in your spiritual abilities. You know you were born very, very spiritual and a lot of that tells you when you’re brought up by church, school, and all that kind of thing. Blah blah blah blah, atheist, not religion. But there’s a deeper power in you of gifts. And the more you work at this and the more you develop yourself, the lines here, the hope is absolutely most important – hope and doing, hope and doing and not giving up is very, very powerful for you. These bracelets here are so strong, they give a length of life too. And as I said, it’s the line of life it’s mighty mighty powerful.

Now, you have the flexibility of will at the tip of your finger, but you have this stubbornness here, that holds you back in so many ways. It’s like you’ve got the flavour, it’s like you want to go fishing, but you’ve got the rod and you don’t want to throw the rod into the water because you don’t want to pull a fish out that’s going to die – the end product is not what you think at the beginning. So you’ve got to do some beginning products so that the end products can come up to you to see what you really really want.

Square hands show that you are conventional in so many different ways, you know that. And the tips of your fingers are all very round which is easily influenced by other people’s thinkings, doings and feelings. Well I give you permission to be who you really are. Every morning you look in the mirror and you say, “Erin, I love you. I give you permission to be who you truly truly are, and we are going to get into life and love.” And anything else you want to tell your soul. You do that on a regular basis, so you get it your chakras, in your energy centres, and you get it in your psyche. And I think once you do that, once you understand it, once you’re comfortable, once you’re loving yourself enough, once you change your vibration, things are going to get a lot better all round and you’re going to finish up being happy, not confused.

I hope I’ve helped you. Good luck, god bless you and goodbye.

You are loved.

It is rare that I find an oracle deck that I truly connect with. The Sacred Creators Oracle is one of the few that I completely vibe with. If you identify as a creative or even better, a spiritual creative, this is a deck you need in your life. It’s the perfect one to keep in a home office for a quick message each day, to reinvigorate you, or inspire you when you are overwhelmed.

The Sacred Creators Oracle is a relatively new deck and was initially crowdfunded on Kickstarter earlier this year. I believe it is the first deck by Chris-Anne and I am desperately hoping she creates more decks in the future. The quality of the card stock, the book, and the box is incredibly beautiful and is one of the best I have ever seen. Both the cards and the box have a matte finish which is lovely and smooth to touch. The box is quite large and very sturdy cardboard. It’s not a small paper box like most tarot cards come in.

The colours show up beautifully. The sides of the cards have a shiney gold gilding, but it’s not the type of guilding where all the cards are stuck together and you have to try to separate them – they were all already separated and felt so beautiful to hold. The size of the cards is perfect – similar to a regular tarot deck like The Wild Unknown.

The guidebook is wonderful – 270 pages of information on each of the 67 cards, as well some some spreads and other information. Each of the card meanings have up to 4-5 pages worth of information which is great as sometimes I get stumped as to why I’ve picked the card that I did. The book is so well done and I’m really glad that Chris-Anne poured so much love into it.

My favourite part of the book is how each card meaning as different sections that are individual to the card. In most tarot + oracle books it is the same layout – card meaning, affirmation, etc. Chris-Anne really goes into detail and has personalised each card – each one stands out as it’s own message and doesn’t just feel like it belongs to a group which I love.

I actually started working on my own oracle card deck early last week and was surprised to see how similar my visual concepts were to this deck. I will definitely need to do some tweaking while ironing out the details (my concept was a watercolour background with a scribbly line art drawing on top with a key word or phrase).

Please pick up this deck if you are a creative, self-employed, or if it resonates with you. It is a very uplifting deck but it also helps you work through any issues or problems you may be experiencing, both personally and professionally.

A few months ago I was browsing Amazon when I stumbled across the Linestrider Tarot. I was immediately struck by the bright white aesthetic and the seemingly simple images and knew I had to get it.

The Linestrider Tarot was originally funded on Indiegogo and had a limited print run in 2015. It was then picked up by a major publisher and released in May 2016. For just $28 you can pick up the deck as well as the guidebook which is 272 pages.

The second edition release now comes in a large, beautiful box which includes both the deck and the book. The issue I have with the box is that it is so large and impractical. I think I will end up ditching the box eventually and keeping the tarot deck in a silk bag, and keeping the book with my other spiritual books.

The card backs have changed from a mid-toned purple, to a white and blue ink splatter design. I much prefer this as it goes better with the aesthetic of the deck, and it matches more closely to my own colour preferences.

The cards themselves are very varied in colour – it feels like Siolo has utilised the elements of earth, water, air and fire in the colour scheme of this deck. I find very few of the cards to be positive and uplifting, even the ones that have the most beautiful meanings. Overall this deck for me, depicts struggle and movement, or lack thereof which is quite relevant to my life at this time. I love how decks find you when you most need them.

The guidebook is truly wonderful. It is one of the better tarot books I have come across (The Lumina Tarot being the other) as it brings tarot into the 21st century. You get a black and white full page image in the guidebook, along with two pages of information about the card. Sometimes tarot can be really outdated and old fashioned in the way words are attributed and associated with the cards, but this is a great beginner deck and the guidebook is fantastic if you’re looking for some up-to-date, relevant interpretations of the cards.

Of course it is always good to use your own intuition and form your own card meanings, but if you are unsure or if nothing comes to mind, it’s a great book to fall back on.

I’ve only had the deck for one week and am already loving the readings I am getting with it. I find that there is a dark element to this deck which is similar to The Wild Unknown tarot deck. Even though the colour scheme is very light, the black line drawings cut through that and add a real shadow vibe. I don’t feel it is a particularly happy deck and I probably wouldn’t reach for it if I was feeling down. It is great for self reflection and will help you to gain clarity about situations that could be bringing you down or holding you back.

Please let me know if you have picked up this deck, or if you are considering it. Is it your aesthetic? I like anything white and watercoloured, and tend to avoid decks with black borders so this one is right up my alley.  I have quite the tarot and oracle card collection now so if there are any you would like me to review, please check out the list and let me know in the comments.

A few weeks ago I went to a Mind-Body-Soul expo and got an aura photo taken. While I was there, I noticed that they had The Wild Unknown Tarot Deck. I had been lusting after them for quite awhile so I thought I should pick them up to save on shipping costs. I believe I paid $70 for both the cards and the Guidebook.

As you can see, the design of the packaging is beautiful. The cards themselves are beautiful to hold; they are made out of thick, matte cardstock and feel very luxurious. This deck is a very nature-based and has lots of animals throughout it. Deer, snakes, owls, and swans make up each suit in the deck which is beautiful. The deer are my favourite by far, as there’s something so innocent and romantic about them.

The great thing about having animals and earthly elements on the cards rather than people like traditional tarot cards, is that they are more relatable and universal.

Although the deck comes with a cheat sheet, as someone who is new to tarot cards, I do find it handy to have the guidebook to expand on the meaning of each card. I have done a couple of quick readings for myself which have been very accurate and I find that I am really bonding with this deck, which was surprising as I didn’t think I would bond so quickly to a deck that is so earthy and nature-based in design. I’ve always felt like someone who lives in the air, rather than on the earth.

The cards are absolutely beautiful; ranging from brightly coloured backgrounds to complete black and white, they are absolutely stunning and each card pulls you in. The Ace of Wands is my favourite card by far; it’s an explosion of creative energy which is represented beautifully in the design.

UPDATE 2016: This was the first edition of The Wild Unknown Tarot. The deck has now been picked up by a publisher and you can now pick it up for a fraction of the price.