78 Days of Tarot – III The Empress & IV The Emperor

January 13, 2016February 4, 2017Leave a comment

I am participating in the #tarot78days challenge which is being hosted by The Bookish Fox – instagram here and weblog here. You can read the first post in this series here.

For this post I decided to post The Empress & The Emperor together. I found these two cards to be the most challenging to draw so far. I am using coloured pencils and drawing directly onto loose-leaf A4 paper which isn’t the best quality for drawing. I might try some better paper for my next attempts!

Cat's Eye Tarot - The Empress & The Emperor

III – The Empress

This for me is a card that I struggle with. As a woman who has never felt the desire to have children and has no intention of ever doing so, ‘mother’ cards have little meaning for me. I can see how this card also represents home and the relationship with your mate and even the wider relationships with parents and in-laws. The only maternal-like instinct that I have is for my two furbabies, my cats; home is where my family is – my husband and our two kitties! This is a card that I need to reflect on and read more about.

Link to my Instagram post (interesting discussion in the comments): The Empress

IV – The Emperor

Hello! *Insert lightbulb icon here* Call it a beginners mistake, but this card taught me a lesson looking back to yesterdays card; the cards I draw are not necessarily about me – they can signify someone in my life. Yeah, I know, duh! right? I get it now. Gosh, I hope that doesn’t make me egotistical! I have only ever read for myself, so I naively wasn’t seeing the bigger picture. Back to the Emperor and his great self!

The Emperor knows his place and more, his duties. While he has responsibilities, he also knows that it is important to have a little fun and enjoyment accompanying duties so that life is enjoyable. The Emperor has much wisdom to impart when he is balanced; reversed he embodies the saying “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”.

Link to my Instagram post: The Emperor

Tarot Deck used: Cat’s Eye Tarot by Debra M. Givin. Website: Cat’s Eye Tarot
Book Referenced : Tarot Wisdom by Rachel Pollack.

Daily Draw

January 13, 2016February 4, 2017Leave a comment

I’ve decided to belatedly join in with another tarot challenge on Instagram, #satsdailydraw which is hosted by @theserpentandthespiral

I’m starting on Day 12 which has the prompt of: Ambition

Daily Tarot Draw

For this draw I used the gorgeous Enchanted Tarot by Amy Zerner & Monty Farber

The question on my mind concerned some business ideas I’ve had. How should I realise those ambitions?

I used The Enchanted Tarot and got the answer to my question with the Princess of Pentacles – stop just thinking and start doing! Make careful plans and start with baby steps even if that initially feels like I’m just plodding along; little steps can lead to something bigger.

This deck is a recent addition to my collection and this is my first reading with it. I can see I will be enjoying many more readings with this deck; it is beautiful but also strongly truthful.

78 Days of Tarot – II The High Priestess

January 13, 2016February 4, 2017Leave a comment

I am participating in the #tarot78days challenge which is being hosted by The Bookish Fox – instagram here and weblog here. You can read the first post in this series here.

Cat's Eye Tarot - High Priestess

II The High Priestess

I love the expression on the High Priestess cat’s face; it is friendly yet guarded. She has an air of deep wisdom and mystery. The thin veiled curtain highlights the mystical feel of this card; the High Priestess can see between worlds, both sides of the veil. She has a connection to the moon, the lunar cycle. Similar to the Waite Smith deck, beyond her we can see the dark, mysterious ocean. Rachel Pollack links water to the unconscious, “the ultimate mystery”. The path along the beach signifies to me the path to knowledge and self-awareness. The High Priestess’ mysterious gaze invites us to listen to the powerful voice we have deep inside, to follow the path and journey to awareness.

Link to my Instagram post: The High Priestess

Tarot Deck used: Cat’s Eye Tarot by Debra M. Givin. Website: Cat’s Eye Tarot
Book Referenced : Tarot Wisdom by Rachel Pollack.

78 Days of Tarot – I The Magician

January 12, 2016February 4, 2017Leave a comment

I am participating in the #tarot78days challenge which is being hosted by The Bookish Fox – instagram here and weblog here.

Cat's Eye Tarot - The Magician

I – The Magician.

The Fool represents potential and in the Magician that potential has been sensed & harnessed. The bird, fish, mouse and lizard represent the elements. The Magician, with his unflinching gaze, is aware of his potential power and is calmly at one with it. He knows who he is and does not shy away from living his truth. In Rachel Pollack’s ‘Tarot Wisdom’ she states that the Roman numeral ‘I’ implies the conscious self, the ego. While the Fool has potential but is seemingly unaware of his power, the Magician sees a realisation and acceptance of this power. The Magician has obtained knowledge – know thyself – temet nosce.

Link to my Instagram post: The Magician.

Tarot Deck used: Cat’s Eye Tarot by Debra M. Givin. Website: Cat’s Eye Tarot
Book Referenced : Tarot Wisdom by Rachel Pollack.

78 Days of Tarot – 0 The Fool

January 12, 2016February 4, 2017Leave a comment

I am participating in the #tarot78days challenge which is being hosted by The Bookish Fox – instagram here and weblog here.

Cat's Eye Tarot - The Fool

For each of the 78 days we study one card from a chosen deck(s) and write a description of the image and the meanings of the card. I have chosen the Cat’s Eye Tarot and have completed my study of the first seven cards of the major arcana. As well as a written description, I am also drawing each card to help familiarise myself with the deck and also to improve my drawing skills. I was doing one card a day at first however I will now switch to every two days as the drawing part takes a good deal of time.

The first card is 0 – The Fool.

Day 1. 0 ~ The Fool. #tarot78days hosted by @thebookishfox

I’ve decided to draw each card alongside my notes from the lwb (little white book) that comes with the deck and then follow with my own thoughts. Rachel Pollack (Tarot Wisdom) discusses the fool as potentially representing freedom, of being free of ego, of societal values of identity. “I am free. I am not that. I am nothing.” I love that idea, it speaks to me of potential; at any moment we can change direction and become something/one else. We are not stuck in one definition of the self.

The cat chasing the bee speaks to me of seeing the every day wonders that most people overlook. Symbolically the imagery in the card includes youth/freedom, roses, the sun, a river (life?) and a winged insect which could represent flying free.

Link to my Instagram post: The Fool.

Tarot Deck used: Cat’s Eye Tarot by Debra M. Givin. Website: Cat’s Eye Tarot
Book Referenced : Tarot Wisdom by Rachel Pollack.

Hello!

January 12, 2016February 4, 2017Leave a comment

Hello! I’m Lish – Welcome to my new weblog! CatMystic combines two of my most favourite things, cats and all that is mystic such as tarot cards, druidry and spiritual magic. I’m still nutting out what I will be writing about on here but tarot cards are a given!

Tarot Photo

I am currently participating in two photo challenges on Instagram and will regularly post updates from those and perhaps some general musings. I am CatMystic on instagram if you want to find me there.

Some of the newest additions to my ever-growing tarot & oracle deck collection are Wisdom of The Oracle, Cat’s Eye Tarot and Animals Divine. I cannot resist a cat-themed deck as you will see in future posts. I’m currently reading two books on Tarot; Tarot Wisdom by Rachel Pollack and Psychic Tarot by Nancy Antenucci & Melanie Howard. I have been learning to read tarot cards for a few months and am determined to improve my skills, especially with using my intuition to divine meanings.

I will be adding regular posts about learning to read tarot cards, my interest in mystical subjects, and a bit of crafting and cooking. I hope you will visit me again!

October 15, 2015February 4, 2017Leave a comment

I have recently embarked on a spiritual adventure to find what calls to me, what inspires my soul and helps me to grow spiritually. My ancestral background is Christianity, mainly the Church of England. While I agree with most of the basic tenets of Christianity, some things from the Bible and from the religion as a whole, do not suit me. I believe that humans are not the only lifeforms with a soul – I believe all animals have a soul. To a certain extent I believe that everything has a soul, or a consciousness of its own on some level. I like the idea that there is a spirit of all things, for all things. I don’t agree with the idea that humans have dominion over animals and nature, we are on the same level. To me, much of the Bible and Christianity is based on fear and a belief that humans are evil sinners who must repent and bow down to God in order to have their souls saved. There are many other aspects of Christianity that don’t sit well with me, but I don’t want that to be the point of this post.

Bleu Cats Tarot & Pagan Cats tarot

After a long time of feeling like something was missing spiritually, I started looking at nature-based beliefs which is how I came across Druidry. I’d read a bit about it before and was interested but never took it further. It called to me enough to buy a few books on Druidry including The Awen Alone by Joanna van der Hoeven and The Path of Druidry by Penny Billington. I highly recommend both if you are interested in learning more about druidry. I’ve just started reading Zen Druidry, also by Joanna van der Hoeven and am enjoying it immensely; the combination of Zen and mindfulness combined with the nature base of druidry really feels right to me. I’m still reading a lot, still trying different things and giving it a great deal of thought and soul searching. I think that is the best thing that anyone can do – go with your instinct and what feels right for you. As long as what you believe in doesn’t cause harm to any life and doesn’t impinge on another’s rights, you’re golden.

Mystical Cats Tarot, Pagan Cats Tarot & Power of Flowers Oracle

One of the things I have been trying is using Tarot and Oracle cards as a starting point for soul searching and inspiration. A way to get in touch with my inner voice and start to learn to trust my instincts. The first set I bought is the Black Cats Tarot which calls to me so much! It is on its way from overseas and I cannot wait to get it! In the meantime, I really wanted to tarot out so I bought the Bleu Cats Tarot. Then a few days later the desire to have more cards won out and I bought the Tarot of Pagan Cats, Power of Flowers oracle cards and Mystical Cats Tarot. Squee! I love them! The cards are such pretty thing in themselves and are enjoyable simply to look at. I’ve yet to use Mystical Cats but shall do that tomorrow. I’m only new at exploring this area but I am really enjoying it. It has led to some good soul searching and clarity of thought.