Blessings, beautiful souls —
I decided it’s time to start using new decks. With Christmas Spirit on the horizon, I got drawn into pulling out my Lord of the Rings deck and my Seasons of the Witch Yule oracle deck. Now, all that being said, my Mabon oracle is still sitting pretty, but I’ve officially transitioned out of my SOTW Autumn Tarot.
Before doing so, I spent time activating some long-distance Dragon Reiki attunements. I had a very curious experience.
I sat to meditate and activate my chi ball Reiki attunements, and after declaring the statement “I Claudia Amendola Alzraa am now ready to receive the Dragon Reiki I & II attunement sent to me via chi ball by Amanda Hadley of New Earth Energies”, dragons began to fly in front of me at a rapid pace and then soared towards me and enter me via my Third Eye. Enter my very soul.
At that point my dragon, Cyrus, appeared. We embraced with deep love, and he told me to ride him. I asked where we were going, and he said just to be patient. Then he dove, dove, dove deep down into the ocean, to the deepest part of the ocean. He told me I could breathe, so I was. He stopped on the floor of the deep sea in front of a cave. He told me to enter. I entered, and it was just darkness. He told me from the door of the cave to keep walking. I kept walking, and in front of me, a light emerged. It was a flame being held inside of a quartz crystal. I called out to Cyrus and asked what to do with it. He said to insert it in my heart.
I did, and felt the flame fill my entire body. I asked what now, and he told me to sit and meditate. I did. At that point, I could feel that beings were coming. Seventeen glowing white and violet tall beings entered the cave and surrounded me in a semicircle. I instantly recognized them as family from home (Mintaka). I got emotional. They held my hand and told me the next initiation process was beginning.
They told me to get up and ride Cyrus. I got up, still holding their hands, got on Cyrus, and they all seemed to float with us as a linked chain as we flew up, up, up into the Orion constellation and to my home planet of Mintaka. We arrived on a beach next to a purple ocean, and one of the beings touched my third eye, and I turned into a pillar of light – Crown to Root. At that point, out of nowhere, I thought of an old soul guide of mine named Skywalker, and I asked where he was. He appeared – a Chief First Nations man in full regalia – and we embraced. I asked why I didn’t feel him anymore, and he told me his job was done; the rest is up to me. He sat me down again and started chanting and dancing around me, then morphed into a raven and flew off.
The beings told me I am ready to bring the Light of Mintaka to my temple when I work, and I will feel the next layer of my activation integrate, so I must “be ready.” Then they told me I could open my eyes.
Tell me about yourself and what I need to know about you – For this one, I took a peek at the teacher card – bottom of the pile – THE MOON – The power of the enemy seems stronger than it really is.
The Moon speaks to the unseen, intuition, uncertainty, and the difference between what we perceive and what is actually happening. The wording gives it a very particular emphasis: fear and appearances can distort our perception of reality. This deck will teach me to dive into the subconscious and become more discerning about what I unravel as I sit in the shadows. In the guidebook, this deck says it will illuminate illusion and clear my real path in life.
Essentially, this deck says it is a clear psychic tool that can be used to reveal the Truth.
Why have you decided to become important to my practice at this point in my life? –NINE OF WANDS – Gandalf confronts Saruman with his betrayal, and maintains his defenses against Saruman’s persuasive powers.
I have had this deck for years. It sat boxed and unshuffled for years. Now, as we enter what I like to call “Tolkien season” and I’m rereading Lord of the Rings, I felt the pull to finally work with it. My relationship with tarot has changed dramatically since I got this deck.
The deck is telling me that now that trust has been established with this deck and I am ready to receive it, I can take down the barriers I built around working with it.
How will we work together? – ACE OF COINS – Celeborn is on his throne. Decisions are made on material matters.
I love this deck already; we will start something new, grounded, tangible, and earthly together. This deck will begin something new with me. Celeborn represents the “way to new openings through which our creative juices can begin to flow.” This deck will be my “new doorway” to understanding myself.
How will you challenge me? –QUEEN OF SWORDS – The Lady Éowyn takes the initiative and slays the Nazgûl Chief.
This is a powerful answer. Éowyn doesn’t wait for someone else to act on her behalf. She meets the situation directly, with clarity and determination. This is also an Aquarian card – the deck will challenge me to tap into the wisdom of my Sun sign and mentally challenge me to start looking at things with a more logical (rather than emotional or solely spiritual) perspective.
What do you think about me? – TWO OF WANDS – Gandalf stands against Sauron, and unites the Free Peoples against Sauron’s evil powers.
I loved this card! I loved the subtitle of this card; the deck sees me as someone who raises up the Collective, who unites [her clients] with Love against darkness. I present people with the paths available to them for abundance, and allow them to choose.
How will our journey begin with one another? – PAGE OF SWORDS – Denethor talks with Pippin about his hopes and dreams.
The Page of Swords is curious, observant, questioning, and eager to understand. Our journey begins by asking questions. This circles back to how it will challenge me (the Queen of Swords); I will become a student to what this deck will reveal to me through how it challenges me.
I altered my deck interview for the Seasons of the Witch Yule Oracle because I find that not so many questions are needed for a clear understanding and bonding with the deck. Truth be told, I find the art of this deck to me… frightening. The faces are horrible. What is meant to be a warm deck for a season of joy and celebration and warmth is… cold and weird. I am not a fan of Juliet Diaz’ artwork at all. Even the children’s faces in this deck are old-looking and wicked feeling. I’ll see how my bond with the deck grows and how it reads, regardless…
Tell me about yourself and what I need to know about you, and why you’ve become important to my practice at this point in my life. – For this one, I took a peek at the teacher card – bottom of the pile – 13. Father Christmas – How did thy get here? Lost perhaps? No worries at all! Gather yourself and clear the frost for the good still lives in you dear.
This deck will be either naughty or nice with me, and will provide me with readings that challenge how I share my energy with the world.
How will our journey begin, and how will you challenge me? – 20. Light – Hope is but a word, but a word casting the unseen. Let there be light where light is but a dream.
Apparently, pulling this card signifies abundance and increase in all areas of this life; so our journey together will begin with light. This deck will challenge me by illuminating even the darkest moments, where I may be failing to see the spark.
What do you think about me? – 38. Telling Stories – What words so tender can be spoken so bravely unless they are true from the truest of words.
This deck sees me as the storyteller, and also is asking me what words I am telling myself about myself.
Honestly, this deck is unclear. The subheadings are pretty bad. The meaning in the book is really lazy (compared to Mabon, for example). I can’t feel a connection right now, but I’ll give this deck a few attempts to prove itself.
I suppose this is where I am right now: opening myself up to new experiences, allowing my spiritual practice to evolve, and seeing what unfolds without needing to know the outcome in advance. The Lord of the Rings deck already feels like a meaningful addition to my practice, while the Yule Oracle and I clearly have some getting to know each other to do. I’ll keep working with both decks and see how our relationships develop. For now, I’m happy to let the questions remain open and discover what comes next.
If you wish to support my work further, have a look at all my books, journals, and decks, available here. If you want to work with me as a spiritual healer or wish to have a tarot reading with me, check out my services through Seeking Celestial Grace and Awakened Little Souls.
xx C
