Follow My New Blog

Happy New Year! I’ve been gone for a while so I’m letting you know what I’ve been up to. I’ve set up a new blog on the Blogger platform (yep, I’m done with WordPress) that features the oracle decks I’ve been creating. If you’ve been following this blog, you’ve seen them in some of my posts. Well, I went back to the drawing board and I’ve been revising some of them and creating new ones. I’ll still be posting about cartomancy but I’ll be using my decks as inspiration, so that means I’ll be posting about playing card cartomancy, Lenormand cartomancy, archetypes, and more. Follow me at Over the Moon Oracle Cards.

I’ve received questions about making the decks for sale and I’m hoping to offer them for sale through Printerstudio.com. I’m setting up my online shop now and hopefully they will be available for sale within the next few weeks. I’ll send out another blog post when they are ready. Here’s what I plan to offer:

Over the Moon Oracle Cards – a hybrid playing card/oracle card deck. Playing cards on one side…images on the other. Read more about it in the post, This Ain’t Your Usual Oracle Deck.

The Simple Lenormand – a simple line art Lennie-esque deck with 40 cards. Read more about it in the post, The Simple Lenormand has arrived!

The Cinderella Deck – you’ve seen it here on this blog and some of you received a Cinderella Reading. New blog posts coming soon.

I’m also offering interpretation help for your 3-card readings using my decks or regular playing cards. Find out how to submit your readings HERE. See an example of interpretation help in the post, Will I Find Love This Year?

This blog will stay up so you can refer back to it (I know I do). I’ll also be expanding on some of the posts I wrote here on the new blog. For example, I just wrote an expanded article on using the numerical theme. I’ll also be sharing more spreads — I know you can’t get enough of them! Check out this one, Started From The Bottom, and some interpretation help with a reading using the spread. Hope to see you soon at Over the Moon Oracle Cards!

~Kristen

Shameless Plug

Just thought I’d share a few reviews from my cartomancy course, Your Future Is In The Cards: Become a Fortune Teller in 7 Days! The online course, through Udemy.com, contains more than 40 lectures and 5 hours of content!

Top Site For Learning How to Read Playing Cards! ~ I have been reading playing cards professionally (this is the ONLY way I earn my living) for over 15 years. In this time I have read many books on how to read playing cards, have taken a number of courses on reading playing cards, and have worked with a number of different systems. None of them have been as easy or as comprehensive as this course is–and this only a “beginners” course. “Beginners” it may be, but in truth it is far more than this. When you complete this course, and IF you learn it well, you are on your way to becoming a very competent card reader. The author of this course put out an ebook a decade or so ago on her method of reading playing cards and has been updating it ever since. It now is the best course out there on reading the cards for many reasons: (1) it is well structured and the information is quickly grasped, (2) she has a wealth of information, some of which is truly her own, (3) the basic 3-card layout is shown to have great depth, a depth which has never been explained in any other writer’s book or internet info. The author is there to explain and answer any question you might have. She obviously has had much experience in reading the cards and each of her answers give some new information. This course gives a deep foundation on which to build one’s own system of reading the cards. Combinations of cards come easily and quickly to mind. With this system, the cards really and truly come to life and speak to you, the reader. If you really want to learn how to read playing cards in less time than you thought it would take, this is the course for you.

Excellent ~ I have been wanting to learn to read Playing cards for the last couple years but, coming from a Tarot background, none of the information that I came across made any sense to me. I was fortunate to come across the Twelve of Hearts Divination blog and saw that she offered this online course. The course itself was fun, interesting, and very informational! It was worth every penny and I look forward to reviewing the lessons over and over!

Highly Recommend ~ I highly recommend this course to anyone who wants to learn how to read playing cards. This course is very thorough. The instructor, Kristen, is helpful and readily available to answer questions. Kristen gives an excellent presentation through slide-shows, photos of the spread and explanations of the card meanings. She also has some attachments to download on most of the sections for you to keep for later review.

The course also contains bonus materials:

• A Cartomancer’s Notes (26 pages) which gives a comprehensive commentary on each of the 52 cards and how to interpret them in different types of readings.
• The Fortune-Teller’s Journal (29 pages), a self-discovery book with journaling prompts. Discover how to use playing cards for your daily journaling.

https://www.udemy.com/your-future-is-in-the-cards/

The course is best viewed in Google Chrome or FireFox.

Divination Works!

This goes to show you can do readings with anything, not just tarot or playing cards. Last Saturday morning, I journaled the question, What can I expect today? I am getting too lazy to find my decks and shuffle cards so I just scroll through the photo albums on my iPad, close my eyes and pick one. I chose from a bunch of images that are sooo cute, from PhotoRack.net.

Here’s the one I chose:

Image courtesy of PhotoRack.net

I wrote: Hmmm…looks like Christmas…a family gathering?

It seemed unlikely because my family rarely gathers and there wasn’t a wedding or funeral to attend. BUT, out of the blue, my Mom asked if I wanted to go to my aunt’s house. Her niece  whom she’s never met, was stopping by for a visit. So, I went and the niece brings her daughter along and lots of stories are shared and we have a little unexpected family reunion. Divination works!

My Pic Collage Reading

I’ve been having fun with the app, Pic Collage. It suddenly occurred to me while mixing some images together that I can turn this into a divinatory system. Here’s how:

(1) Come up with a question.
(2) Randomly choose a background image.
(3) Randomly choose an image featuring a person (or two for relationship-type questions).
(4) Arrange the people on the background where you think they should go (who remembers Colorforms?)
(5) Interpret your “reading.”

Here’s my example:

Background image courtesy of PhotoRack.net/Foreground images courtesy of OldBookArt.com

All of my personal readings have been suggesting I’m supposed to meet a new guy. I even had a friend do a Cinderella reading for me and she came up with the same thing. She also advised that I need to open my eyes to notice him and to loosen up a bit. So I posed the question, What do I need to know about my potential suitor? and randomly selected a background and the two people images (I do this by closing my eyes, flipping through my photo stream and just pointing to a picture). Then I arranged the people on the background in a way that made sense to me.

Look at this image. What do you notice? There’s a guy who seems to be greeting this woman. Look at her body language. She’s got her arms folded and she appears to be glaring at him. Here’s my interpretation:

(1) I haven’t met or been properly introduced to this potential suitor yet (the guy is tipping his hat in greeting).
(2) He may come across as sensitive (wearing the heart chakra colors of green and pink).
(3) I will have my guard up (woman w/arms folded).
(4) I may look down on him at first or perhaps he is someone younger than I (woman is standing on higher ground than man).

This “reading” brings up the same issues as my friend’s reading and shows I need to be more open and less guarded so I can meet this guy!

What’s Your Sign?

Trying to figure out who that Queen of Swords is in your reading? Or that Knight of Cups? Get out your playing cards! You can assign a zodiac sign to each face card in a regular playing card deck since there are 12 face cards and 12 zodiac signs. Shuffle just the face cards and choose one at random to reveal the zodiac sign of the person in question. Of course, this works equally well for playing card divination too! Here are my correspondences:

Jack of Clubs/Sagittarius

Jack of Hearts/Pisces

Jack of Diamonds/Virgo

Jack of Spades/Gemini

Queen of Clubs/Aries

Queen of Hearts/Cancer

Queen of Diamonds/Capricorn

Queen of Spades/Libra

King of Clubs/Leo

King of Hearts/Scorpio

King of Diamonds/Taurus

King of Spades/Aquarius

5 Questions to Create the Perfect Question

On tarot discussion groups new readers are often asking for help interpreting their Celtic Cross readings. They have this great big spread with all the cards laid out and they have no idea where to begin. There’s usually one thing missing — a question. What most new readers get wrong is pulling cards without intention. In your excitement to see what the cards have to say, you don’t formulate a question for the reading. Your reading’s clarity and accuracy is determined by the strength of your question. It’s also a good idea to write the question down so you will remember exactly how it was asked. Here are 5 questions that will help you craft the perfect question for your readings.

(1) What type of answer are you seeking? The question and answer are inseparable.  If you wish to know what actions will be beneficial, a HOW question might be appropriate — How can I achieve greater success in my online business? When you are confused and seeking advice or options you might ask SHOULD I… Should I invest in company A or B? If you want to get to the root of a problem, usually you’re asking a WHY question — Why won’t he call me? WILL something happen means you’re seeking a predictive outcome — Will I pass my chemistry exam? WHAT questions typically show a desire for more information — What’s going on in my relationship with Steven? WHEN… is a timing question and WHERE… is a location question. Also remember, your answer will be given the same way the question was asked. For example, if you ask an advice question, you should NOT read your outcome as a prediction…it should be interpreted as advice!

(2) Is your question specific? If it’s not, you will not get a specific answer. This comes up especially for timing concerns. If you wish to know will something happen during a certain time period, include the time period in the question: Will my boyfriend come back to me in the next 30 days? Asking, what do I need to know? is not going to produce the clarity you’ll get if you ask, What do I need to know about my relationship with Bob in the next 3 months?

(3) Is your question open or closed? An open question will have many potential answers…a closed one has only a few. Open question: What  steps can I take to get the promotion? Closed question: Will I get the promotion?

(4) Are you asking more than one question? Will my boyfriend come back to me and will he be more involved in our child’s life? This is two questions. Ask only one question per reading. If you ask more than one question, your reading will answer more than one question, leaving you confused.

(5) Are you emotionally invested in only one answer? If you will not be able to accept that your boyfriend is NOT coming back or that you WON’T get the promotion at this time, don’t ask the question or alter the question to something that isn’t quite as emotionally charged. If you are too emotionally invested in a particular response, try the reading another day when your emotions have cooled and you can be more rational and objective.

30 Day Tarot Challenge (Questions 26 – 30 + BONUS)

(26) Have you ever regretted a particular reading, either for yourself or another? Yes, I did a reading for my sister-in-law many years ago. I was visiting and ran across a little shop that carried the Medicine Woman Tarot deck. I was so excited to use it I asked if she wanted to pick a card. She was concerned because her boss had scheduled a meeting with her the next day and she wasn’t sure what kind of news to expect. I shuffled the cards but must have used a washing shuffle so the cards got really mixed. I had not planned to read with reversals but the reversed 10 of Wands (I think?) came up. It shows someone being honored for their work. I told her she might be congratulated & possibly promoted. She was happy to hear that and went in to work with high expectations. I really should have paid more attention to the reversal because just the opposite turned out to be true. She was getting reprimanded NOT congratulated. Boy did I have egg on my face. That taught me a valuable lesson on setting intentions about how you will read the cards BEFORE you shuffle.

(27) Do you have a special time and/or place that you use your Tarot? If so, do you reserve the deck specifically for that purpose? No special time and/or place. I do a brief ritual now — the Wayne Cook Posture Donna Eden describes in her book, Energy Medicine.

Here’s a video on the Wayne Cook Posture: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sIORgKOHMes

(28) Does anyone you know not agree with your Tarot practices? LOL, at least half of the people I know do not agree with this practice so I don’t share it with them. I’m waiting for the day when I can come out of the broom closet.

(29) Do you have a Tarot mentor? I consider every Tarot reader my mentor….you can always learn from others’ practices and methods. I find it fascinating reading other sample readings to find out what decks they choose, how they interpret the cards and their conclusions about the reading.

(30) Do you practice any other forms of divination? Do I? I have a compulsion to turn everything into divination and self-discovery (did I mention I was doing handwriting analysis and dream analysis at age 12?

If so, what is it, and do you use them alongside the Tarot as to gain more insight or as something separate entirely? I think each tool has a specific purpose. I don’t use Tarot and playing cards the same way, for example. If someone really wants a direct, bottom line answer to a question I use playing cards. For a more subjective, self-discovery reading I use something with evocative images. I also have systems for reading dice, crystals/gemstones, and dabbled a little w/tea leaves and runes in the past. My fav is still cards, though, so now I’m creating a variety of oracle decks: The Cinderella Deck for love/relationship readings, Over the Moon Tarot deck, Soul Awakening Archetypes Cards, and The Flower Children Cards for spiritual/healing purposes.

BONUS: If you could create one card to add to your deck, what would it be called and what would the card’s meaning be? I wouldn’t be able to create just ONE card…I would probably create an entirely new deck!!

30 Day Tarot Challenge (Questions 21 – 25)

(21) How do you feel when you do readings? I guess it depends on who I’m doing the reading for. When I do readings for myself I really enjoy the process of discovery and interpretation. I still get a little nervous doing readings for others because what I’ve learned over the years is that no one is a better reader for you than you. I know there are lots of superstitions about NOT reading your own cards but I believe that the truest message can only come from the seeker. When I read cards for you, I’m only a translator and there’s always the potential that something may get lost in translation.

(22) Do you charge money (or other ways of compensation) for your readings/services? Most of the time these days, my readings are experimental so I like doing readings for others to help me figure out a new deck or concept. In these cases, I give complimentary readings in exchange for feedback. And not just basic feedback (that was good) but specific feedback on the process, etc.

(23) What question do you most often ask the deck (or, ask on behalf of another)? I am always seeking the underlying issues, the root of the problem or conflict, and the solution or next steps to take. So, most spreads I create have these components.

(24) How accurate do you believe your readings are(or, do they accurately convey messages from spirits/deity)?
Very accurate but only as accurate as your question is specific.

(25) What was the most dramatic/meaningful reading you ever did? (Not necessarily the most accurate). Two readings come to mind:

(a) When I first started working with the Wheel of Change deck by Alexandra Genetti, many years ago, there were so many symbols in each card that I quickly became overwhelmed trying to do a Celtic Cross or other spread. So, I started answering all of the questions using just one card. That revolutionized the way I read visual decks and led to a method I call SoulStory readings. You can do your own SoulStory reading for FREE: One Card Celtic Cross Readings.

(b) I was reading playing cards when I discovered I can accurately predict what someone looks like (hair, eyes, complexion, physical build), instead of just using the standard terminology of “a dark man” or “a fair-skinned woman” which is common in tarot readings. You can see an example of this in the post, SAMPLE READING: Will I Find Love Again?

See all Questions: 30 Day Tarot Challenge

30 Day Tarot Challenge (Questions 16 – 20)

(16) Do you ever use the Major Arcana without the Minor Arcana or vice versa? About 15 years ago, I just got tired of looking at the Major Arcana. I started to see the tarot deck as two very different decks — The archetypal majors and the descriptive minors. I found that I could give very specific readings with the Minor Arcana alone so I started just using it to read. This is what brought me to reading playing cards — it’s basically the minor arcana.

(17) Do you do readings using reversals? Why or why not? I don’t read reversals anymore (read this post to find out why: Interpreting Energy Blocks in Card Pairs) but the best book on reversals I’ve read was Exploring The Tarot.

(18) Do you feel a “connection” to your cards? Yes!

(19) Do you feel/think the cards “think” or have their own consciousness? What do you believe makes the cards “tick?” I don’t believe there is any magic in the cards themselves but there is a magical connection between your psyche and the cards. What I mean by this is that I can assign meanings to my cards and that method will produce true and accurate readings. However, the card deck will also have inherent meanings….I mean that on some deeper level my Higher Self has already decided what some of the cards mean unbeknownst to my conscious mind that is assigning meanings. So, when I get a new deck, I go through the cards and give my own meanings, write them down in my journal, then I start performing readings for myself and others to see what the deck chooses as meanings for the cards. Again, even though I’m referring to the deck choosing meanings I really mean my Higher Self using the deck to bring more symbols into play.

(20) Do you read for yourself and/or for others? Why or why not? I read mostly for myself, for insight and problem-solving and when I read for others that’s always the goal–problem solving and insight. I found it really balancing and centering to journal all of my personal readings so I’m trying to get back to that practice. The process really helps you evolve and stretches your spiritual mind by leaps and bounds.

See all Questions: 30 Day Tarot Challenge

30 Day Tarot Challenge (Questions 11 – 15)

(11) What spread do you use most often/prefer and why? I’m just realizing how important spreads are to readers. Each time I do a reading I create a new spread so I don’t really think in the mindset of spread most of the time. The spread is just the questions I ask to get a clear picture of what’s going on so even if I begin with a set spread, the position meanings usually change each time I work with it.

(12) Have you ever created your own spread? If so, how effective is it? (feel free to show spread) I have created (or thought I created) quite a few spreads that were effective enough to use repeatedly: The 6-Card Linear Spread, The Process-Direction Spread, and The Business Snapshot Spread. These are on my old Twelve Of Hearts website.

(13) Is there a card that continuously stumps you when it is drawn? Why do you believe this to be so? The World…SEE Question #6 in 30 Day Tarot Challenge (6 – 10).

The World from The Classic 1910 Tarot – Image courtesy of Fool’s Dog

(14) For what purposes do you usually use the Tarot? I use most divination tools for self-discovery and guidance. When I created my original Twelve of Hearts website and posted my meanings, some complained that they were too “psychological” in nature. Well, that’s my nature so of course that’s always going to be my perspective for divination. But I went back to the drawing board to see if I could create a more predictive system that still resonated with me and I did. But I think the WAY everyone reads and the purpose of their readings is always a reflection of that person.

(15) How much emphasis do you put on the textbook meanings for cards, and how much stress do you place on the “feeling” you get from cards through their artwork/symbolism, etc. Do you do both, or one or the other? When I first started reading tarot I put a lot of emphasis on book meanings. I had some very helpful tarot guides so when I would get confused about some aspect of reading the cards I’d go the bookstore and the book I needed at that time would kind of fall off the shelf. Now I read almost anything with pictures on it, visually. I just say what I see. I started doing this when I first got my Tarot of the Ages deck which is visually part Rider-Waite and part Thoth so it’s hard to find a book to explain the images. So I just started to say what I saw. I also found it helpful to literally use the word, SEE….”I see you out in the desert alone with your children…” or “I see you rising above a group of people and they are all trying to get your attention.” I also realized after that the importance of finding a deck that featured descriptive images of characters performing actions. These actions are the actions of your querent/client.

See all Questions: 30 Day Tarot Challenge