Daily Energy Spread

Here's a tiny little two card tarot spread (or oracle, or angel or whatever cards of your choosing!) to help you navigate the energy of your day.

Pull these cards in the morning to help you understand what's going on with the energy around you and how you can best work with it. You can use any type of cards you like. I like to do this spread with one Tarot and one Oracle card.

This spread has been my go to over the last few weeks as the energy out there has been super crazy! Some days you wanna pull a whole big spread and sit and contemplate your journey for a while, on other days you just wanna know wtf you're dealing with and how to get through the day.

If you want more info you can pull two cards for each or as many as you need.

Card one: Energy you are in

This card will help you work out what energy you're in and what forces are at play for you today.

Card two: How to navigate through this energy

This card will let you know how you can work with the energy around you in the best way possible. 

Starchild Akashic Tarot + Keepers of the Light Oracle deck x

As always I'd love to see your spreads on Instagram! Tag #newagehipster or tag me @newagehipster333 in your pics so I can find you!

If you're looking for more spreads you can find them here.

Happy Tarot-ing!

With love, light and awesome energy navigating,

Vix

x

Rebuilding with the Tower card

We're doing a little expose on the "scary tarot cards" here at New Age Hipster HQ and this episode we're getting down and dirty in the rubble with The Tower card.

Some people find this card the scariest in the deck. When I first started reading Tarot I read this card as "an unexpected event that will change everything" or something along those lines. Not surprisingly most of my mates who got the Tower in their readings with me at that stage were pretty freaked out! Sorry about that guys! :O

I mean, how can you tell someone there's going to be an unexpected event that's going to change everything and then send them on their way? Yikes! 

I know there have been times in my life I've pulled the Tower and totally flipped out. Convincing myself something tragic and terrible was going to happen, when actually the only terrible thing that did happen was that I lost a lot of sleep and energy over it all! Self fulfilling prophecy much?

The Tower appears all scary looking with it's lightning crashing, buildings catching fire and people falling to what's probably going to be their deaths, so how can we possibly look at this in a positive way? K, here's how.

Shoddy foundations

Ultimately, shoddy foundations are not ideal for building towers on. When your foundations are a bit rubbish you can keep building all you like, but sooner or later that Jenga tower is coming down. 

When you build your life on foundations that aren't in alignment with who you are or where you want to get to all the building upwards in the world won't make you happy. Sometimes we're building the wrong tower. Like, if you're an Eiffel Tower kind of gal don't try building a Telstra Tower, otherwise the universe might just come along and rip it down in front of you, not to be mean, but to give you the opportunity to build that Eiffel Tower after all.

Clearing

The Tower is a very clearing card. OK, stay with me.

If you wanna renovate, de-clutter, change your furniture around or even just sage yourself, the Tower can be your spirit guide. 

Clearing is not always cheerful and it's not always about donating bags of old clothes. Sometimes we need to clear stuff out from our lives that isn't working. Old relationships that no longer vibe, jobs that suck the life out of us, sometimes the clearing is mega.

But the Tower usually has your bestest interest at heart when it comes to clearing the crap. The stuff you're being called to clear needs to go for a reason, and that reason is to make way for better things right?

Renovating

It can feel pretty darn rough when the universe pops in and starts rearranging your furniture, throwing your couch on the sidewalk, knocking down some walls and whatever the heck else it's up to you down at your place when you've pulled the Tower. But it's really important with this card to remember that whatever is happening is the universe realigning stuff for you. 

When your guides show you this card they aren't trying to freak you out, they are letting you know the universe is popping over to renovate. 

The Cosmic Tarot is my favourite version of the Tower! x

Rebuilding

When you get the Tower reversed you're standing in the rubble of the tower that's already come down. 

Now it's your opportunity to rebuild, to fix up  your foundations and create the tower you really, really want. Sure, it sucks to be back at the ground floor again, but it's a hell of a lot better to be standing on a good solid ground floor than living in the penthouse of a tower that's about to topple down!

the Tower representing something negative

OK, let's be real here. While we can look for the positives in most situations there are times in life when you are dealt a shitty hand, and sometimes the Tower is in it. 

The Tarot does represent all aspects of life. The good and the bad. There are plenty of times that the Tower represents something as simple as clearing clutter, but there are also times when it's letting you know you need to get out of your job, sort out your finances, or that you need to go home and look after your grandma, or something even harder.

Tower Tips

If you pull the Tower and can't work out whether it's a message for you to get rid of that old couch or that something bigger, all you need to do is pull a second card on it.

Ask for more information and grab yourself another card. Check out the video below to see that tip in action. It's a great way to get clear on what's really going on. 

If you are freaking out or confused about the Tower or anything else that's coming up for you in the Tarot check out my other "scary tarot cards" posts or you can always book yourself a reading with me! x

With love, light and well built towers,

Vix

x

Pumpkin Spice Latte Autumn Equinox Tarot or Oracle Spread

The Autumn (or Fall!) Equinox is upon us! We know this because we either follow the wheel of the year or we've noticed that Pumpkin Spice Latte is back! :D

I love Autumn. I love big chunky 80's jumpers, YA novels, chain drinking tea and of course, binge watching Netflix on the couch with the doona.

As we head into this beautiful season it's a great time to pull out your fave deck of Tarot, Oracle or whatever cards you have lying around and check in!

I also did this reading for us all which you can check out by scrolling down or popping over to the New Age Hipster YouTube channel.

If you need a personal reading head to my Readings page for info on how to hook that up!

PS - if you're in Aussie or other Southern Hemisphere places you might wanna check out the Spring Equinox Reading.

Gratitude

What do you need to be grateful for at this time? Where could you be more grateful? What are the wonderful things in your life you don't notice enough? Grounding yourself in gratitude now will get you through the colder months. It's great to make a note of this, put a picture or a phrase on your wall or somewhere you'll see it often to remind you.

Grounding

Where and  how should you ground your energy at this time? How are you going to stay grounded now that there are less opportunities to go rub your feet in the grass?

Harvest

This card can represent that which has grown beautifully in your life, the stuff you need to be really proud of. Notice what's grown! Or it can represent anything that needs to be cut away. Harvesting is about collecting pumpkins, but also getting rid of those veggies that didn't grow so well.

Stock up

It's a great time to stock up so you don't run out later. What do you need to stock up on now so you can get through the winter without running out?

Warmth

Where will you find warmth when it does start getting chilly? What is your energetic hot water bottle?

Work

It would be great if we could take time off and just sit with the Kindle until Christmas, but we still have to work. Here you'll find a message about how to get up and get going on your work, projects and dreams even when it's pitch black outside and you just wanna doona burrito yourself.

Joy

Where will you find joy at this time? How can you best connect to that delicious whipped cream feeling?

If you wanna chat about your own spread pop on over to Tarot Nerds or Spiritual Journey Pitstop the two groups I admin on Facebook!

May your Autumn be full of pumpkin spice lattes!

With so much love and light,

Vix

x

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The Biz Spread

This spread is for you if you run your own biz, or even if you're just starting out on the spiritpreneurs path.

Whether you're a fellow Tarot Reader, doing other awesome spiritual work, running your own cafe or even if you're the CEO of a big company this spread is fab for any time you just want to sit down and take stock of where you are with some tips for moving forward.

You can use Tarot, Oracle, Angel, Old Maid or any other other type of cards. 

If you'd like me to do this reading for you (or do you something else!) check out The Biz Reading on my Etsy Store.

Here's one I made earlier. x

Biz Cards - Where your biz is at

This card will give you some idea of where your business is at right now and some of the vibes you've got working with you.

I pulled the Eight of Wands! Hoorah! :D Looks like things are moving for my biz. Although, in the Connolly Tarot the wands don't look so lined up, need to get my wands lined up for even smoother sailing.

Chair - Support

What or who is your biggest support right now? This card may represent someone in your life, an aspect of your own self or even your spirit guides and helpers.

I got the Six of Cups. Usually I'd say this is about support from family and old friends, but there is a figure in this image looking over the girl who's giving the boy some flowers. Pretty sure that's one of my guides, he looks a bit like Big Mike! 

Sent Items - Completion

What is finished? What have you done well? What can you finally stop worrying about in your biz? This could be projects, energies you no longer have to work with, relationships, anything that is now completed. 

With the Ace of Swords reversed in my own spread this feels like I've made some great progress in standing in my power, changing my story and my thoughts to help me move forward. It also feels a bit like "you've done really well, but this is still something to remember!" Gah. x

Spam - Blocks

What is blocking your business from really taking off?

I got the Tower, ah crap! Hahah! Looks like some stuff needs to go. I have books and books of ideas scrawled down for New Age Hipster, it might be time to let some of them go so I can make room for some new ones!

Window - Distractions

It's very hard when you work for yourself not to get distracted. This card will show you where your distractions are and/or how to stay focused.

I got The Empress reversed. Sometimes I do get very distracted by thinking "OMG I have to create that right now!" I also tend to have creative ideas that I never allow time for. Looks like I need some balance with that.

Inbox - Action

Where do you need to take action in your business right now? 

I got Transition (AKA the Death card) reversed. o_0 Thanks team. I guess the best place for me to take action right now is to start pruning! A great reminder also to let go of attachment to outcomes, surrender to the bigger plan instead of getting obsessive about to do lists.

Coffee - Nourishment

When you run your own biz it's very, very easy to get totally deep fried. This card will give you some idea of how to nourish yourself and your biz to avoid this as much as possible!

My card is the Nine of Wands. Protecting my energy, time and space is super important for me right now. Boundaries are the best self-care in business. 

If you dug this spread you can check out my other spreads here or hook up a reading with me here. 

With so much love and light,

Vix

x

Stranger Things Tarot + Oracle Spread

If you haven't seen Stranger Things yet close all tabs immediately, except for Netflix, and go watch it. 

As a hard core 80's enthusiast and woo woo woman the TV show Stranger Things has been everything I ever wanted in a TV show. Telekinesis powers, a freaking killer soundtrack,  I mean, it even has Winona. 

But enough fan-girling, let's get our decks out!

A big theme running through this show is the search for truth, so I thought it would be be totes aprope to centre this spread around our own personal search for truth. 

You can use Tarot, Oracle, Angel, Uno or whatever cards you have. 

PS - this spread is not for the faint of heart. Serious truth seekers only!

Here's one I made earlier... x

What you don't want to see

This card can give you some insight into what truth you are ignoring, truth you are afraid to see, or truths that you just haven't even noticed until now.

I got Transition (Death) reversed. Ah gah. I'm always telling everyone else to stop resisting change, and here I am, totally resisting it. 

Where the truth is hidden

Sometimes others are hiding truths from us, sometimes we hide them within us, sometimes they are hiding under bushes. This card will help you work out where the truth is hiding.

With the Ten of Swords coming up for me, my truth is pretty clearly hiding in the completion of a cycle. This next to Death is pretty truth telling! :o

What blocks the truth

Who or what is blocking you from seeing the truth? Are outside influences stopping you seeing the truth about your own life? Or is it something within you?

With the Three of Cups reversed in my spread I know this is a pretty specific message about how I like to call things in, but I sometimes forget I have to go out and find them too.

Your Strength - who or what has your back

This card could represent the people around you who have your back, spirit guides and angels working with you, or aspects of yourself to draw on right now.

The Page of Swords here for me feels very much like my own power, sort of new-ish power, but it's powerful all the same. I'm totally ready for this battle, even if I'm kind of freaking out on the inside! 

Double sided glass to shatter

What illusions do you need to let go of to really see the truth about where you are and who you are and what you need to do to live in the truth of it all?

I got Eight of Wands reversed and for me I know this is all about dropping the illusion of struggle and fighting against the energy that's around me. A big kick in the butt to work with energy I'm in, rather than struggle.

The truth

Now we have the truth of the situation. What is the ultimate truth you need to see right now about yourself, your life or your situation?

I got The Magician reversed. Lol. So my truth right now is that I'm not yet reaching my full magic, manifesting, witchy woo woo potential, and I have some serious work to do on it before I will, but it will totally happen if I want it to!

Let me know in the comments if you enjoyed this spread and found it useful! And if you do want to grab a reading with me you can do that by clicking here.

Oh, and if you really want to start living in your truth Woo Woo School might just help you do that too!

With love, light and truth,

Vix

x

Don't Fear the Death Card

Do you ever just like totally freak yourself out when you see the Death card come up in your reading?

You're sitting on the floor with a cup of delicious hot rooibos tea checking in with the cards for your day and you turn over Death. :O OMFG universe are you serious?!

But do not fear the Death card my loves! It's about so much more than actual dying... 

Transition

OK hello total cliche, but yes, the Death card means transition. You're coming out of some old energy and into some new (often times unknown) energy. 

Transition makes everyone freak out, so why they put a Grim Reaper on this card I really don't know.

Like, you're freaking out enough with everything you have going on, and then OMG now you have a skeleton on your reading table, or cloth, or carpet, whatever.

But really, Mr Bones over there is just letting you know that the skin of whatever you're going through is coming off to make way for something new, even if you don't know what that is yet.

Letting go

The Death card is the ultimate in letting go. This isn't like the Four of Pentacles let go of your grip kind of letting go though, this is like - change is gonna come so you you really have no choice but to let it happen.

The Death card can come up when a relationship is metaphorically dead, like there is no point breathing life into a dead thing, there is nothing left for you to do but move on and finally find something or someone like so, so much better for you.

Energetic Endings

Sometimes the Death card comes up to signal an ending, but it doesn't always mean an actual ending of a sitaution.

You don't have to break up with your boyfriend, but something does have to change. 

Death is like - whatever you do, something's gotta give. 

I often see this card as an energetic shift for people when it comes up in readings. 

Death shows up to let you know that your old thoughts, beliefs and ways of being are done and you're ready to move into some new, way more powerful awesome energy!

YAY! :D

Actually Death looks kind of cool in the Linestrider deck! x

The best card ever

It might not always seem this way, but there are times in life when seeing the Death card is a total God send. Stuck in a job that you freaking hate but don't know how to get out of? When Death comes up you can be sure that whatever happens, you're getting out of that job, hoofreakingrah right? 

Been feeling super miserable and generally flat about life for ages? When you see the Death card it means that old way of being is out and something new is gonna come in. 

A note on Reversals

I read reversals, loads of peeps don't, but I do, so I'll add a little note here on reversals. 

When I see Death reversed it's a major indicator that the person I'm reading for (or myself!) is resisting the change, resisting the end or trying to resuscitate something that is dead.

It very often appears when change is so desperately wanted but there is also a lot of fear energy around that change, which is so totally normal, because change is mega scary! 

But when you know you've got some resistance it's great, it gives you something to think about and work on and once you've cleared your fears and what's holding you in your old stuck energy you can let it all go and move into the new! Wheeee!

I would love to hear your thoughts and interpretations on the Death card in the comments below, over on the Spiritual Journey Pitstop group or if you've pulled it for yourself and are majorly freaking out sometimes it can be super helpful to have someone else take a look at the situation for you. You can book in for a reading with me at the Etsy store or via NewAgeHipster.co 

With love, light and easy peasy transitions, 

Vix

x

The meh Tarot or Oracle Spread - for when you're feeling a little meh x

Sometimes you just feel a little bit meh. Not great, not that bad, but just a bit "whatever". On those days you can grab a deck (Tarot, Oracle, Angel, Crystal, Uno, whatever) and come join me in exploring what's going on with your meh mood.

The two positions in this spread that say "Oracle" can totally be interchanged with whatever decks you have. Check out the video below to check it out in action with a little workshop style Tarot reading! :D

If you're feeling a little more than meh, like if you're totally bummed out, you can try the Bummed Out Spread. 

You can find the link to all my other free Tarot and Oracle Spreads here. If you love it just SO, so much you can grab my e-book of spreads here too! 

Why you feel meh

Sometimes we don't really know why we feel meh.

This card will shine a little light on where you're at and let you know what it is you're resisting, avoiding, what blocks are coming up and whatever else might be causing your meh mood.

What's holding you in meh

When we feel meh it can be hard to just "get over it" and turn off Netflix. I mean we've all been glued to The Gilmore Girls with no ability whatsoever to move, unless it's to make tea, and sometimes even that feels like an effort. This card will let you know what's keeping you feeling meh.

How to release your meh

And now some tips on how to release your meh feeling and move on with your life! Yay! 

Action to take

OK, so what do you need to do to get out of meh,  you know, when you're ready. Because it's totally OK to feel a bit meh sometimes, but you can't pitch a tent and live there, K?

Thoughts to change

Very often when we're feeling a bit blah we're not paying attention to our own thoughts.

Are you hustling too hard because you have a belief about how you gotta hustle to win at life and burning out in the process? Are you feeling like a loser because you have a belief that being single sucks?

So many old thought patterns can creep in, even when we think we've totally cleared them for good. This card will let you know what thoughts to change and focus on right now to bring you out of meh.

Oracle for Love and Hugs

This is just a lovely little message from your spiritual team of support, love and etheric hugs!

Oracle for Empowerment

And here's a message from your team to empower you and help you move through this. :D YAY!

If you wanna post a pic of your spreads on Instagram you can use the hashtag #newagehipster or tag me so I can find you! :)

And if your meh mood still won't quit you can always hook up a reading with me and we can sort through it together.

With so much love, light and meh moving vibes!

Vix

x

An Interview with Matt Myers

Matt Myer's Art Nouveau Tarot has a very special spot on my deck shelf. As a big fan of 80's art and Tarot decks (and everything else 80's actually!) I had to snaffle one of these beauties up for my collection. It's an amazing deck with a totally unique vibe and when I randomly met Matt Myers online I knew I had to convince him to pop on over for an interview and a hang out! :D

Your Art Nouveau Tarot Deck is one of my favourite decks ever. Where did the idea for this deck come from?

When I graduated from art school (Ringling College), I had three career goals and creating a Tarot deck was one of them. I already had an interest in Tarot and had been reading cards for myself and some of my fellow friends and students since High School.

Most of the decks I saw were published by U.S. Games Systems, so I did some samples and approached them to see if they might be interested enough to commission a deck from me. They had the idea to do a “Gustave Mucha” deck, but I convinced them to do an “Art Nouveau” deck which would capture the style without mimicking any particular artist of the period.

To be frank, I’m not sure I was successful in that goal – Art Nouveau certainly influenced the design choices I made, but as you can see, there is more of the 80s in the deck than the 10s – and probably more of the transition from Nouveau to Deco than purely Art Nouveau. I think this has contributed to the fact the deck is now out of print. It really isn’t one thing or the other and the title doesn’t really reflect what it is.

The goal for the deck I DO think I achieved is the intensity of color. It has changed a bit now with the huge variety of deck options, but when I began the artwork, other decks I saw were flat and somewhat washed out. I wanted to do something with more brilliance. I think the intensity of color in my deck is its most successful aspect and continues to be unique.

The first time I saw these cards I was blown away by the artwork. How did you get into art?

Like most artists, I drew from an early age and always wanted to have a career as an artist.  Growing up in the American Midwest, artistic careers are not encouraged or even considered a possibility, but I managed to be stubborn enough to attend Ringling College and graduate as an Illustration major. I moved to New York City and gave myself five years to have success in the field. If it didn’t happen, I was prepared to move in a different direction and allow art to be hobby.

The Art Nouveau Tarot was one of my first jobs and helped me to convince myself a career as an artist would be possible. 

All the pips cards in this deck feature couples! Very cool, and awesome for relationship readings. x

How long did it take you to create this deck?

I worked on this deck from 1983 to 1987. I was working full-time in New York, first as an office temp and then as a legal word processor. The deck was my “second job”. Each of the individual paintings are 5” x 9”. There are 81 total – the 78 + a Title card, an Introduction card (which was directed to be a self-portrait) and the design for the reverse. In addition, the lettering was created by hand because the art director was struggling to find authentic Art Nouveau-styled type-faces.

The deck was originally intended to be printed in a larger size with an accompanying book. When it was commissioned in the early 80s, Tarot had become very trendy. By the time the deck was finished, interest had died down a bit so the project was scaled down.

I actually repainted several of the images during the process because my painting ability improved and I switched mediums from acrylic to oil. It’s a bit difficult for me to look at the deck now because I see things I would do differently, being older and a more capable painter. I see the struggle in the work, both in the rendering and in the attempt to communicate an idea. I’m always gratified to read a review where someone “gets” what I was trying to say because, in hindsight, I see how I might have been more successful in capturing the essence of the card.

The minors in this deck are a little different to the RWS and any other minors I’ve seen for that matter. Could you tell us a little bit about how you came at the minors?

I had always been interested in the Rider-Waite interpretations, but I had an idea there should be some connection or progression within the suites with each pip making a progression from what came prior and leading to what came after. The indicated interpretations of my deck are exactly the same as Rider-Waite even though the images are not. I worked to place those divinatory meanings into the context of a story-line and let the plot be driven by those definitions. The stories are briefly covered in the deck booklet and were more fully developed in the unpublished book. It was also important to me the reverse meanings were either different interpretations of the same idea or an alternate choice relative to the same situation.

I would like to point out that I tried to be more balanced with gender roles than is customary. The action in the Swords and Staves is driven by the male while the Cups and Coins have the male in the passive role. Even though the costuming is very stereotypical (and very dated at this point despite my best efforts) I tried to treat the male and female images equally as far as nudity and sexualisation are concerned. This has led many people to look at this deck as a Woman’s deck or a Gay deck. I see why the deck is perceived that way, but my intention was to address and possibly correct what I saw as an imbalance in that area.

I might also admit that one way I feel my deck fails completely is in the depiction of ethnic diversity. I tried to figure out a way to incorporate it, but it interfered with the idea of letting the pips play out as a story with the same repeated characters. I would have had to assign entire suites to an ethnicity. I couldn’t figure out how to do that without implying the certain characteristics of a suite described that ethnic group. So I gave up and made everyone vanilla because that is what I happen to be. And even if I did depict a variety of ethnicities, I would not have been able to represent all, so I decided to leave it as limited as it is. Still, I consider it a failing.

Which card in this deck best describes you?

The Hermit, no question. The Hermit has always been my Significator.

I always judge a deck by it's Tower card. How incredible is this one? :O x

I love everything 80’s, and this deck is just so 80’s! What’s your favourite 80’s movie?

My favorite movie from the 80s actually has nothing to do with the 80s. I saw “The Trip to Bountiful” on a first date (mistake) and cried so freaky hard my date was convinced I was unstable and there wasn’t a second date. The movie is set in Texas in the 40s and is about an elderly woman living unhappily with her son and his wife in Houston. She has the goal of returning to the town where she grew up and raised her family – Bountiful. It’s such a perfect representation of longing and the intensity of desire in the face of opposition and what we become willing to settle for in the process.

If I were to pick my favorite movie that represents the time, it would be “Sixteen Candles” – so totally 80s!

Favourite 80’s song?

I listened to a lot of music in the 80s. At the time, I didn’t own a TV and the stereo was always on. I can’t tell you my favorite, but I can tell you I listened to a lot of Alison Moyet/Yaz, Sade, Eurythmics, Crowded House (anything Finn brothers), the Smiths/Morissey, Bryan Ferry, Kate Bush, Shawn Colvin, Kirsty MacColl – all people I still listen to. I tend to be pretty faithful to my likes.

How do you personally believe the Tarot works? Do you believe that it can tell fortunes and futures? When you’re asking the Tarot questions, who are you asking?

I believe that nature has a pattern. The shape of a tree is similar to a river system or the nervous system of an animal. The earth is shaped like an orange or a drop of water falling through space or an eye. All things in nature repeat patterns that are familiar to each other. I think human nature is the same.

Our behaviour and emotions follow natural patterns. Sometimes we get trapped in the pattern we inhabit and can’t see events in our lives in any other way. We are so accustomed to defining our experience of life in a certain specific manner and are blind to any other way of seeing.

I think the images of Tarot are an attempt to capture the pattern of life and our human experience in a manner that can be held in your hand. When the cards fall the way they do, whether random or with some driving force, they ask us to examine our lives in a different form. “This is your Heart, this is your Head, this is your Home” – now consider these things from the viewpoint of the card that has naturally fallen into that position. Does it give you a new perspective on the way you define that aspect of your life, especially with a Reader who is neutral regarding the subtle, intimate, possibly secret details known only to you. If you are open to considering this new pattern, a new way of looking at your question, you may find a piece of your answer. I’ve sometimes described the cards as a stack of photo slides. You hold up the slide of your question, you overlap it with the description depicted in the card, you look at the new pattern made – does it give insight you didn’t have before because the things you see have altered from the way you had become accustomed to seeing them?

Whether there is a Something directing the answer, I don’t know. It doesn’t really matter to me. I don’t discount the possibility, but I don’t attempt to define it. Some people are uncomfortable with the Spiritual aspect assigned to a reading and I think approaching it from an emotional or practical standpoint is valid as well – whatever helps the Questioner feel comfortable.

Regardless, I do ask for respect for the cards before each reading so the Questioner enters into a state of considerate alertness. It isn’t necessary for them to completely BELIEVE, just that they agree to momentarily somewhat suspend disbelief. I ask them to make an attempt to listen without judgement and consider the reading, not just in the moment (when it can be abrupt or shocking or odd or seem unrelated), but more deeply and thoroughly when they are alone and quiet – because all natural things, including our lives, don’t exist without relationship. I also ask for payment of some sort, something of value (not necessarily money), because the questioner needs to make a gift of some kind to connect to the process. If they must consider a price for the reading, they are forced to become mentally involved – they have tangibly assigned value to the experience which is an important requirement for success.

Something I find interesting is my experience that people who come to a reading with a more practical mindset often experience the most emotional response. Maybe it’s because they are not so accustomed to examining the emotional patterns of their lives. I am also constantly surprised at the frequency of the times where I describe an interpretation which makes absolutely no sense to me but is afterward explained to me by the Questioner. It always amazes me because I have to admit I am a very sceptical, common sense person. But you have to surrender now and again to the experience of seeing the world in a new pattern other than the one you believe you are living. It helps you remember that life is bigger than you and full of things you know you don’t know and also things you don’t even know you don’t know. And it validates the notion that most of life is defined not by some immoveable reality but rather by how we ourselves define it.

The original artwork for the Magician and Empress cards! Amazing! x

What’s your favourite Tarot deck? (Aside from the Art Nouveau deck of course!)

When I started my deck, I was really impressed with the Aquarian Tarot by David Palladini. Now, I really like a lot of the decks published by Lo Scarabeo. They have several decks with historic art styles I find interesting.

Do you have any advice for budding artists and deck creators?

Be prepared to devote a LOT of time. Seventy-eight paintings/drawings are a challenge to complete. On top of that, the requirement to communicate 78 separate ideas plus 78 reversals is daunting. I also found the card I was working on tended to influence my experience of life, so that can be a little schizophrenic – and in the case of certain cards, somewhat dangerous – so beware of that.

I would also consider self-publishing, or at least presenting a publisher with a completed deck. Most of the things I am not happy with regarding Art Nouveau Tarot are things that were “art-directed” by the publisher rather than my own personal expression. And I certainly felt the pressure of the deadline which made some of the cards rushed and not well considered. My contract was also “work-for-hire” which means I surrendered the original art at the completion of the project. If I still retained the originals, I would be able to publish an “improved” deck independent of U.S. Games now that they have chosen not to reprint and the publishing rights have reverted to me. As it is, the lack of access to the paintings means the images in the deck remain as they are and I am content to let it pass.

What are you working on these days? Can we expect another deck from you in the future?

My artistic life took a pretty drastic about ten years ago and I have been working primarily as a Costume Designer. Before that, I had been working mostly for the hospitality industry, doing paintings and murals for restaurants, hotels, cruise ships, etc. I had always participated in theatre and the mural work transitioned into theatrical drops/sets and then into costume. Right now, I’ve begun to do Wearable Art which combines a lot of my interests and abilities. I had always thought my interests were too scattered, but now, all those talents that seemed to take me down different paths have all merged together. It’s been very gratifying.

Sometimes I consider doing another deck, one that is more mature with more depth and complexity. I’ve also considered using Tarot as a theme for Wearable Art. Will I actually do it? I honestly don’t know. It’s such a huge commitment.

How can we find out more about you and your artwork?

I’m currently working on a website for myself. It’s something I’ve know I should have done a long while ago – it would likely have made a difference to my artistic career. But as you might guess from someone who identifies with the Hermit, I have trouble making that outward effort a priority. Once it’s up, the website will be www.mattmyers.gallery. I don’t know if it will include any of my paintings or murals or even anything from Art Nouveau Tarot. Right now, it’s intended to be mostly Wearable Art and costumes, but it will be interesting to see where it goes.

The Art Nouveau is sadly out of print, but keep your eyes out around online and you may be able to find a deck of your own!

Thanks for hanging out Matt!

x

Winter Solstice Spread for Self Love and Self Care

K, so this is weird. 

Usually I'm in the northern hemisphere for Solstices and these sorts of things, but right now I'm in Australia.

I'm going to be flying back to the UK on the 21st, which is pretty much the Solstice, and so I'm kind of going to get more Winter Solstice than Summer Solstice, which is why I made a Winter Solstice spread in the middle of UK summer.

I always feel a bit meh during winter. Especially in the UK. There's no sun for months on end and so I think it's super important for us to be kind to ourselves with warm slippers and cups of cocoa. That's why this is a self love + self care spread.

Weirdly though, it's actually been sunnier and nicer in Melbourne than it has in the UK for the last few weeks.

So yeah, what's going on? It's winter, but it's sunny.

But anyway!

Here's a Winter Solstice spread for y'all to try, whether it's winter or not, who cares, it's a great spread for self love and self care on any cold day, or anytime of the year anyway.

1. Reward Yourself

This card will let you know what you've done awesomely that needs a reward. Like, what can you reward yourself for, and how can you do it?

I got the Fool reversed. Time to reward myself for all the times I got out of my comfort zone and said "screw it" and jumped. I trusted the universe, I could trust it more, that's true. But mostly I'm gonna reward myself for the adventures I've taken and probably reward myself by planning another jump.

2. Rest Here

They always say "don't rest on your laurels", but actually, this is exactly what you should do right now. What are your laurels to rest on?

I got Four of Swords reversed. Ha! This is like yes Vix, this means you too. Hahah.

3. Seeds to Sow

The Winter Solstice is more about sowing seeds than making stuff happen. What are some seeds for you to start sowing, or think about sowing?

I got the Eight of Cups. Time to sow some serious seeds for mindset shifts and work on some overwhelm issues!

4. Love Yourself

Everyone is always banging on about self love and loving yourself, but WTF does it even really mean? This card will give you some guidance on how to love yourself.

I got the Ten of Pentacles. A bit of a "it's OK to be successful and be looked after financially" message. Loving yourself is about accepting all the gifts the universe throws at you, not being a martyr. 

5. Your Inner Light

What's lighting you up? What's keeping you bright?

I got the Tower reversed. OMG this reading is killing me. Haha! OK, so actually, right now I'm being lit up by the idea of creating my life and my biz from the ground up. A lot of stuff had to go, but it's OK because actually, rebuilding stuff the way you really want it is super exciting.

6. Awesomeness Potential

Oh yeah baby! It might be cold (or not really if you're in parts of Aussie) and you might not feel like doing much right now, but babe, you will, and when you do, this is the cool stuff that may come up for you.

I got the Nine of Wands reversed. A great message about releasing some old junk here, especially "what others think of you" and generally letting down your guard. 

7. How to Stay Shiny

Sometimes when it's cold and dark it's hard to stay shiny. But this card will help you find a way to stay shiny, even in the dark. For more help with this check out my totally free e-book How to Stay Shiny!

I got the Four of Pentacles. I can stay shiny by letting go, surrendering and letting it happen rather than focusing on and forcing myself to be shiny at all times!

I hope this spread helps you, wherever you are, whatever the season or the weather.

You can come talk about your findings in the Tarot Nerds or Spiritual Journey Pitstop group and be sure to hashtag #newagehipster on Instagram so I can find you!

With so much love, light and warm winter solstices,

Vix

x

The Empath Spread

Being an Empath certainly has it's challenges. I dunno, I think we're all Empaths really, but some of us are hiding our Empath-ness under a bunch of other stuff and some of us aren't so much. If you're reading this, you're probably an Empath.

Empath in a nutshell: someone who picks up energies from other people, places, situations, whatever and is affected by them, OFTEN in a negative way.

E.g. if you hang out with grumpy people  you get grumpy. You can pick up all sorts of junk when you're an Empath,

but if you want to, you can totally clear it, protect yourself and use your Empath powers for good!

If you're somebody who's super sensitive to energies, this spread is for you!

Come hang out in Tarot Nerds if you wanna share or ask for help with your spreads or hashtag me #newagehipster on social media so I can find you!

Your Heart

This card is all about who you are without all the energies of everyone else, and everything else around you. What's really going on in that heart of yours? Where's your heart at? What's in your heart when you take away all the other hunks of energetic junk around you?

How to Ground

This card will give you some info around what's the haps with your grounding. Are you grounded? If not, what can you do about it? How can you get grounded? As an Empath you gotta get grounded babe. 

Who/What is affecting you

This is what is majorly affecting your energy right now. Could be what happened today at work, or on a bigger scale - like some big stuff going on that's been wearing you down for ages. This card should help you make sense of it.

How to Clear

When you're living life as a Empath clearing your energy is everything! This card will give you some insights into what/how to clear away that gunk!

How to Protect

Protecting yo pretty self from bad juju is imperative guys. Your protection bubble is your best friend here sweet pea, so check out what this card has to say about protecting your energy.

Moving Forward

So now that you know what's going on with your energy and what's affecting you, where do you go from here? What do you need to be aware of? What do you need to take action with? Being an Empath is no excuse for not living a freaking awesome life, so get out there and make it happen! Rarrr! This card should inspire you to do so, or at least give you some ideas on how to get there.

Now check out the video if you wanna see this spread in action! :D

With so much love, light and empath hugs!

Vix

x

PS - if you wanna share this spread around social media and your blog it's all good with a credit to New Age Hipster. x