How to conduct an Oracle reading

When my friend Ann Mortifee offered to publish the original full version of the Journey Oracle card deck through Eskova Publishing, she made the casual comment,"you should make a youtube video of you conducting a reading.  This will help people know how you do it."  Seemed a simple request. Well.
Turns out not really.  But what a learning experience.

Initially I thought this would be easy because I make youtube videos of my drums for sale, especially so people who are interested can listen to each drum being played.  I use four or five stills and my Avid microphone--presto!  But how to create a video that is not just the back of my head and a view of the cards while I talk on?  My hands holding the cards to begin the reading, and images of the card layout, my journal and the Oracle book pages seemed simple enough, but how to tell the story?

First I had to have a story to tell--which means I had to really do a reading. This turned out to be a most challenging choice.  If the reading was not authentic then I suspected the shamanic journey into a waking dream wouldn't happen. So the question had to be real. I drew this card for random inspiration and immediately thought of a situation I had been experiencing with a friend whose comments had caused me to feel unsure of myself.  "Why has my self-confidence disappeared?"

After I drew the four cards and began the reading, I found myself spontaneously thinking of cards that captured the visual essence of a connection or insight that occurred as I moved through the journey of the reading.  At every point a card image just seemed to float into my awareness and "click shut" into place.  Not only did I receive good wisdom from my unconscious mind about this situation, I had a wonderful time learning to use the video and photoshop tools.  I hope you also enjoy this 10 minute shamanic journey into a waking dream.

part I link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixufL91D5ak

part II link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVPNkVZOzW4

part III link: www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGELMGCT1Fg

New free interactive reading from Journey Oracle

My new website went live on Summer Solstice, what a present to give to the Sun on its wedding day!
The Journey Oracle website now contains a free interactive reading, so I decided I would try it.  I asked "how to be with this new website launch of the revised and expanded oracle cards?" This is the card that appeared.

The interactive reading tells me: 

This image is your chosen true doorway to insight.
See your situation in this image. Describe what you see in simple language. Notice images, colours, shapes: and also what you feel and associate with them. THIS IS HOW THINGS ARE.

When I gaze into this image I see a woman who is composed, comfortable with the other-than-human-world, and confident with exposing herself.  The green web of the plant world weaves all together.  Of course I can't help but notice, and appreciate, that the new box case of the Journey Oracle is wrapped in the green of our northern Canadian forests. 

Next I choose the path that tells me "how things got to be this way" and read a group of sentences that bring insight to my next steps for offering the new Oracle cards and book. 

suit: WHEEL OF YEAR   card name:  IMBOLG   #5

THE  SITUATION

THE  SITUATION

This situation began by self-education.

The prevailing energy of this situation is cold.

The core energy pattern of this situation is enveloping.                               

The Mother of this situation has beautiful eyes.

The Father of this situation is ever present.

ALIGNMENT  TO  THE  SITUATION

Your perception of the situation is magical.
The impact of your perception is cornflower blue.

Your relationship to the prevailing energy is bold and strong.

The connection between the core energy pattern and the situation

    is felt as a  trailing touch.

The momentum of this situation is fed by remembering to sing.

 Although all the sentences have meaning, several jump up to shine a light on this new beginning. Certainly this 22 year ongoing creation of the Journey Oracle divination deck has been all about self-education.  In our modern times, there is no longer an Oracle school! The prevailing energy is cold of the moment because I am just beginning to let my friends, students and web followers know that the new form is now available.  Enveloping is a perfect word to describe my every day focus with the creation of this Oracle.  The Mother refers to what gave birth to this situation, its deep source; and the Father is the creative force.  Beautiful Eyes and Ever Present are certainly magical parents for an oracle deck.

I am very heartened to read that my perception is "magical" and the "momentum of this situation is fed by remembering to sing."  And I am singing for joy right now--being able to finally share the new Journey Oracle with you.

Favorite outport in Desolation Sound

No matter where we decide to sail our Pearl for the beginning of the season, we seem to always end up at Refuge Cove, our favorite outport in Desolation Sound.  The harbour is well protected from both the south east winds and the Westerlies that prevail this time of year, and a first exploration is always of the other boats, and boat houses, at the dock.

We were pleased to again see the geese parading their family of goslings, swirling into view just beyond the porches of the raft and float house.  

It's good to see that some things don't change, like the washer dome arena near the Cove resident's barbecue area.  Sort of a combination of horseshoes but with big metal washers and a score board like cribbage.  The game has the added interest of washers occasionally falling down between the boards to glub into the sea beneath the dock.

Spending time in the Refuge Cove store and book exchange is the highlight of our stopover.  Nowhere else have I ever found bavarian style Spaetzle and Chipotle chili powder on the same grocery shelf.

I image there are not many places like this left in the BC coast.  A boat-only community that is willing to share slow time with visitors as they go about their ruggedly quirky and independent lives.  Just the right beginning to Pearl time.  Happy sailing from the Journey Oracle.

What to do when one cat drives other cats away

My two female cats are not fighting so much as the new one is trying to drive the other one away.  I decided I would do a Journey Oracle card reading to help stress and bring guidance, for me more than to help the cats work through their power struggle.

This first card shows the situation.  I see the new gold and brown cat's face made from what appears to be stone...a hard place.  She looks vigilant, staring out with intense focus.  This card represents the Day of the Unhewn Stone, from Robert Graves' The White Goddess.  Its meaning to me is shamanic initiation, all knowledge. This Oracle has this question for me, "How safe is this repair?"
I am immediately thinking of the larger situation--we agreed to take in this cat to help a friend who had to move.  Now the repair for her doesn't seem so safe for the cats already here.

This next Oracle card shows the experience I am having in this situation.  I certainly feel turned on my head trying to figure out what to do.  I associate the color yellow with my personal power, yet I seem quite powerless to help this. Yet in the image a person is looking out to the light from the dark tangle.  I need to understand how to "become upright in my experience."  This card represents the tree month Hawthorn whose magical aspects are cleansing, purity and sovereignty. The message of this card is "inner truth."  I feel the truth of this experience is that I cannot really change the cat dynamic, just be loving to the insecure one while making sure food is accessible to the one staying away.

The third Journey Oracle card shows change.  This appears to me to be a caterpillar on feet.  Since caterpillars are all about food, it could be that the issue is about food.   The cats have all been fed together until this started happening, so this might be an insight worth pondering. This card represents Path: the realm of journey, and its Oracle also has a question for me, "Are you keeping track of all the parts?" This feels like important advice.  If I can keep the aggressive cat in during the evening when the timid one comes to eat then at least I would know both were OK.

This last Oracle card in the reading is about the resolution.  I see a face made of strong colors and complicated shapes.  A hand appears in front of a mouth in the lower right saying shhh. The right eye can see but the left eye is blind. This is the Oracle of the full moon in August and represents a gift of trust, warmth of the sun, spirit work.  This sound and these phrases help my stress.  It is warm this time of year with lots of sun in the forecast and the timid cat prefers to be outside.  This image shows I am not seeing the spirit work happening because my eye is blind to this side of things.  The message from this Oracle is "a safe place."  My task is this: see a safe place for all four cats that live here.  The Journey Oracle is telling me to trust this.

Where is the Underworld?

Where is the Underworld?  It is not beneath the ground; not deep in the earth but in a fathomless depth not of this earth.

James Hillman, in his masterwork about dreaming, The Dream and the Underworld, locates this home territory of the dream anywhere we see through into the darkness; into images, resemblances, correspondences.

The Underworld is Hades' realm.  Not literal, physical death, not the decay and decomposition which is the only death ego can imagine, but Death as shifting image, as flickering shadow; as metaphor.

We enter by means of reflection--pausing, pondering, a change of pace, a voice or glance dropping levels.  Our movement there is Hermetic, a cocked ear, a sideways look, a suspicious fish eye, intuitional feelings and thoughts that appear in the midst of life and twist life into psyche. Into soul.  The underworld is soul's home.

The Journey Oracle cards are a chariot pulled by black horses watched for by Soul.  She is waiting on the sound of their approach.  The Journey Oracle will carry her across the barriers erected by our culture's neglect of the Underworld, which in our time is called the Unconscious.  To go there, C.G. Jung said, is to go to "the all embracing vision of the myth."

Watch for the new Journey Oracle card deck and book on this website near the full moon in June.