Echoside: Phoenix Rose

One thing that I came across as a young teen was Scott Cunningham's recipe* for a prophetic dream tea. I have used that recipe for many years now with amazing results. Sometimes we cannot know the results of prophetic dreams if we are not sharing them. One of my favorite stories, a huge confirmation that some of my dreams have more to tell me than basic dream dictionary meanings is the dream about the freezer and the pizza. This happened circa 2006-2007-ish. I was attending workshops with my best friend's mom (whom I've become really close with over the years). I had dreamt that I was with her oldest daughter. We were in an apartment cleaning out a broken fridge. She finds a pizza at the bottom of the fridge and says that this should be okay to eat. It wasn't okay to eat. It was the weirdest thing and we ended up throwing it away. Fast forward that day to the evening time when I would have went over to their house for the workshop. I tell my friend that I dreamt of ...

Something I have learned reading tarot is how important it is to understand that the future is written in sand and not in stone. We have the power of choice in most situations. Yes, there are situations beyond our control - recognizing those situations and letting go of trying to control them is the most liberating feeling. Distinguishing between what we can control and what we can't control is a line that has not been clearly defined in this society. What you can control: your actions/behaviours and your thoughts. With the added caveat to controlling your thoughts - you cannot control what thoughts pop into your head - what you can control is what you think of, and do with, those thoughts. Confused yet? I promise it is an easier concept than reading about thinking of thoughts. As humans we are metacognative: the ability to think about thinking. As an observer/seeker stand point, we are able to observe the thoughts that pop in our heads. If we believe those thoughts to be true t...

Click here  for Part One, here for Part Two. Aepheria and the Priestess discussed how they had both been captured by the king and his men. Both bound and hidden away. To the women this had to do with their powers and favour with the Gods. This King wanted to rule the land. He wanted to be a God and snuff out anyone who knew he was a mere mortal, power-hungry, man. The pair gathered up branches and other materials from the woods. Soon animals came to partake in the ritual. They set about casting their circle. Aepheria began chanting and invoking the highest God, the Allfather, to enter the circle. At the same time the Priestess was summoning the King who was suppressing the land. Both entities emerged in the circle. A God. A Mortal. Face-to-face. The great awe the mortal king felt in the presence of his maker brought him to his knees. The Almighty God stripped the man of his kingship. As punishment for his ill-will towards the people of the land the God turned the man into a t...

I have spoke through a couple posts now about spreads. I feel like I've been avoiding this. I have no idea why, they are just tarot spreads! As stated in last week 's post, I listed some of my favourite questions to ask to get an open-ended reading (the intent is to be as objective as possible). This week I will talk on how I do my layouts. I use the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid . I have used intricate layouts such as this name spread described here , it was very time consuming and convoluted. Starting out with a small spread and working from there is always the most helpful. Three or four cards, plus one or two clarifiers - only if needed. Take note of any "jumpers" from the deck when shuffling. For me, if a card jumps/falls out of the deck when shuffling I don't always include it in the reading. If it lands face down I put it back in deck. If it lands face up I feel it was trying to be seen. Also, knowing the difference between whether you are a go...

Click here for Part One. Upon arrival to the island they come across a juggler. He is a fancy and upbeat entertainer. The woman quickly realizes that he is looking for coins in exchange for his liveliness. With nothing to offer she politely moves on as the juggler heads towards the sailor docking the boat. The unnamed woman gave a thankful nod to the sailor and headed off to the darkness of a nearby wooded area. She was not familiar with this island, but she trusted the tree spirits to guide her. They all whispered to her to be quiet, be still. She did as she was advised and heard distress in the distance. She followed the murmurs and found a woman bound and gagged. She recognized the power within this woman instantly. Hurriedly undoing the ropes, blindfold, and mouth gag. All the while the unnamed woman was chanting seemingly incoherent mumbles. The bound woman, finally freed, she kissed the heroine on the forehead. A circle of bright white light encompassed them both, "Ae...

Since the last blog regarding crystal combinations I have worked with a new trio. The results were pretty intense. I found I fell asleep faster, and the dreams were vivid, and with great recall. Using same meditation technique described  here , or see below. -Labradorite  is a stone that aids in reducing stress and increasing calmness, which is great for falling asleep. Helps to increase intuition, psychic abilities, visions, clairvoyance, prophecy, communicating with higher realms and spirit guides, accessing Akashic records, and moving between realms. This quality will help in getting to a state of lucidity. This stone encourages new ideas, which will help you be open to new experiences in the dreamscape. This is also a stone of protection, which I look at it as protection from nightmares, and night terrors. -Lepidolite is another calming stone. It triggers deep meditation, theta state, which is a dream state used in lucidity - or astral projection. This stone stimulates...

I find there are two types of people that come to tarot: those with very specific questions, and those who have no idea what they want to know. As a reader it is easier to read when specifics are involved, however looking for too specific an answer does not allow the cards to offer alternative possibilities. The best is to find an easy medium between specific and open-ended. Focusing on one aspect helps to narrow down the reading because every card holds many meanings depending on how you read them. The Big 3 topics that most people want insight on: career, relationships, and health. Your question does not have to be limited to one of the Big 3, but it's an example of choosing an aspect that you want to focus on. Asking, "where is my career/relationship/health heading?" Is focused enough onto a topic and open-ended enough to give many possibilities.  However, it may still be too open-end. Your career may take a fabulous turn, but that may not happen for 10 years down ...