Alice The Wonderland Oracle Guidebook

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Contents

Introduction.................................................... 7

Card Meanings

  1. I. ALL IN THE GOLDEN AFTERNOON...... 34

2.1 WONDER WHAT WILL HAPPEN NEXT?.……36

  1. 3. FOLLOW THE WHITE RABBIT................ 38
  2. 4. FALLING..................................................... 40
  3. 5. BECOMING BRAVER............................... 42
  4. 6. CHOICES.................................................... 44
  5. 7. INVESTIGATE............................................ 46
  6. 8. DO NOT DRINK POISON....................... 48
  7. 9. CURIOUSERAND CURIOUSER............... 50
  8. 1 FOLLOW YOUR OWN GOOD ADVICE..... 52
  9. I CHANGED IN THE NIGHT.................... 54
  10. 1 LEAD THE WAY....................................... 56
  11. 1 ALL MUST HAVE PRIZES....................... 58
  12. 1 CLOCK TIME............................................ 60
  13. 1 MESSAGES FOR A RABBIT.................... 62
  14. 1 A MOMENT'S REGRET.......................... 64
  15. 1 GROWING UP......................................... 66
  16. 1 NO NEED TO FEAR................................ 68
  17. 1 WHO IN THE WORLD ARE YOU?....... 70
  18. 2 KEEP YOUR TEMPER.............................. 72
  19. 2 THE RIGHT WAY..................................... 74
  20. 2 SET YOUR COURSE............................... 76
  21. 2 WE'RE ALL MAD HERE.......................... 78

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  1. 2 USE YOUR TIME WELL.......................... 80
  2. 2 WAKE UP!................................................ 82
  3. 2 IT'S ALWAYS TEATIME.......................... 84
  4. 2 PAINTING THE ROSES RED.................. 86
  5. 2 NONSENSE!............................................. 88
  6. 2 FIND THE LESSON................................. 90
  7. 3 LAW IS NOT JUSTICE............................. 92
  8. 3 BELIEVE..................................................... 94
  9. 3 BELONG TO YOUR OWN DREAM...... 96

33.1 WANT TO BE A QUEEN......................................... 98

  1. 3 IMPOSSIBLE THINGS........................... 100
  2. 3 NEVER JAM TODAY............................. 102
  3. 3 SHINE BRIGHT LIKE A CANDLE......... 104
  4. 3 NATURE COMMUNICATION............. 106
  5. 3 YOU ARE RARE AND FREE................. 108
  6. 3 UNCERTAINTY...................................... 110
  7. 4 KEEPING UP.......................................... 112
  8. 4 FORGET WHO YOU ARE.................... 114
  9. 4 MORTALITY........................................... 116
  10. 4 MANAGE TO BE GLAD....................... 118
  11. 4 YOU CAN'T GO BACK TO YESTERDAY.......120
  12. 4 SUCH A CURIOUS DREAM................. 122

About the Author.......................................................... 124

About the Artist............................................................. 126

Also available from Blue Angel Publishing............... 128

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Introduction

An Enchanted Guidebook for the Curious Adventurer

“But I don't want to go among mad people:' Alice remarked.

“Oh, you can't help that," said the Cat: “We're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.”

“How DO YOU KNOW I’M MAD ?" SAID ALICE.

“You MUST BE," SAID THE CAT, “or you wouldn't HAVE COME HERE."

—Lewis Carroll, Alice Adventures in Wonderland

Welcome to this enchanted guidebook, which will introduce you to the wisdom of Alice: The Wonderland Oracle. It includes comprehensive instructions on how to work with the energies of this delightfiil deck, as well as easy-to-learn and insightful spreads for readings that will empower, guide and inspire you. This Wonderland deck is for the curious, the daring, for those longing to make of their lives a most marvellous adventure. It will help make every day vivid and fresh. Take this journey down the rabbit hole, and feel excited about your life,

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rekindle your courage, find your voice, and most of all, discover endless wonder in your everyday world.

We all need adventure at times. Daydreaming on a riverbank can be perfectly lovely, but it was not enough for Alice. Instead, she followed a White Rabbit and descended into another world where she learned far more than if she had stayed rather safely by the river.

We do not always volunteer for Wonderland. Sometimes our lives are turned upside down 一 and this is where this deck can be very helpful. Sometimes we need advice that will ground us, keep us strong, encourage us to be as brave as we can be, embolden us to speak up for ourselves and inspire us to find the nobility in our common sense and humanity!

CURIOUSERAND CURIOUSER

When we are taken on an unexpected adventure we never know exactly what is going to happen to us. That is my experience when I follow the White Rabbit in my life. Without following my curiosity, and my heart, I would not be doing this work. I would not have my amazing child. I would not be living where I am. And I would certainly not have had anywhere near as many of the adventures I have been blessed to experience.

And if you go chasing rabbits,

AND YOU KNOW YOU’RE GOING TO FALL

Tell 'em a hookah-smoking caterpillar

HAS GIVEN YOU THE CALL

—Jefferson Airplane, The White Rabbit

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FOLLOWING THE WHITE RABBIT

2012 was heralded as the beginning of a new era on Earth by millions of spiritual folks, and at that time, I was undergoing a very strange adventure of my own. Oracle of Shadows and Light. Oracle of the Shapeshifiers and The Lost Lands were all being published in Japan. I was invited to do a tour, teaching workshops and conducting readings. I didn't know the person who invited me and I could not speak Japanese. I was honoured and delighted, but I wouldnt understand the language. The culture, while beautiful, fascinating and graceful, was a whole new world. I would not know what to eat or drink. To follow this White Rabbit of an opportunity, I would have to leave my family and home, and go by myself to a distant land. Would I grow smaller because of this adventure, or bigger? Would I change because of it, and if so, would I ever return to my own familiar world?

I didn't think I could do it all by myself So, I took a guide with me 一 my old copy of Alice Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

Throughout my journey in Japan, which was wondrous, amazing and very curious indeed, I carried Alice with me. Every day I randomly opened my book and flicked through the pages, as if shuffling through cards. I let the pages fall where they willed, and when the book opened, I would read the first passage that caught my eye. The wit and wisdom of that passage would be my guide, my oracle, for the day. And, Alice adventures and the peculiar characters in Wonderland never let me down. Those passages proved to be a source of inspiration every day. Alice Wonderland adventures encouraged me to embrace my curiosity and the wonders about me; to accept and explore differences; and

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to make the very most of the topsy-turvy world I found myself in, alone, yet not alone, as Alice was by my side. Every now and again I would glimpse the grin of a Cheshire Cat when I was confused about which super-fast train to take, or imagine a strange dish calling, "Eat me.”

It was then that I decided I wanted to be a part of the creation of a Wonderland-themed oracle, which would help others find their way through the rabbit holes, labyrinths, pools of tears, mad tea-parties and unjust courts of our everyday lives. And, I was thrilled and honoured to be able to work with Jasmine Becket-Griffith, whose art has been a part of my life for so many years now. Her Alice-themed works so beautifully caught the improbable madness of adventuring in an upside-down world full of grown-ups who make no sense, animals who worry about time, Queens who have an unhealthy desire to execute everyone, caterpillars who philosophise and Cheshire Cats who offer the wisest advice of all.

This is your last chance. After this, there is no

TURNING BACK. YOU TAKE THE BLUE PILL - THE STORY

ENDS, YOU WAKE UP IN YOUR BED AND BELIEVE WHATEVER YOU WANT TO BELIEVE. YOU TAKE THE RED PILL 一 YOU STAY in Wonderland and I show you how deep the rabbit

HOLE GOES.

—Morpheus, The Matrix

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THE WISDOM OF WONDERLAND

Throughout her first adventure in Wonderland, Alice questions the nature of time; challenges what makes sense in the world; confronts who she is and who she is capable of becoming; undergoes sudden and shocking change; ponders what it means to grow up; and defies those who would use their power to harm her; before finally returning to family, herself yet altered forever. In the next adventure she undertakes, Through the Looking-Glass, she discovers she wants to be a Queen 一 or, the sovereign force within her own world, emancipated, free, self-determined and in charge of her destiny. Like so many readers, I find her endlessly inspiring.

Alice Adventures in Wonderland was published in 1865. Its origin was a handwritten and illustrated manuscript that Lewis Carroll created for three little girls who had asked him for a story.

There are many versions of Alice in the world today, and some of these have almost superseded the original material. This whimsical and wise story has been reimagined in film after film. The cult masterpiece, Donnie Darko, features a huge white rabbit that Donnie must follow. What the Bleep!?: Down the Rabbit Hole is a new-age classic that explores what takes place when you alter your consciousness and the relationship between thought and consequence. In The Matrix, Morpheus asks Neo to follow the White Rabbit. In song, dance and theatre, Alice magick is returned to again and again, because her story echoes what happens to all of us when we follow our curiosity and dare to explore the world, our consciousness and reality itself

As a child, I was mesmerised by Disneys animated Alice, and would chant the White Rabbits refrain, aIm late, Im late!"

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(Perhaps this is why I am nearly always anxious about being on time!). Director Tim Burtons more recent take on Alice changed the stories substantially, making Alice an adult woman undergoing a rite of passage in Underland. And in the television series Westworld, passages from Alice Adventures in Wonderland are read by characters who are all questioning their identity and exploring what it is to have memories.

Alice remains relevant and so inspirational because, I think, she is so brave. She is curious. She is outspoken. Yet she is no cliche 一 she is courteous. She has an extraordinary amount of good common sense, which helps her at every step of the way through that realm of the incomprehensible. And, she is unintentionally very, very funny.

This deck is based on Alice cleverness in navigating her way through a perilous and nonsensical world. While it is charming, Wonderland is dangerous. People threaten each other, make no sense, and dislike each other. There is vanity and cruelty, defensiveness and exclusion. Alice makes her way through it all with a combination of fearlessness, curiosity, good manners and common sense. And I think, in the uncertain, strange, miraculous and marvellous world we live in, her words have never been more relevant.

Most of all, Alice and this deck, asks us to shift our perspective, to grow wiser and to question the very nature of reality itself 一 perhaps, even, to begin to create our own reality ... our very own Wonderland.

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"Better run for your life!” cried the Mad Hatter "Alright,” said Alice... “I'm going back...

To THE OTHER SIDE OF THE MIRROR... I’M GOING BACK...”

—Stevie Nicks, Alice

HOW TO WORK WITH

ALICE: THE WONDERLAND ORACLE

In this section, we are going to explore practical methods and techniques for working with your Wonderland Oracle. Many people tell me they do not need to read guidebooks or learn how to do a layout. If you simply wish to work with the cards in your own way, that can work well, but one of the messages of Wonderland is that lessons are helpftil. Learning the layouts and practising them is a way of creating more accurate readings that can be very supportive and satisfying.

I recommend reading through the guidebook regularly and practising the layouts as often as you can. When you read for yourself I hope that every card that comes forward to speak with you offers insight and prompts you to ask yourself important questions. Often, the cards within this deck won't give you 'answers' so much as a way through the current situation 一 practical steps you can take, questions you can ask of yourself a gentle push to adjust your own attitude and see things a little differently so you can become who you are meant to be!

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CREATING YOUR OWN WONDERFUL FUTURE

There is often the perception that oracle and tarot cards are magickal tools that predict the future. What we have created here is a deck which will foretell what may take place, and assist you in creating what it is you long for. With the Wonderland Oracle, you are encouraged to transform the present to create the future. The cards can help us understand the consequences of our actions and take steps to work with what we are currently creating.

We are all journeying through Wonderlands. When people come for readings it is often to make sense of a world that no longer seems stable or 'right.' Again and again, people ask me to read for them and tell me what will happen. What I strive to share is a better, deeper understanding of what has taken place, what is being created and what can be created or worked with. We are all in a complex relationship with destiny and fate. Nothing in the future is set in stone. It is created and woven through choice, attitude, action and fate, and although some outcomes may be likely, we can always take steps to create a better future for ourselves. Your Wonderland cards can help you understand how that is to be done.

Often when we seek guidance, something very important has changed, and that change can leave us questioning what we have been taught, who we believe ourselves to be and what is best for us to do. I regularly read for people, and most often, a reading is of assistance because it offers a sense of how events will unfold and points to the right actions to take in order to make the very best of the circumstances we find ourselves in.

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I ALWAYS WANTED TO WRITE ALICE IN WONDERLAND.

—John Lennon

THE WONDERLAND CARDS

You will notice the text for each card is divided into sections. Lets go through these. First there is the number and title of the card. Below that are a few key words that serve as cues or prompts to help you understand the cards meaning simply and quickly. Next is a direct quote from either Alice Adventures in Wonderland or Alice Through the Looking-Glass.

The following section explores and expands the meaning of the card, with lots of food for thought and guidance. The divination section will really help when you come to do a reading for yourself or for another person.

Finally, there is an interpretation for reversed cards. Some people love to have this information on hand and find it very helpful. Others do not like reversals at all 一 often because they have not worked with them, or have been told or have developed a belief that reversals are automatically negative? Let us explore this, and clarify what a reversal can offer us and our readings.

REVERSALS - WHEN THE WORLD IS TURNED UPSIDE DOWN

When a card is reversed, it is often said to represent a block in the energy or the message of the card. It is not quite as simple as that. A reversal can signify a subtler resistance to the energy, a challenge in the lesson of the card or even a denial that there is

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any kind of issue or lesson that needs to be explored. Some people have told me they are frightened of reversals and avoid them, but they have been included within this oracle as its nature is to explore reality. This can mean taking a different perspective and viewing a lesson or experience revealed within a card from 'the other side.' Each of the cards has been given a reversed meaning for your quick reference 一 but nothing will be more valuable than your own explorations.

I followed Alice into Wonderland

I ATE THE MUSHROOM AND I DANCED WITH THE QUEEN

Yeah we danced in between all the lines

—Aerosmith, Sunshine

GETTING TO KNOW

ALICE: THE WONDERLAND ORACLE

The more you know your cards, the better friend you are to them and the more the energies within the deck will reward you with clear, delightful, informative readings that are accurate 一 and this is important - useful! They will provide common sense as well as wonderment, direction and deeper understanding. They will also offer you inspiration which you can work with to create the life you would most love to live. Here are some simple suggestions for getting to know your cards.

When you receive your deck, go through each card and just say hello. Become familiar with the words, the imagery and the numbers. Then, read the guidebook.

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Begin to work with some of the spreads. Gently and slowly, surely and steadily, you will develop a strong and helpful connection with this oracle. One thing I find really helpful is sleeping with my cards for a few nights. In this way, somehow subconsciously, the energies begin to speak with us in our dreams. As dreaming is so important to the Wonderland world, this is in keeping with the intentions and energies within the deck. If you find the cards are talking a little too much and your dreams become too vivid, even disruptive, simply have them nearby rather than with you.

I suggest carrying your deck with you, and often, so you can look at them throughout the day or offer a spontaneous reading, if the moment comes. My oracle cards love visiting nature, and it would be delightful to take this deck on picnics in a field, by a river, the seaside or anywhere that is beautiful and a little wild. And, if you see a rabbit 一 well, what a sign that would be!

These cards are wonderful to read for yourself and others, and love being accompanied by a pot of tea and a journal where you can write down your readings arid explore the counsel they offer to you. I always bless my cards before I begin to work with them, and create a dedication 一 letting them know what I would like to work with them for, what purpose I have in mind.

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SHUFFLING YOUR WONDERLAND CARDS

Handling or connecting with the cards is very important 一 well, its essential. And the more you touch them, the more you will imprint your energy within them and the more the energy will flow between them to you.

There are some simple ways to shuffle your cards to enhance the ritual of the reading. These methods are practical and can add enjoyment to your reading experiences. Hold your cards in your left hand, with the backs of the cards facing toward you. Hold them lengthwise, not width-wise. This will be especially helpful if you have small hands, as I do! People often tell me they find the beautiful Blue Angel cards visually stunning, as the larger cards show the images to better advantage, but they sometimes find them difficult to shuffle. The solution is to hold them lengthwise. Practice shuffling like this until it becomes natural and easy.

Another way of shuffling is to stir the cards, as if they are in a large cauldron. To do this, I place the deck on a large table or on the floor and stir5 them in gentle circles, radiating outwards. I do this while contemplating the question or issue, or while opening up to the cards so that they can "feef me and understand what it is that is best and most helpful for me to know. Then I gather them up, tap them gently back into place and split the deck in the usual way.

Jumping Cards

I love these magickal messengers! When you shuffle, a card may leap out and land face up. If this takes place, the card is determined to share its message with you, and be of help and service to you! Include the card in your reading or read its message on its own.

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“Would you tell me, please, which way I OUGHT TO GO FROM HERE?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want

TO GET TO,” SAID THE CAT.

“I don't much care where — ” said Alice

“Then it doesn't matter which way you go;' said the Cat.

—Lewis Carroll, Alice Adventures in Wonderland

THE QUESTION - WHAT DO YOU WISH TO KNOW?

While you arc shuffling the cards, contemplate what it is you would like to know about... what you require assistance with. I feel it is best to approach a reading with a willingness to be open to what is best for you to know, and a sense of what you wish to learn more about. If we combine this attitude with a question, the reading can be of great assistance.

I often read for people who say they just want a general reading. Sometimes they do not wish to speak of what they want to know as they may feel very vulnerable, embarrassed or cautious. At other times, it is a test to see if what the cards reveal is in any way relevant to their life situation.

When we read for ourselves, we are naturally very close to the circumstances and it can be a challenge to step back sufficiently enough to clearly see what we are being shown. It can be helpful just to bear this in mind and to accept the cards that come forth. Take time out to discover the meanings within the cards and

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receive the messages, no matter how we may struggle with their guidance. In time, as the voice of the deck becomes clearer, you will find the flow and your readings will become very natural and easy to understand.

A question, or an opening up and a willingness to be spoken with, is a very important state of mind to cultivate for our readings. It suggests we are willing to have a conversation and to engage with the cards of our own free will, rather than to sit back, be passive and expect the cards to "tell our fortune? When we interact with the cards, when we open to them, when we are willing to listen and to explore their suggestions, we will have the most satisfying divination experiences.

If a straightforward question is difficult to arrive at, you may simply wish to ask:

(<What do I need to know?,,

aWhat would you like to share with me What would be best for me to know at this time^

Consider the question as you shuffle 一 it is in this way that the question is asked - through your voice, mind, subconscious and the handling of the cards, which can feel what it is we need to know.

SPLITTING THE DECK

How ever you have shuffled, there are some powerful techniques for splitting the deck, which have the right cards come to you. One way I almost always use is to divide the well-shuffled deck

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into three, keeping the mind softly focused. Please use your left hand to split the deck. This hand links to the right side of the brain, which is more connected to the subconscious and thus more intuitive and most likely to help us down the rabbit hole of our lives!

Split the deck into three piles with your left hand. Put the piles back together in any order you wish. Then deal the cards from the top of the deck.

Another method is to fan the cards out before you in a horizontal line with your left hand. Then, hover your left hand just above each of the cards, until you feel a little warmth or energy from a particular card. Choose that card and place it in a pile. Do this three times for a three-card reading, or ten times for your Celtic Cross spread, and place the cards into position in their layout.

LAYOUTS - A WAY TO STRUCTURE YOUR WONDERLAND READINGS

When we bring structure to our readings, we find patterns emerging ... a story being told. This kind of reading can help us to understand ourselves and our world better than before. In traditional cartomancy (card reading), the person making the enquiry and receiving the reading is referred to as the querent. I often call this person the seeker. They are on a quest for self- knowledge and divine guidance, and we ask for this to take place through the reading.

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ONE-CARD SPREAD

Each day, right upon awakening if you can, shuffle your cards as you ask, wWhat is it I need to know this day?" Split the deck into three, put the piles back together and take the card from the top of the deck. This is your card for the day, a snapshot of what may come as the day unfolds.

If mornings are a busy and challenging time for you, try practicing this at the end of the day, as a way of understanding what took place that day and as something to sleep on.your subconscious will then explore the message of the card and your dreams may provide powerful insights.

With a simple card-a-day reading, the messages of this Wonderland deck will become deeply familiar and every day will be filled with its wisdom and guidance.

THREE-CARD SPREAD

Another method is the seemingly simple, past-present-future, three-card spread. Shuffle, cut the deck, and lay your cards out from the top of the deck. One to the left, one in the centre and one to the right. The card to the left represents the past. The card in the centre speaks of the present. The card to the right indicates what may take place in the future.

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This is a simple spread. Yet, it can give us great insight and help tell the story of a persons life as it relates to the question they have asked.

Think about what the past is and what it holds. It could also be that the past is the underneath, the present is the now and the future is what could be, the potential and possibilities.

You may find it helpful to approach the cards of the past, present and future by asking questions. For example:

Card 1. The Past: Who was I?

Card 2. The Present: Who am I now, who do I seem to be?

Card 3. The Future: Who I am becoming?

Or, perhaps you could try:

Card 1. The Past: What happened to me?

Card 2. The Present: What is happening to me

Card 3. The Future: What may happen to me

Of course, if you are reading for another person, change the questions so they refer to them, not to you. In that situation, you are the reader, no longer the reader and the seeker both.

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THE CELTIC CROSS

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This adaptation of the traditional Celtic cross spread, has evolved over many years of readings. It can give a great deal of detail and help you to understand what to do, as well as what may be.

Shuffle your Wonderland Oracle while pondering your question, and split the deck as you wish. Remember to read the cards in the context of the question 一 relate back to the question, as the cards reveal the story. Lay the cards out from the top of the deck.

Card 1. The Seeker: Insight into the person you are reading for -who are they?

Card 2. The Current Situation: What is of great significance

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right now. It could represent a person or an event that is taking place.

Card 3. The Past: What has happened. This card may show a significant event from childhood that has greatly influenced the person who the reading is for.

Card 4. The Very Recent Past and The Present: How the seeker is experiencing life right now as well as their thoughts and feelings about it. This card represents what has been created, what has evolved out of the past.

Card 5・ The Possible Future: What could be coming up and how life may unfold. This card represents a possibility, not a prediction. The power to influence this potential future resides with the person who is being read for.

Card 6. The Outcome: What is likely to unfold, given all that's gone before. This card represents the evolution of the question asked, what is likely to happen given the intention, energy and actions brought to the situation in the present.

Card 7• Desires: The seekers hopes, inner desires, dreams and wishes.

Card 8. Reputation: How people involved with the question view the seeker. It is aligned with how they are perceived and thought o£ It can be daunting, but very helpful for the seeker to have a deeper understanding of how they and their actions are being perceived.

Card 9. Fears: What the seeker is concerned about, what worries them and how this fear is holding them back.

Card 10. Right Action: The best possible action to take given the current conditions. I love this card! It is a very practical card as it empowers and encourages the seeker to shape their destiny and become a co-creator of the future!

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DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE SPREAD

This spread is laid out in a U-shape, to represent the fall down the rabbit hole, the adventures within Wonderland, the rise to the surface and the emergence of new wisdom in our everyday lives.

Shuffle as you contemplate your question. Split or choose your cards as you wish. Then begin to lay out the cards from the top of the deck.

Card 1. The White Rabbit: What you need to follow, create or be inspired by. An opportunity for you to go after.

Card 2. The Fall: What you will discover about yourself during the descent.

Card 3. The Release: What you need to let go o£ in order to

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pursue your dreams. Tb open one door at the bottom of the rabbit hole, you must let go of the possibility of opening another door.

Card 4. The Madness: The great challenge of the adventure. The aspect you may doubt within yourself as you undergo your journey.

Card 5. The Wisdom: The lesson you will learn through your adventure.

Card 6. The Challenge: This card signifies your climb out of the perils and enchantments of Wonderland, and what you will need to do to make a success of bringing back what you have learned.

Card 7. The Ascent: One of the great benefits of this adventure. An integration of the dream-like world of Wonderland with the everyday world of humanity.

Card 8. The Awakening: Like Alice, you will awaken, and when you do, you will have changed. This card indicates just how you have changed, and what you can now give to the world as a result of your adventure.

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THROUGH THE LOOKING-GLASS SPREAD

A circle is used as the base for this layout, to represent the magick of the mirror, long used to see what is unseen to any but the gifted and the highly-trained oracle. Its like a looking glass formed with the cards, and will show you a full picture of what lies deep within as well as what would be wonderful for you to know and understand.

Just as the world Through the Looking-Glass reveals what cannot be seen with ordinary eyes or experienced with an ordinary consciousness, this spread will show what is hidden regarding your question, the situation or the energy you bring to the reading.

Shuffle and cut the deck as you prefer. Lay the cards out from the top in a clockwise circle, one by one. Place the first card down at the top of what will become your circle, the second card a little under and to the right of it, and so on, to form a circle in a clockwise direction.

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Card 1. Hidden Emotions: What you have been hiding from others 一 and perhaps even from yourself This may be deep feelings, memories, repressed emotions... or ones you pushed aside, waiting for the right time to deal with.

Card 2. Hidden Motivator: Why you are doing what you are doing, feeling what you are feeling and choosing what you are choosing. This card indicates your hidden desires, drives and what your passions are at a very deep level.

Card 3. Hidden Thoughts: We can think many things without acknowledging or being aware of them 一 here they are, laid bare for you. Dont run away, this is a gentle reminder to accept what you may have hidden within your mind. This card brings them to the other side of the looking glass to be seen and worked with clearly. You can choose to keep them as they are, to work with them, to embrace and empower them, or to release them.

Card 4. Hidden Physical Needs: What you need to do for your wellbeing. For example, if you receive a card like Nonsense, you may have to challenge some of your own beliefs when it comes to food, or contest others who have pushed their ideas on to you, so you can make some healthy changes.

Card 5. Hidden Spiritual Desires: What your soul wants you to know, but has been unable to tell you. Its hard for the soul to break through in the clamour and busy-ness of the everyday world 一 this is its chance to be seen and heard.

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AFTER YOUR WONDERLAND READINGS

Reading with oracle cards is a magickal process, and Alice: The Wonderland Oracle is powerful and enchanting. Be sure to ground after your reading by using the following steps:

  1. 1. Cut any energetic cords to those you have read for by gentle swooping your right hand down the front of your body and saying, “I release all energies that do not belong to me.” This can be done quietly or said to yourself if you feel it would be better.
  2. 2. Put the cards back together, thank them, and if you are finished using them wrap them (in silk is always best for cards) or place them back in their magickal box. If you wish to make notes in your journal, this would be a wonderful time to do so, while the memory of your reading is fresh and alive.
  3. 3. Eat and drink something. Wonderland readings go very well with a cup of tea and a wholesome treat. 'Walking in nature, swimming in the sea or lighting some candles will also bring you back to a lovely grounded space.

CARING FOR THE ENERGY OF YOUR WONDERLAND DECK

If your cards feel stale, a little "different5 after being handled by other people or feel like they need to be cleansed, take your cards and place them in order again. You can then smudge them, place them in a circle of sea salt, or 'cut' the energetic cords around them with a feather (I use a swan feather for this purpose). Storing them with a piece of obsidian, onyx, smoky quartz or labradorite can help protect them from picking up and holding on to other

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peoples energies.

Some people prefer to have two decks - one other people handle when shuffling for readings, and another which they only touch themselves. I feel it is courteous and respectful to ask before touching another persons cards.

I prefer to have the person I am reading for shuffle the cards, as it brings them directly into the reading. When the seeker touches and chooses their cards, they tend to be far more receptive to the messages and make greater efforts to change their lives for the better. This is a more inclusive way of reading, which I personally resonate with. You may feel differently, so follow your own intuition and see what works best for you.

CARING FOR YOUR READING AREA'S ENERGY

Occasionally the energy in your reading area may feel a little 'off' — strange, heavy, unpleasant or tired. If this happens, I like to make a spray of fresh spring or rain water with an oil blend that can clear and cleanse. I like to mix a little salt in with the water and perhaps a bay leaf too.

Heres a little candle magick I work with to clear and cleanse the spaces I live and work within. You might find it helpful, too.

Light a tall beeswax candle and pour a circle of salt around its base in a widdershins direction. (Widdershins means against the sun.' It is anti-clockwise in the Northern Hemisphere and clockwise in the Southern Hemisphere.) Your room will sparkle with energy, feel light and grounded, and provide a wonderful, healing space in which you can conduct divinely magickal readings full of wisdom.

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I HOPE YOU enjoy these oracle cards that emerged from Wonderland, inspired by the amazing adventures of the courageous, clear-headed, outspoken Alice, and all the astonishing beings she encounters both down the rabbit hole, and through the looking glass. May your every reading be a blessing.

With love,

Lucy

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Alice:

TF|e Wonderland Cards

Card Meanings

  1. AH in the Golden Afternoon

Inspiration - Creative Spark - Imagination 一 Conception

Anon, to sudden silence won, In fancy they pursue

The dream-child moving through a land Of wonders wild and new

In ANCIENT TIMES, we did not think an individual was responsible for their creativity. More so, a person blessed with creative genius, a divine spark or a brilliant idea was thought to have been visited by a muse, genii or other spirit that could inspire someone with ideas that were longing to be born in the world. At the very beginning of the tale of Alice, there is a poem, a preface, which portrays the moment the author was begged to create a story. This card represents the time immediately before Alice existence. There is no rabbit hole, no Cheshire Cat, no Mad Hatter, no Queen of Hearts ... there is only the urge to tell a story.

So it is with you at this moment. A spark of inspiration is about to descend upon you. A wondrous tale is asking to be told through you. This surge of imagination can take many forms. It

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can be a creative solution to a problem you are experiencing. It may mean using visualisation to improve at a physical activity, or painting a picture with a new technique or a fresh perspective. Whatever form it takes, you are actively telling the story of your life with every word you speak and creating the story in action with every move you make.

What Wonderlands can you create when you allow yourself to be open to the genius all about you and invite it to come into the world through you? Ydu are imaginative. You are creative. You have that spark within you! Whatever it is you wish to do - paint, draw, sing, write, dance - do this creative, vital, brilliant life­bringing thing! Who knows what creations you can bring forth. Why not begin to discover the possibilities today?

Divination: Time to create. An imaginative idea. Inspiration takes hold. Talent and ability. The muse touches down in your life 一 get ready!

Reversed: Feeling dull, uninspired, mundane. Believing you lack creativity. Dissatisfaction with your work. Negative self^talk.

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2.1 Vfonder W^at

Will Happen Ne疝?

Ready to Adventure 一 Precipice of Change 一 Pause Before Action

Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting BY HER SISTER ON THE BANK AND OF HAVING NOTHING TO DO: ONCE OR TWICE SHE HAD PEEPED INTO THE BOOK HER SISTER WAS READING, BUT IT HAD NO

PICTURES OR CONVERSATIONS IN IT, "AND WHAT IS THE USE OF A BOOK; THOUGHT ALICE, ‘WITHOUT PICTURES OR CONVERSATIONS ?'

There are points in life where everything seems quite perfect. Things are calm, all is well, and we are comfortable, sheltered, easy in ourselves and in the relationships we have. There is, in short, nothing at all wrong. Then why oh why can we not feel satisfied? This is because free spirits grow restless amidst too much sameness 一 much as we find Alice and you, dear reader, at this time. While she ought to be enjoying an afternoon beneath the trees in late summer, Alice is actually a little fretful and restless. She wants for adventure, to explore and to reach out beyond the comforts ofher current existence. This is the very point you are at.

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You will decide whether or not to enter into and enjoy all you have and have been given. There is nothing at all wrong with embracing that. Or, as you will know from Alice, this could be the point at which you begin to wonder whether this is the place from where you need to explore, stretch or jump. A small part of you is tired with the tidy, the comfortable and the repetitive. You would rather the adventurous, where you will learn more of who you truly are, than you will in this in-between state of sameness and people who never ask questions and are content never to go beyond the comforts of their current life. You, dear reader, want more.

This card tells you that very soon, if you choose, you will have an unprecedented opportunity for adventure. It is your decision. But, I think I know what you will choose when the moment of change arrives 一 just in time to save you from the numbness of too much habit and repetition. This is the very edge of change. Prepare yourself!

Divination: A longing for excitement. Wonder at what is meant to take place next. Someone who is comfortable but vaguely dissatisfied. Be ready for a challenge and for new experiences.

Reversed: Attachment to habit. Locked into stultifying sameness. Comfort over adventure. A lack of curiosity. Satisfaction remaining within the same world, in a repetitive cycle.

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  1. 3. TbIIov the Whyte Rabbit

Curiosity Meets Opportunity

... BUT, WHEN THE RABBIT ACTUALLY TOOK A WATCH OUT OF HIS WAISTCOAT-POCKET, AND LOOKED AT

IT, AND THEN HURRIED ON, ALICE STARTED TO HER FEET, FOR IT FLASHED ACROSS HER MIND THAT SHE HAD NEVER BEFORE SEEN A RABBIT WITH EITHER A WAISTCOAST-POCKET, OR A WATCH TO TAKE OUT OF IT, AND BURNING WITH CURIOSITY, SHE RAN ACROSS THE FIELD AFTER IT, AND WAS JUST IN TIME TO SEE IT POP DOWN A LARGE RABBIT-HOLE UNDER THE HEDGE.

Something out of the ordinary happens nearly all the time. Most days, if you are aware, awake and ready for adventure, there will be an opportunity to change your life. But for this to take place, you must follow the White Rabbit. You must go after whatever it is that excites you, inspires you and entices you. The White Rabbit does not go to Alice and ask her to accompany him. It is up to her to notice what is taking place. She does not think about what to do, nor discuss, sit or ponder. If she had done so, the opportunity of entering Wonderland would have been lost,

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perhaps forever.

When Alice sees how strange and extraordinary this rabbit is, she leaps to her feet and she runs. She engages with the opportunity and goes after it. When this card comes, you are being advised that something interesting is about to happen, and when it happens, be ready to go after it with all your passion, all your might and without hesitation.

Be awake and aware. Wonder at what will happen next. And, when the extraordinary takes place at the heart of the ordinary world, be ready to leap to your feet and run toward enchantment and adventure.

Divination: A wondrous opportunity is going to break through your ordinary reality and give you the chance to change your world and your perception, forever.

Reversed : Opportunity after opportunity, chance after chance to have adventures, but not feeling ready. Thinking you must think on it, take more time or even that the opportunity will come by again. Hesitation is costing you a more exciting, dynamic and enchanted life.

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  1. 4. Ming

The Unknown - Descent 一 Momentum - Change

“I WONDER IF I SHALL FALL RIGHT THROUGH THE EARTH !?,

YOU ARE PRESENTLY experiencing a time of descent. You are in between worlds, yet to land, yet to know what will come next, yet to feel the impact of the inevitable moment when your feet touch the earth again. At present, it is natural to feel doubt, discouragement, nerves and even fear. You have leapt, now you must fall. Soon you shall land, but first comes the descent.

You have launched yourself into the unknown, taken a risk, dared to follow your instinct, without the thought and consideration that would have seen you miss the chance that will come to you. But right now, you are completely within the process of descent. You may have allowed yourself to let go of people, places, objects, roles or ways of being. It could be that a relationship, a type of career or the routine you once had is now in flux. Something has unravelled and you are moving into a different part of your destiny. A fall can be accompanied by

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disillusionment, a sense something is being broken, a shattering of beliefs and perspectives, and the inability to know what will come next. You may wonder, just like Alice, whether you will fall right through the earth. In other words, will everything in your world end? Will you simply keep falling, falling, with no end at all?

It will end. There will be a new place and a fresh way of being to explore. For now, surrender to the descent into the passageway to the next life. The fall is the moment before rebirth. The best possible response is to relax into the fall, observe and wonder at what is to come. Know this was the only way through to the next stage of your evolution 一 the entrance to your own Wonderland. There is no new discovery without descent, without relinquishing some of who you were. This is the way you will become who you are next meant to be.

Divination: The in-between, the end of what once was, the letting go of who you were and rebirth into a new life. Unknown outcomes. Complete immersion in the process of change.

Reversed: Holding on to what is no longer best for you. The fear of what comes next. Inability to surrender to the process of change. "Wanting all to remain the same, even while change is taking place.

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  1. 5. Becoming Braver

Resilience 一 Experience - Growing Stronger 一 Fresh Perspective

"After a fall such as this, I shall think nothing OF TUMBLING DOWN-STAIRS! HOW BRAVE THEY’LL ALL THINK ME AT HOME! WHY, I WOULDN’T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT IT, EVEN IF I FELL OFF THE TOP OF THE HOUSE!”

ALICE IS BRAVE. And so are you. With everything that has taken place in your life of late, you have often felt overwhelmed, challenged and uncertain of whether you could cope with very much more. But you have shown great courage, and perhaps even more wonderfully, youve developed so much resilience. Because of the extreme nature of the events and experiences you have been working with, you will now be able to deal with all manner of circumstance with great calm and stoicism. And this is no small thing!

Being challenged in quite radical ways can see some people retreat entirely from life. But you, like Alice, can see one of the aspects of working through adversity is realising just how much you can do. You have been stretched, pushed and gone right to the

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very edges of what you know about yourself 一 and you have come to know yourself far better, far more deeply, than if you had not had these great and sometimes rather terrible adventures.

Most of all, please know these truths: You are strong, you are brave, you are resilient. You have been dignified, graceful, and remained curious under the greatest sorts of pressures. This has been, in many ways, your finest hour. And you will be able to set an amazing example when life returns to something just a little closer to what most people call normal!

Divination: You have been tested. The development of strength and resilience through the courageous meeting of challenges. The demonstration of great character. The acknowledgement of how much you have learned. The ability to cope with so many little things, due to a great ordeal endured with grace, dignity and humour. Testing times shows true character.

Reversed : Feeling there is no point to your trials. An inability to see you are courageous and learning all the time. Doubting you have the endurance to cope with the challenges being faced. Believing you are weak and unable to tackle the smallest of adversities. Feeling you will fall apart when troubled times come. Afraid of adventure, daunted by tests.

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  1. 6. Choices

Feeling Blocked 一 Restrained

There were doors all round the hall, but they

WERE ALL LOCKED: AND WHEN ALICE HAD BEEN ALL

THE WAY DOWN ONE SIDE AND UP THE OTHER, TRYING EVERY DOOR, SHE WALKED SADLY DOWN THE MIDDLE, WONDERING HOW SHE WAS EVER TO GET OUT AGAIN.

"WHEN WE ARE changing in order to find our own personal Wonderland, we need to keep the momentum going in whatever area of life the magick of change is arriving. This means leaving the in-between lands of the idea, and entering into the choices we must make to move forward. It may seem to you, as it does to Alice, that each choice presents a potential problem, that there is not one clear choice or way to go. Each door is locked, too small, impossible to open or to even fit through. But Alice had not yet found the way. You too are on the road to finding the way to unlock the opportunities that are all about you.

It may also be that various tests of courage will reveal the key to the door which will see you enter Wonderland. Right now,

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you have choices. Each of them may seem to have one or more drawbacks or obstacles. You feel that if you do not know how to get through to the other side, perhaps you are not meant to go there at all! But, look about you ... there are solutions. There are ways through. You can create the next step, but you must be brave and willing to try something very new. And then you must be ready to deal with the uncertainty taking this step shall bring.

If you peek through the keyhole, as Alice does, you will see the doorway leads to the loveliest garden you can imagine. You must find a way through, because the delights that lie on the other side are worth this test 一 the challenge is how to reach this place. You may need to grow smaller, you may need to grow larger, you may need to change yourself in ways that initially seem very strange to you.

Divination: Choosing which way to go. A moment of decision. Uncertain of what is best or what to do next. Feeling like each door is closed? 'Wanting to reach the next stage of your life but not seeing a single way through.

Reversed : Giving up too soon. Feeling daunted by challenges or stuck in an in-between place. An unwillingness to alter habits in order to transform. Reluctance to move forward. A lack of curiosity.

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  1. 7. Investigate

Look Closely - Ask Questions - Think Before Acting

“No, Fll look first.”

TOO MANY PEOPLE blindly follow others and in many situations we can find it easier to go with the flow, to trust in other people and even to follow orders. But Alice does not do this 一 not until she has thought it through for herself She may be impetuous, adventurous and curious, but she is also sensible, cautious and enquiring. Alice remembers the good, common­sense advice she has learned through hearing stories of others' mishaps 一 and right now, you must be like Alice.

This card asks you to check something carefully before going ahead. You are being encouraged to take a daring new path of action, and while everything is most likely well, you still need to take responsibility and remember to be your own guardian and caretaker. Look over the details, check the packaging, be sure to know what is in the fine print, and ask questions about the arrangement or the offer which you are about to enter into or accept.

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l£ like Alice, you find there is nothing alarming or hidden about the arrangement, by all means go ahead. However, do not follow orders or blindly do what you are told. Investigate, decide, and if you go ahead, be prepared for unexpected changes when you sign, start, connect or decide to advance. There is always an element of the unpredictable 一 and there is no way of preparing for all the strange and wonderful things that will happen next!

Divination: An important decision requires you to enquire, inform yourself and think it through thoroughly. Find out as much as you can and look at the fine print!

Reversed: Rushing ahead without checking. Being reckless and even arrogantly thinking you know best. Refusing to learn from experience. Being overly trusting that this time it will be okay. Doing what you are told, without using your own wits and intelligence.

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  1. 8. Do Not

QrinK Poison

Do Not Do Things You Know Are Bad For You

... IF YOU DRINK MUCH FROM A BOTTLE MARKED ‘POISON; IT IS ALMOST CERTAIN TO DISAGREE WITH YOU, SOONER OR LATER.

YOU DESERVE to treat yourself well. You deserve to inhibit what is not good for you. You do not need to try what is bad for you, to know that it is not for you. So, when this card comes, Wonderland is advising you to no longer do what is not in your best interest. You have a habit or two that you would do well to let go o£ You have people in your life that you keep giving time and space to, despite knowing you will suffer afterwards, that you will again be upset and disturbed by their harshness, their unkindness.

Poison does not only come in bottles. It comes in the form of others who hurt us, deliberately or even without their knowledge. It can simply be that they are not for you, and you are not for them. Poison comes in the form of words which hurt and harm, that fall from your lips or which are spoken about you by others.

There are situations you know may hurt or endanger you.

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There are substances which could be toxic for you and you do not need to have them in your life anymore. When this card comes to you, it is time to eradicate that which can poison you, at last. It is not cruel to refuse to hurt yourself You will be astonished at the energy you will have once you remove these toxins from your life.

Divination: Avoid toxic situations, people or relationships. Do not partake in what you know is not best for you. Ending harmful relationships, changing toxic habits or improving your nutrition and health regime. A clean out from your home and pantry of substances, foods, even fabrics that can poison your personal environment. Changing unhealthy harmful thoughts and beliefs about yourself and refusing to speak ill of others. Choosing to encourage, support and lead through kindness and strength.

Reversed : Suffering unnecessarily. Holding on to relationships that hurt you. Lacking the energy to change habits which harm you. A denial that poisonous things can hurt you. Denial about certain substances. Potential for addiction to food or substances. Obsessive and harmful behaviours which need to be changed, but which you may refuse to recognise.

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  1. 9. Curiouser and Curiouser

Discovery 一 Enquiry - Weirdness -Curiosity

kCuriouser and curiouser!” cried Alice (she was so much surprised that for the moment SHE QUITE FORGOT HOW TO SPEAK GOOD ENGLISH). “Now I'm opening out like the largest telescope THAT EVER WAS!"

When we enter new surroundings, and allow ourselves to discover the wonders that lie within us, we often find ourselves feeling fascinated and filled with awe at what is taking place. When everything seems very new and exciting, we can be filled with the kind of wonder that is most often thought to belong to children. The truth is, we can all tap into that wonder again.

We can all be filled with curiosity and experience the desire to explore and discover - this is where you find yourself when this card is pulled. You might believe what is taking place is weird, or odd - and indeed it may be! You might be discovering things about yourself that you would once have thought impossible or even denied 一 but now you know you have so much within you

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that you are only just beginning to know all of who you are. When this takes place, just like Alice, we grow. Of course, this does not mean you will literally get bigger, but you will be growing as a human.

You are having new experiences and this creates an expansive sense of possibility. This can seem quite uncomfortable, and again strange - but it is also wonderful that you are growing in this way. So, you may find yourself in weird places, with new people, amongst unfamiliar behaviours, and you may be changing, growing, developing and discovering. Do not fret at the discomfort 一 try to stay with the wonder of the newness all about you! Open up, reach out, extend yourself and grow.

Divination: New and unfamiliar places and surroundings. A general lack of familiarity. A fascinating turn of events. Growth amidst strange customs and people. Changing as a person. New interests and talents are being discovered.

Reversed: A lack of interest in finding out about different places, cultures or people. A desire to stick to the familiar. Believing you have grown enough and need not extend yourself any further. Becoming static, habitual and apathetic.

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  1. 1 Tbflov Tour Own Good Advice

Trust Yourself 一 You Know What is Best for You

“Come, there's no use in crying like that!” said Alice to herself rather sharply. "I advise you TO LEAVE OFF THIS MINUTE!” SHE GENERALLY GAVE HERSELF VERY GOOD ADVICE (THOUGH SHE VERY SELDOM FOLLOWED IT).

THERE ARE TIMES when we become overwhelmed and begin to feel as if there would be nothing better at all than to collapse, cry and to turn in on ourselves 一 particularly if we have made an error ofjudgement! This is understandable, and we must be permitted to express who we are and how we feel. However, once Alice has cried about a seemingly unsolvable situation, about forgetting something very important, she tells herself that continuing to cry will have no use. This stern command to her emotions brings her back to a place where she can contemplate what is best done next.

Anytime you make an error, it can be helpful to grieve a little for the difficulty you have created. But once you have done this,

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continuing with the sadness serves no real purpose. It is best to follow Alice example. Cry, then stop, and follow your own good advice and your own good sense. Receiving this card means you know what you need to do... you need to clear, ground and centre yourself so you can contemplate what to do next.

This card also says that you do know what is best for you and often give yourself excellent advice 一 but that you don't often follow it! You are being gently advised to settle yourself emotionally, to think through a problem, to stop admonishing yourself and to follow your good advice to yourself Perhaps treating yourself like a close friend, or a dear child, will help you to move calmly forward, without criticising yourself too harshly for the situation you currently find yourself in. You can change this, if you follow your own very good sense!

Divination: Harsh self-judgement for a mistake or an error made. Unmet personal expectation causing inconsolable sadness. A reminder to detach, find clarity and follow your personal internal guidance system which has some very practical solutions!

Reversed: A refusal to listen to yourself Making the same mistake over and over. Feeling that if you become emotional others will step in to rescue you. Thinking that all is doom and gloom. Becoming bogged down emotionally, unable to think clearly.

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  1. 1 Ch&r骅I in the Night

You Have Changed Quickly

"Dear, dear! How queer everything is to-day! And yesterday things went on just as usual, I WONDER IF I've been changed in the night ?w

SOMETIMES, we change slowly. A little change here, a small adjustment there, tiny shifts day by day, and over time we grow into a very different version of ourselves. But at other times, we feel like we have been changed in the night. Our day might suddenly, without any warning at all, be very queer indeed. For Alice, and perhaps for you when you receive this card, there is a sense that so very much has changed in an instant, that the world has quite suddenly been turned upside down 一 or right side up! And, we have not had a moment to grow used to this new reality, the way we now are or the rules of the world we find ourselves inhabiting.

When a time like this comes, we can be in shock, a little numb and have trouble finding our way back to the centre of ourselves. If you feel you may have been changed in the night 一 that your

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life has changed quite dramatically, quite suddenly 一 then take a moment. Remember your values, your feelings, yourself Look about you, steady yourself and breathe in deep. You ve been rocked and your sense of self and of reality, is going to take a little time to resettle.

Continue to connect with your core self be good to you and take it easy, but steadily. Remember, you are finding out who you truly are. Until this moment, you only knew who you could be when faced with certain, predictable circumstances. Now that so much has changed, you will find out so much more about yourself and in time, this will enrich you so very much.

Divination: Sudden, unexpected change. A shock. Unexpected news. Adjusting to a new situation. Finding out more about who you are. Inexperience and uncertainty. An identity crisis due to changed circumstances.

Reversed: Feeling you are not growing as a person or that you have stayed the same for a very long time. You may be looking at introducing some new and exciting challenges into your life to help you grow and discover more about all the wonderful selves you have within you.

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12 Lead the V/ay

Be a Leader - Show Others How It's Done - You Can Help Others!

Alice led the way, and the whole party swam

TO THE SHORE.

In THIS CARD, Alice takes on a rather new role - that of a leader. She did, after all, create the problem that they are all experiencing, albeit accidentally. She is the one who thinks through what has happened and tries to calm the creatures about her 一 even though that doesn't always go right. And, she is the one being who takes charge and leads them out of the pool of tears and onto land. Just as you must do right now.

There is an emotional situation about you and it is affecting not only you, but other people, too. And, they are finding it hard to make their way back to steady ground. They are floundering amidst this sea of emotions within the present circumstances. It is up to you to lead them to the shore - to bring them back to the land. Now, this means you are to help everyone calm their emotions and come back to a more grounded, clear and stable place.

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Even if you have been very emotional yourself it is time to show leadership, set for the shore and help others make it there safely, too! Show everyone how its done - demonstrate what is best to do. Help those who, like you once were, are overwhelmed by their feelings. All you need to do is show them the way.

Divination: It is time to step into a leadership role. Others are looking to you to solve a problem or show them how to work through an emotional situation. Help others by showing them what needs to be done, not by telling them what to do. Calm your emotions, ground and centre yourself so you can be of greater service to others. You cannot help others overcome emotional distress until you have learned how to calm your own feelings. Be steadfast, strong, and encourage others by your own calm example.

Reversed: Refusing to take charge. Letting your emotions overwhelm you. "Wanting to tell others what to do, but being afraid to, in case you get it wrong. Feeling you are too emotional to take charge. Avoiding responsibility. Fear of failing others and of letting yourself down. Discouraging others from relying on you.

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  1. 1 AH 而& Have Prizes

Trying to Please Everyone

At last the Dodo said, "'Everybody has won, and

ALL MUST HAVE PRIZES.”

“But who is to give the prizes ?w quite a chorus

OF VOICES ASKED.

"Why, she, of course," said the Dodo, pointing to Alice with one finger; and the whole party AT ONCE CROWDED ROUND HER, CALLING OUT, IN A CONFUSED WAY, “PRIZES! PRIZES!”

"WHILE IT SEEMS like a lovely message 一 how wonderful for everyone to have won and to have prizes! 一 there is a hidden shadow to this card. For there is no winning if all have won, and there is no prize if all have acquired the same thing. In other words, there does not seem to have been a test of excellence here - merely an exercise which seems to have tested people. But, at the end of the day, they will all get the same reward. This card can come to those who are tasked with evaluating the work of others and are trying to choose who has done well. It can come to parents, to

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teachers and judges.

This card can also come to those who wish to please everyone and do not wish to fall out of favour. Thus, they will proclaim that everyone has done very well and offer prizes to each and all, to avoid the discomfort of true assessment. It is hard to have to decide, to make a choice and to know to whom a victory belongs. It is challenging to be discerning. We often prefer to be like the dodo, trying to make sure everyone is happy.

When this card comes, consider the choices you have before you 一 is it best to reward everyone in the same way, even if some have offered more than others ? Is it better to reward those who have excelled, either through effort or talent ? Would you prefer just to give prizes to all and keep everyone happy? These are your choices at present and it is up to you to decide which way is best.

Divination: Trying to keep everyone happy. Treating everyone as equals and rewarding those who have not worked hard. Playing nice, wanting to please. An inability to choose who or what is best for you. Trying to be fair, but avoiding difficult decisions is not fair on yourself Maintaining illusions, to avoid disappointing others.

Reversed : Clearly knowing what is best for you. Refusing to praise or to give energy away where it is not warranted. Easily choosing between what is better for you and what would not serve you. Being more concerned with honesty and truth than with keeping everyone happy.

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  1. 1 CfocI^Tinie

Time 一 Pressure - Ina Rush

“Oh my ears and whiskers, how late it's getting!m

ARE A long way from seasonal time, from the ebb and flow of tides, the cycles of the moon, the rise and set of the sun. Instead we, like the White Rabbit, have watches and clocks, which tick and tick to mark the passing of every second. There are times when you need to move quickly 一 when you have appointments, deadlines or important responsibilities that need to be completed. When you are amidst such activities, you will be consumed with them. You may become anxious, short of breath, hurried and rushed. It may seem that you need to move faster than other people need to. This can lead to stressful, heart-racing moments, and when you are reactive like this, you are less capable than when you are focused, calm and clear.

Even though it is true that you must meet a deadline, you must take a moment to slow down so you can attend to your responsibilities. You are in the midst of a whirlwind - be the calm,

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the eye of the storm. Put to rest the urge to worry, to fret, to rush until your work is done and the need to impress those you wish to please.

Work carefully, clearly, with focus and intent, see a sunrise, bathe in moonlight, notice the leaves changing colour ... and you will work faster than if you hurry and get caught up in worry. There is no need to rush, just look as if you are taking your work as seriously as it deserves. Pull back, stay calm, have a plan and stick to it, and all will be well.

Divination: A time of stress and added workload. Increased responsibility, feeling it is too late to pursue your dreams. Feeling pushed to complete too many tasks. An inability to say no. Insufficient support. The urge to rush. This could be a time of dynamic opportunity - but you must take charge of your own workload and do what must be done. It is time for one last push!

Reversed: Refusing to meet a deadline. Procrastination and avoidance. Feeling overwhelmed with responsibility. Giving up on dreams. Making no progress. Being too slow. Staying still when movement is needed.

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15.弗 ss%es for

a Rabbit

Service to the Animal World

“HOW QUEER IT SEEMS,” ALICE SAID TO HERSELF, “TO BE GOING MESSAGES FOR A RABBIT! I SUPPOSE Dinah ll be sending me on messages next!”

Within this card, Alice finds herself fetching gloves and a fan for the White Rabbit. While she hurries to help the strange little creature, she begins to imagine her cat, Dinah, giving orders. Alice wonders what she might be commanded to do once she returns home. In Wonderland, the lines that divide humans and animals are very, very blurred. When this card comes to you, it suggests that you can also understand the needs of creatures, animals and wild things. By stilling the human world about you and tuning in to the greater world, the energy that is all about us, you will know what is needed.

This card also suggests time spent with creatures who are not human. You will become very close to a beloved animal, perhaps a pet, or an animal you take care o£ Ydu delight in their company and in taking care of their needs. You will be fascinated with the

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way in which they communicate and you will learn more about what they mean when they go about their usual habits. In short, you will become more attuned to the non-human world. The lines between animals and people arc beginning to grow less and less visible ... as it is in Wonderland.

You will help animals, they will appreciate this and you will be rewarded with a greater understanding, deeper connection and many delightful moments as you come to know each other. When this card comes to visit, you will be gifted with affection, loyalty and an expansion of your world. Stay aware of animal visitations, for wondrous spirit is speaking with you, through their pure and wild presence.

Divination: Animal communication. A proximity to animals. Enjoying the company of animals. An interest in animal behaviour and symbology. Feeling drawn to animals more so than humans. Intuitively understanding their needs. Rewards of friendship, closeness and trust.

Reversed: Feeling bewildered by animals. Making assumptions about animal behaviours. Feeling you know about them, but missing the messages they are sending you. Missing a beloved pet or the closeness you once had. Feeling more drawn to people. Being sentimental about animals, rather than truly understanding their actual needs and desires.

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  1. 1 A Mpnie也

Regret

Nostalgia - Idealising the Past - Fearing You've Made a Mistake

"It was much pleasanter at home:' thought poor Alice, “when one wasn't always growing larger

AND SMALLER, AND BEING ORDERED ABOUT BY MICE AND RABBITS. I ALMOST WISH I HADN’T GONE DOWN THAT RABBIT-HOLE—AND YET—AND YET—IT’S RATHER CURIOUS, YOU KNOW, THIS SORT OF LIFE!”

V^HEN WE MAKE life changes and take large steps into the unknown, it is perfectly natural to have a moment or two when we wonder whether we have made a series of mistakes! When this card comes to you, it shines a light on the doubts you are having and asks you to accept these uncertainties as part of the process of change.

You are so very far away from where you once were, but you still have no clear idea of exactly where your path will take you, and you are filled with uncertainty. Instead of allowing dread to fill your mind, live as if life is a great adventure. Understand that as you change, there will be many ups and some downs too! It is

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not in your best interest to judge yourself harshly. Instead, anchor yourself firmly in the present moment and allow any regret and nostalgia for your comfortable past to wash over you ... let it flow on by.

You are on a remarkable journey of change. It is one that will lead to wisdom, experience and adventure. You have made a wonderful choice, so take heart in knowing that all change creates waves and disruption. Do not make more of your misgivings than they are ... they are the natural consequence of bravely stepping out of your comfort zone.

Divination: Second-guessing your decisions. Berating yourself for the choices you have made. Feeling regretful and missing what was. Nostalgia 一 living in the past. A focus on what is going wrong5 or what could still go wrong?

Reversed: Forging ahead without reflection. An inability to marry the past, the present, and the future. No thinking back. A lack of attachment to what once was. The refusal to remember. Seeing nostalgia as sentimental and foolish. A focus on the future and lack of appreciation for what was good about the past.

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  1. 1 Growing Up

Wanting to Grow in Experience - Rejection of Perpetual Youth

"Shall I never get any older than I am now? That'll be a comfort, one way—never to be an OLD WOMAN—BUT THEN—ALWAYS TO HAVE LESSONS to learn! Oh, I shouldn't like that!"

Alice is in Wonderland, and she wonders if she will ever leave, or change, or grow older. She understands this can have benefits 一 never growing old, infirm, forgetful, or having to rely upon others as the old so often must do. Even at her tender age, she realises that if she stays young, she will always have lessons to learn ... and that will be a great disadvantage, for Alice wishes to be clever, wise and to have learned her lessons so she can move on to having a good life.

When this card comes to you, it is a reminder of the many benefits of growing older and maturing. It encourages you to take each lesson as it comes, knowing you will become wise, in time. If you were to stay young forever, these lessons would simply repeat and there would be no real getting of wisdom. Alice does not wish

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to become old, but nor does she wish to stay young and unwise.

So, consider the benefits of growing older. Surround yourself with people of varied ages, and learn from their experiences. Work through your own lessons with practicality, patience and enjoyment. We change physically as we grow older, and we become those to whom others turn to make sense of life. Make becoming an ancient, an elder, your goal. Reject the need to stay one age forever, for that will keep you from the growth your soul longs for.

Divination: Understanding that the years bring their lessons to you. Embrace becoming an elder. VC^tching time make its marks upon you and embracing the signs of ageing. Understanding the wisdom that can come with age. Being young at heart, yet yearning for encounters that will help you evolve, grow and experience the fullness oflife.

Reversed: Hanging on to youth at all costs. Denying the existence of change as we grow older. Being stuck in a habit of our youth. Wishing to be young again. Feeling you have learned very little, although you are growing older. Seeing maturation only as a process of deterioration. Concern about your fate as you grow older.

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  1. 1 No Need to Tear

Remember How Powerful You Are

Alice knew it was the Rabbit coming to look for HER, AND SHE TREMBLED TILL SHE SHOOK THE HOUSE, QUITE FORGETTING THAT SHE WAS NOW ABOUT A THOUSAND TIMES AS LARGE AS THE RABBIT, AND HAD NO REASON TO BE AFRAID OF IT.

When we are in unfamiliar circumstances and we feel confronted by the events unfolding about us (which, in so many ways, entered our lives through choices we made) we can feel fearful, doubtful, even intimidated. We may be nervous, appeasing and diminished in these circumstances. Despite the strangeness of all that is about you, this card has come to remind you of your substance, your power and your right to be assertive and to take up space.

You feel frightened at this moment, but this is because you have forgotten just how much energy you have within you. Rationally, you have nothing to be frightened o£ Take a moment to remind yourself of the power within you and confront what it

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is you have been hiding from. For you are larger, more immense, more impressive and more influential than you currently believe.

Remind yourself of all the great and fine qualities you have -your wit, your courage, your strength, your tenacity 一 and you will find your courage again. You will realise you are more than equal to those about you, and more than able to cope with the circumstances you find yourself within. Like Alice, you are larger than that which you are afraid of. Remember this now, and go forward with confidence and strength.

Divination: You may be afraid out of habit, not out of reason. Feeling intimidated, but without need. Remember how many reasons you have to feel confident! Go forward with courage! You are more powerful than you are feeling. Others cannot harm you, as you are so strong.

Reversed: Timidity despite all that is available to you. A refusal to behave in an empowered way. Being craven, fearful or giving way to others because you believe them to be more powerful than you. Allowing others to treat you poorly because you believe they are better than you. Unwarranted lack of confidence.

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  1. 1 W|o in 加 V/brld Are Vbu?

Getting to Know the New You

“Who in the world am I?” Ah, that's the great puzzle!

W^HEN YOU RECEIVE this card, you are being asked to rediscover yourself through the asking of that all-important question, "Who am I?” As Alice so wisely says, uthat's the great puzzle!” So many people go through life being who they think they are, who others say they are or who they think they ought to be, when who they truly are is submerged beneath conformity, habit, stereotypes, cultural expectations and other peoples opinions.

This card is asking you to ask this question, and to assume, just for a moment, that you may not know just who you are. This is your invitation to go beneath the roles and the assumptions. Allow your true self to slowly ascend and emerge from beneath the stultifying feedback of the world, and to be, once again. When this card comes to you, it is a wonderful opportunity to live from the heart of yourself once more ... to question all you think you

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are and to find out who you are, right now.

You may wish to meditate on this question or to find out who you are in new places with new people. You may like to start over, to incarnate in a way. You may wish to travel, undergo some therapy, journal or have heartfelt conversations about how we become who we are at any given moment. Treat this like a wonderful adventure and an opportunity to forget what you think you know. Rather than going along with beliefs, aim to truly see yourself Puzzle out, once again, a rebirth into your new self

Divination: A fascination with getting to know yourself again. Growing into a new self Defying assumptions about who you are. Exploration of the self questioning who you have been told you are. Changing at a very deep level. The readiness to evolve and experiment to come to greater self-knowledge.

Reversed : Believing you know just who you are. Certain of identity. Refusing to question yourself Believing you are fixed and unchanging. Going along with the main current of who you are supposed to be. Feeling comfortable with who you believe yourself to be, but ultimately limiting your potential because of this.

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  1. 2 Keep Tour leriper

Don't Allow Anger to Rule You

“Come back!” the Caterpillar called after her. Tve something important to say!”

This sounded promising, certainly. Alice turned

AND CAME BACK AGAIN.

“Keep your temper:' said the Caterpillar.

"Is THAT ALL?” SAID ALICE, SWALLOWING DOWN HER ANGER AS WELL AS SHE COULD.

ALICE is confronted by so much strangeness, so much that is unlike what she is used to, and even her own self is changing this way and that, she finds herself running very short of patience. Indeed, she starts to become angry. When we are thrown this way and that by life, uncertain of what will happen next and there are no 'straight' answers to our questions, our tempers can begin to fray about the edges. We may become irritable, short and less patient than we would be when all is familiar and comfortable.

The Caterpillars advice to Alice is very good counsel indeed. For Alice to make her way through Wonderland, and for any of

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us to make our way through life, we must be wary of our temper taking over our good sense. Its natural that Alice is feeling out of sorts. She is contending with the uncertainty of her size and the loss of the sense of self she has relied upon all her young life. She needs help, but to get help, she must be patient with the Caterpillars slowness, the Cheshire Cats nonsense, a Rabbit that doesnt see her for who she is, and even more curiousness. If Alice reacts and grows angry at the creatures within Wonderland, she may never make her way through to the other side.

This is not to say that anger is wrong or unnatural. But, when we are seeking the help of others, it is best not to get angry if they do things a little differently. Acknowledge your irritation quietly to yourself do not deny your response, but know it is important for you to continue to find ways to communicate with those about you. Growing angry with them would serve no purpose at all, except to make you more lost and isolated than ever.

Divination: Being pushed. Running out of patience. Feeling like the people about you are not cooperative. Evasive companions and bothersome circumstances. The need to keep your temper cool and in check. Remind yourself you will go far further when you harness your power, and use it at the right time 一 which is, by the way, not right now!

Reversed: Unleashing. Saying whatever you wish. Lashing out. Expressing anger and frustration. Heated conversations. An unwillingness to remain calm. Believing aggression will create a breakthrough. Feeling entitled to express emotions without a thought for consequences.

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  1. 2 The Right V/ay

Learning to Create What You Desire

“HOW AM I TO GET IN?” ASKED ALICE AGAIN, IN A LOUDER TONE.

“Are you to get in at all?” said the Footman.

“That's the first question, you know.”

It was, no doubt: only Alice did not like to

BE TOLD SO.

The FROG Footman really does get to the heart of things. When we are pondering how to make a life dream happen, or how we are to get in, through or to the other side of whatever issue is facing us, we might wonder if we are meant to get in at all, as the Frog Footman puts it. We can spend a great deal of time pondering our destiny, wondering if something is meant for us and sometimes giving it up to fate, proclaiming if it is meant to be, it is meant to be.

Alice has a different approach. She doesn't ask if it is meant to be. She asks how it will be done. This practical approach may not seem so spiritual to some 一 are we not meant to go with the flow

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and see where life takes us? Here, Alice knows what must be done and sets out to discover how to achieve it. When this card comes to you, this is just what you must do.

Do not wonder if something is meant for you nor leave it in the hands of the Gods. Instead, think of how it can be done. What practical steps can you take ? How can you approach the problem in order to solve it ? What action can be taken, and what advice can you seek? There is always a way through to the other side, but passively waiting, and waiting, and waiting for it to simply swing open is not as powerful as actively figuring out the puzzle and discovering how you are to reach the other side. So, ask questions. Seek advice. Look again, from a different angle. Think of the how!

Divination: Venting to get through' to the other side of a situation. A desire to walk through a gateway or a life transition, to become an 'insider' rather than remaining on the periphery. Wanting to have an impact, to be included, to be a part of the activities and have an influence on the world. A willingness to learn, step by step.

Reversed: Leaving it all up to fate. Waiting, rather than acting. Philosophising, rather than doing. Being dreamy, rather than practical.

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  1. 2 Set Vbur Course

Know Where You Wish to Go 一 Have a Plan - The Right Direction

“Would you tell me, please, which way I ought TO GO FROM HERE?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want

TO GET TO,” SAID THE CAT.

“I don't much care where—” said Alice. “Then it doesn't matter which way you go,” said the Cat.

ALICE, like so many of us, wants to know which way she ought to go. You too may be asking yourself which way to go 一 what direction to head in. This can include questioning what your soul purpose is, or asking for advice from others on what you ought to do, which way to take your life, what decisions to make and what you need to do next.

Alice is rather lost in Wonderland, and when we are lost it is only natural to ask those who seem to know more than we do for advice on what we ought to do and where we need to head. But, as the Cheshire Cat points out so cleverly, the right direction

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for Alice depends on where Alice wishes to go. It is the same for you. So now, you must spend some time focusing your thoughts toward knowing where it is you wish to get to.

Once you have a better idea of your desired destination, the ambition you wish to achieve or the dreams you wish to create, you will know what to do. Until you know that, it will be very hard for anyone to offer you any advice at all. This also applies to the advice you give to yourself Dont flail about, and dont be at the mercy of other peoples advice or opinions. Ask yourself what you want to create, do, achieve and be. You can then seek the very best advice and head in the best direction for you.

Divination: Know where you wish to go in this life. Set goals, write a wish list of accomplishments. Realising that to bring your dreams into reality, you need to know what it is you want to do, be, or create. The refusal to be flotsam any longer. Strike out in the best direction for you.

Reversed : Unable to set a course, drifting. Saying you are going with the flow, but allowing others to send you this way and that. Asking for guidance without knowing where it is you wish to go. Refusing to plan or prepare, and then feeling confused as to why you seem to be stuck or thrown this way and that.

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  1. 2 Wre All

施 d Here

Everyone is a Little 'Different'

"But I don't want to go among mad people,w Alice remarked.

“Oh, you ca'n't help that;' said the Cat: “we're all mad here. I'm mad. You're mad.” "How DO YOU KNOW I’M MAD ?” SAID ALICE.

"You MUST BE: SAID THE CAT, “OR YOU WOULDN’T HAVE COME HERE?

MOST PEOPLE like to fit in. Most people like to feel that all the other people feel that they are quite normal. And other people like to be around people who are very safe, predictable, and well, ordinary. Only, as Alice is told by the wise Cheshire Cat, we are all mad. There is not a person on this planet that does not have a little secret, or a strange little something they have done, or do. And yet, on and on we go, all the time attempting to be normal.

And 'normal' changes all the time. Mostly, people just want to fit in, to blend in with others, to feel that they do not stand out in any way. Standing out can make us vulnerable. It can make us

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conspicuous. Although our culture adores its iconic people, we do not generally tolerate difference very well at all. The truth is, we all have our little oddities, and we can exhaust ourselves trying to erase their visibility.

We hide who we truly are. We do not speak of who we are, and we try to convince others that we are just like them. This card asks you to consider why you would hide any of your own strangeness, when as the Cheshire Cat says, we are all mad here. And we must all be mad 一 otherwise we would not be here, living another lifetime, brave enough, mad enough, to learn more on this journey of the soul.

Divination: Beginning to realise that everyone is interesting, a little bit different and full of secrets, good and bad. Understanding that hiding what makes you your very own self is not only exhausting, but it is robbing the world of your unique wonder. Discovering that you are a little mad - and so, in truth, is everyone else. Embrace your eccentricities and your own peculiar genius.

Reversed : Telling yourself you are normal, over and over, won't make you so. You may be grounded, wholesome, earthy, realistic, pragmatic, but you are still a little mad! There is no need to deny it so strongly 一 or to point out the madness of everyone else. Come to know your own brand of madness and youll be so much more at peace and able to enjoy the amazing life you have been blessed enough to experience.

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洗 Use ¥)ur Tinie Vfelf

Make Every Moment Count

“I THINK YOU MIGHT DO SOMETHING BETTER WITH THE TIME,” SHE SAID, “THAN WASTING IT IN ASKING RIDDLES THAT HAVE NO ANSWERS."

Asking riddles that seem to have no answer may seem like a waste of time, but sometimes it leads to discovery. When we allow ourselves to ask questions that may have no discernible answer, we might find out valuable things and unearth what we truly think and believe. But, there is another element to this card as there are people who will waste your time, not only by asking questions that have no answers, but by deliberately asking those questions intending to take up your time.

There are people in our lives who feel justified questioning, prying or wasting our time. It is up to you to decide what questions are worth answering, and those that serve no purpose and can be left alone. Like Alice, you could find yourself becoming bothered by peoples desire to confuse you. When this card comes, it is essential to create a safe space about yourself and to know what

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you are prepared to do, what you are prepared to withdraw from and what you will leave well alone.

Trust Alice on this. There are many people in the world with questions that will simply waste your very precious and irreplaceable time. Answer only those that bring you closer to a resolution or that will lead to a greater and deeper way of experiencing the world. Some people love to feel they are important enough to take up another s time for no sound reason. Do not let them waste yours.

Divination: Someone could be wasting your time by asking questions they have no interest in answering. People not listening or repeatedly asking for assistance, but not heeding advice. Someone wishes to take up a great deal of your time in order to feel more important, listened to, and cared about. Set your boundaries.

Reversed: Being available to one and all. Exhausting yourself by answering questions that are not asked with the right intentions. Squandering your precious time. Lack of appreciation for your time. Being prepared to martyr yourself to help others. Feeling helpless, like the victim of time. Spending time on unsolvable problems. Having little impact due to your time being wasted. Feeling pointlessly harassed.

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25 V/al\e Up!

It's Your Moment

uWa.ke up Dormouse!” And they pinched it on

BOTH SIDES AT ONCE.

THIS CARD comes to you, you can be sure that you have the spotlight turned directly on you. You are being asked to wake up, to be present to what is being asked of you and to rise to the occasion. Although you may feel like withdrawing and not being so very visible, there is no running away. You cannot sleep through this moment, for others are eagerly waiting to hear from you. They are ready to listen to and enjoy what you have to offer, to finally hear what you have been waiting to say for a long time.

You may feel you are not ready. You may be hesitant to speak up. You may also wish to withdraw and hide, either in sleep or in hibernation. But, there is no turning away from your moment. And when it comes, as it will, make it count.

Tell your story, speak up strong, share your words and thoughts. If people interrupt and demand explanations, continue regardless. The time for sleeping and dreaming is over. Suddenly,

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and almost quite unexpectedly, it is time to awaken and share the wonders you have within you.

Divination: A rude awakening. Being asked to deliver before you feel you are ready. Being present and fully engaged with what is happening around you. Making a contribution. Being assertive, despite your gentle nature. Insisting on being able to tell your story. Making your moment count. Sharing with others who are ready to listen.

Reversed: Missing your moment. Holding yourself back. Sleeping through opportunities. Not seeing the chances about you. Hiding from your destiny. Pulling back at the last moment. Taking refuge in a dream world rather than stepping forward and seeing what you can create in the real world. Believing that no-one would listen to you anyway. Staying quiet to avoid disappointment.

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  1. 2 It's Always Teatinie

Eternity - Endless Moments - Repetition

“IS THAT THE REASON SO MANY TEA-THINGS ARE PUT OUT HERE?" SHE ASKED.

“Yes, that's it," said the Hatter with a sigh: “it's always tea-time.”

There are places, spaces, moments in all our lives where time takes on a different quality. Within the space you find yourself in now, there is an endlessness and a repetition - as though you are stuck in a loop. First, we must become aware and recognise the cycle we are in. This card sees you becoming conscious of something that entraps so many souls, but which you have a chance, a sure opportunity to escape.

Others about you are seemingly content to be within the loop and to keep the cycle going. You stand outside of this and it is within your power to change the pattern for yourself Some will puzzle at your desire to move beyond the constraints of the pattern. They may even be disgruntled at your yearning to change and move beyond the trappings they feel content with. Do not

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allow their influence to stifle your need to free yourself

When this card comes, consider changing the hours you work, the time you rise or go to your rest or the schedules you operate in. Others may be confused at your desire to shake up the order of things. However, it is progressive and exciting of you to challenge what others consider to be normal? It does not always have to be teatime. Things do not need to be done in the usual way. And time can be shifted and experimented with, so you can make the very most of the life you wish to live.

Divination: A change in schedules, repetition, cycles, patterns and loops. Situations being repeated, being trapped by schedules that need to be changed. A wonderful time to challenge the order in which things are done. Reworking traditions so they are more aligned with the way you see the world.

Reversed : ^X^nting to keep to routine and to the schedule. An inability to be spontaneous and break free of what has been decided.

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  1. 2 Tairiting the Roses Red

Covering Up Errors

"Would you tell me, please," said Alice, a little TIMIDLY, “WHY YOU ARE PAINTING THOSE ROSES ?” Five and Seven said nothing, but looked at Two. Two BEGAN IN A LOW VOICE, "WHY, THE FACT IS, YOU see, Miss, this here ought to have been a red

ROSE-TREE, AND WE PUT A WHITE ONE IN BY MISTAKE; AND, IF THE QUEEN WAS TO FIND IT OUT, WE SHOULD ALL HAVE OUR HEADS CUT OFF, YOU KNOW.”

WE ALL MAKE MISTAKES. Every single one of us upon this planet has made a mistake, misunderstood, done something that wasn5t quite correct and mixed things up rather terribly. Today, people often complain and want perfection. Much like the dreaded Queen, they behave as if they have the right to cut peoples heads off - to punish them 一 if they have not carried out their assignments perfectly.

The same applies to our soul assignments. Despite what our soul would best enjoy learning, we humans often misunderstand,

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head off in another direction and make some rather wonderful mistakes. Thankfully, unlike the Queen, our soul will not punish us - but we do need to do some work to make things right. While you may be tempted to cover things up and not be open about what has happened, especially perhaps to yourself it truly is best to see what can be done. If this relates to you on an everyday level, and you are working for a person who will be unkind or cruel if you do not perform tasks perfectly, then you may need to find a way to peacefully escape the situation. That way you can enjoy white roses, just as they are, without fear of making a mistake, or making things even worse because you feel you must cover up an error to avoid punishment.

White roses are perfect, and lovely, and innocent. Do not try to cover up anything within yourself that you feel is not right, for fear of being punished for not presenting or behaving to expectation.

Divination: Working for or being in a relationship with someone who is harsh on those who make mistakes. Feeling forced to cover up errors to avoid punishment. Fear of mistakes being discovered. Hiding the evidence as the consequences are much harsher than the mistake. Feeling that what you need to do to stay safe is no longer reasonable.

Reversed: Refusing to hide mistakes or errors. Taking on a punishment that is too harsh. Refusing to change something that is perfect just as it is. Encouraging others to stand together. No longer fearing an oppressive societal expectation or a tyrannical person.

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  1. 2 Nonsense!

It's Time to Talk Sense

The Queen turned crimson with fury, and, AFTER GLARING AT HER FOR A MOMENT LIKE A WILD BEAST, BEGAN SCREAMING “OFF WITH HER HEAD!

Off with—” “Nonsense!” said Alice, very loudly and DECIDEDLY, AND THE QUEEN WAS SILENT.

SOMETIMES, like Alice, you are going to surprise yourself with your courage. When someone is being aggressive and threatening, you will need to stand up to them and speak to them in a very firm and strong manner, much as Alice does to the Queen, who is overly fond of abusing her power, threatening nearly everybody and relating to people in one way only 一 overbearance! If this is taking place with a person or situation within your life, you need to call that someone out on their bad behaviour.

Like Alice, you do not need to say very much, or criticise the person, argue with them or even point out what they are doing. You simply need to be firm, clear and direct, and cut through all

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the nonsense that is taking place. If you do this you will silence them and they can do you no harm. They will be so surprised that someone is expressing their personal power and pointing out their silliness that you will be quite safe. Others will be grateful, and in time, they too will stand up for themselves.

Even though you may not be as powerfuF as this other person, your inner courage, when expressed, makes you an amazing person who can change the world with the simple refusal to tolerate bad behaviour for one moment longer.

Divination: Courageously standing up for yourself when someone is behaving in a way that is silly and unfair. Refusing to be cowed. Pointing out a persons bad behaviour. Not backing down on the truth. Looking someone in the eye, being very brave, strong and no longer intimidated. Surprising yourself with your power.

Reversed : Backing down at the moment of truth. Running from a confrontation. Allowing someone to intimidate you. An inability to find the courage within. Fear of punishment. Loss of voice. Believing you cannot be brave without being aggressive.

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  1. 2 Tind the Lesson

Discover the Purpose in a Situation 一 Trust That You Are Learning

"Perhaps it hasn't one:' Alice ventured

TO REMARK.

“Tut tut, child!” said the Duchess. "Everything's

GOT A MORAL, IF ONLY YOU CAN FIND IT.”

ALICE IS STRUGGLING to find any meaning in what is taking place in Wonderland, particularly when she is at the court of the Queen of Hearts. She is puzzled, confused and feels very much like complaining. The truth is, there is a lot for you and Alice to complain about. People are not cooperating with each other. There is a great deal of disorganisation and chaos. People are quarrelling and not getting along. The volatile nature of what is taking place can make you feel like there is no sense to any of this at all. But, as the Duchess points out, everything has a moral 一 or rather, everything has a lesson within it. And this is the struggle for you right now.

Rather than forcing yourself to find the lesson, the better approach is to trust there is a lesson. Trust that you are learning

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and that this experience will come to be valuable in time. It is a very strange and trying place you find yourself in, so be patient with yourself Understand that it is natural to feel frustrated, impatient and confused, but trust. Trust there is a reason for this and in time you will come to know the purpose of this bizarre, topsy-turvy and very trying time.

Divination: Upheaval. Quarrelsome people. Disputes, anta­gonism and confusion. Uncertainty about the purpose of a situation. Feeling frustrated and ready to complain. Let it go to the Universe, ask the Universe for clarity and trust that time will bring an understanding of the lessons this uncomfortable adventure is teaching you.

Reversed : The reversal of this card amplifies the confusion you may be feeling. A challenging time that feels very unfair. There is a reason - it may be too hard to even begin to contemplate that there could be a higher purpose to this situation right now. Give yourself a little bit of space and be patient with yourself Dont struggle to find the reason. Just find a way to make it through what is happening.

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  1. 3 Lav is not Justice

Rules That Are Not Fair

“Let the jury consider their verdict,m the King

SAID, FOR ABOUT THE TWENTIETH TIME THAT DAY.

“No, no!” said the Queen. "'Sentence first— VERDICT AFTERWARDS.”

THE SITUATION Alice finds herself in is patently unfair. No-one should be judged, convicted or serve a sentence prior to the evidence being heard, but this is the situation Alice finds herself within. This could be what is taking place in your world. Unfair as it may be, someone wants to judge you before they know you, convict you before they understand your side of the story, and they most certainly have not examined any evidence. Nevertheless, they wish to judge.

As Alice so bravely does, you must speak up and say it is unfair and wrong. It is not right for you to be judged, but another person wishes to do so. Unless you speak up, there could be very strong consequences. When you are told to be quiet and to tolerate the judgements being made about you, this card urges you to speak up

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against injustice and object to what is taking place.

Your opinion of yourself is what is most valuable. You can state your case clearly, with strength and power, and doing so will help you remember just how very strong you are, how very admired you are, how worthwhile and decent you are. You are worthy of respect, fairness and kindness. If you are being treated poorly, speak up! When you do so, the spell will be broken and people will see that your side of the story is well worth listening to. Never allow another to steal your self-worth!

Divination: Someone may have the authority to impose the law, but the law, or the rule is ready to be questioned. Following the law, even though it is unjust. Condemnation without knowing the full story. Being judged by people who do not know you or have a biased view. You may be judging people you do not understand. Be sure to have a fuller picture, and avoid condemnation and judgement. Be discerning but be sure to be fair and just.

Reversed : Believing the law is right, under any circumstances. Accepting the judgement of a powerful person without question. Allowing yourself to be influenced without knowing the story. A deep bias, which is colouring your vision. A flawed filter through which you, or another, may be seeing the world. Take the time to think independently.

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  1. 3 Believe

Strange Encounters

“Do YOU KNOW, I ALWAYS THOUGHT UNICORNS WERE FABULOUS MONSTERS, TOO ? I NEVER SAW ONE ALIVE BEFORE!”

"Well, now that we have seen each other,m said the Unicorn, “if you'll believe in me, Fll believe IN YOU. IS THAT A BARGAIN?"

ALICE and the Unicorn meet in Through the Looking-Glass, neither of them can quite believe what is taking place. For the Unicorn, humans are legendary 一 particularly human children. He never quite believed they were real and thought them to be fabulous monsters. Alice, in her own way, says she never thought Unicorns were real either. But there they are ... two fabulous monsters. And, they each must accept the reality of the others existence.

This could be taking place in your life at present. You could be meeting people whose experiences are most unlike those youve had thus far. You may be encountering spirit beings or

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mystical events that make you wonder at the very nature of reality itself Once you have experienced the strange reality of people unlike yourself or of spiritual encounters with guides, visions or prophetic dreams that leave you marvelling at the Universe, you can no longer deny the existence of such things. Then, your existence will seem just as strange to others.

This card asks you to accept that others unlike yourself exist. They will then accept your differences, too. In this way, we can begin to believe in each other and live side by side, as different as we may be.

Divination: Meeting people who are very unlike people you have met before. Mystic events and peculiar experiences. Interacting with different cultures, customs and belief systems. Mystical encounters with elemental beings who interact with you 一 finding they are just as real as you! Discovering new places, environments, even climates that are different to any you have experienced before. Something unusual, that is most decidedly as real as you are.

Reversed: Refusing to accept differences. Feeling that your spiritual encounters or mystical visions are unreal, untrue or fantasy. Disliking being in unfamiliar places or spaces. Finding people too different for you to really connect or engage with. A refusal or difficulty believing in the existence of elemental beings.

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32 Belong to Tour Own Dreani

Create Your Own Life

“So I wasn't dreaming, after all,” she said to HERSELF, “UNLESS—UNLESS WE’RE ALL PART OF THE SAME DREAM. ONLY I DO HOPE IT’S MY DREAM, AND not the Red King's!"

VC^HEN ALICE plaintively wonders whether everything she is experiencing is a part of a great dream ... the same dream, shared by many beings... she wonders whose dream it is. Just like Alice, we ought to be concerned about whether we are living our own dreams, making our own mistakes, following our own hearts, or simply doing what others believe we ought ... and thus making their mistakes, following what their hearts think is best for us and living in their dreams.

Some people and some societies are very powerful. Our culture would like us to live a certain dream 一 to marry, to have a home, a good job, and then die peacefully. But that dream, the collective dream or the dream of our rulers may not be your dream. This card asks you to remember your own dreams and wishes, and to

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set about making sure they are governing your choices.

Many people will encourage you to head in a certain direction and live in a particular way that nearly everyone will agree is 'right: But you have your own dream: a life in which you will live a little more adventurously and strangely than many others. It is time to break free of the collective dream and live within your own. Belong to only one dream, magickal soul 一 belong to your own.

Divination: Finding you have been following a plan and a path that is not truly your own. Deciding to take steps to live in a way that is authentic and truly your own. Rebelling. Wishing to live in your own world. No longer making decisions, staying with people or in jobs that are not part of your dream. Not being directed or governed by the desires and dreams of others. Deciding to make some big changes toward following the path that is your souls true dream for its evolution this lifetime.

Reversed : Content going along with what others feel is right for you. Not thinking through what is best for you. Not getting in touch with your own soul nor going with your dreams. Coasting along and fitting into roles for the sake of ease. Going with the flow, but at the expense of what would be more nourishing and magickal for you. Denying your soul calling.

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33.1 V/ait to Be a Queen

Stating Your Sovereignty - Declaring Freedom - Passing a Test

"I DON’T WANT TO BE ANYBODY’S PRISONER. I WANT TO BE A QUEEN.W

“SO YOU WILL, WHEN YOU’VE CROSSED THE NEXT BROOK,W SAID THE WHITE KNIGHT.

W^HEN ALICE declares she does not want to be anybodys prisoner, she is establishing her self-determination. She is a free person, even in the strange world she finds herself within. She will not allow herself to be imprisoned, enslaved or taken into captivity - even if her incarceration was to be comfortable. She declares her intent strongly, she wants to be a Queen - a ruler in her own right, a person who has power, influence and will take charge of herself in her own world. And, she will embrace all the responsibility and scrutiny that comes with the role.

When this card comes to you, you are being asked to free yourself from any captivity, enslavement or imprisonment. You do not wish to be anybodys prisoner. You were born to be free! It is time to liberate yourself from any shackles and embrace your

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innate power. You also want to go further than freedom - you are seeking power. Not so much power over others, but the kind of power that sees you able to help yourself make wonderful choices, rule with justice and compassion, and forge your own destiny.

You are ready to become the Queen and make your own choices in your own way. You are set to rule your world 一 indeed, to shape your world. You will no longer ask for permission to come and go. You will declare, make the rules and decide what takes place in your dominion. Instead of fearing your power, you will embrace it and the enormous energy that comes with stepping into your own potential.

Divination: Raising your status. You are taking charge of your life, making decisions for yourself and setting rules and boundaries that work for you. Declaring your independence. Becoming powerful and influential. Wanting to embrace your potential.

Reversed : Fear of your power. A preference for being told what to do rather than deciding what is best for you. Acquiescing to another s will. Seeing power as a corrupting influence. Shrinking away from potential. Fear of failure. Over-compromising.

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  1. Impossible

功呼

Working Through Disbelief 一 Imaginative Leaps 一 Fresh Perspective

"There's no use trying,” she said: "one ca'n't

BELIEVE IMPOSSIBLE THINGS.”

"I DARESAY YOU HAVEN’T HAD MUCH PRACTICE,” SAID the Queen. "When I was your age, I always did IT FOR HALF-AN-HOUR A DAY. WHY, SOMETIMES I’VE

BELIEVED AS MANY AS SIX IMPOSSIBLE THINGS BEFORE BREAKFAST.”

ALICE IS CORRECT 一 it is indeed difficult to believe in impossible things. However, it is the Queens viewpoint that resonates most with Alice, and when you receive this card, with you too. You are being asked to believe in something that seems impossible at present. This could be a miracle or something that seems too good to be true. It also talks of belief as a matter of discipline and practice. As the Queen says, she practices believing in impossible things.

What if you were to practice believing in the impossible ? If you were to spend half an hour each day meditating on a miracle,

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changing your thoughts or focusing on creating an amazing life, you would slowly but surely expand your limits of possibility. If you devoted a half hour each day to creating wonderful changes within your life, what would you achieve ? Financial breakthroughs, relationship bliss, physical healing ? Devote yourself to something you wish to improve. When we do this, then just like the Queen, we too start to believe in impossible things because dedication steadily brings the impossible closer.

Divination: A struggle to accept what seems unlikely. Devote regular time to improving a situation. Becoming better at something you care about or changing something for the better. Meditate on a miracle and believe in impossible things!

Reversed: Stubbornly refusing to believe that any kind of action can change things for the better. Denying that action brings results. Feeling that something is too far out of your reach or that miracles are for other people.

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  1. Never Jani

Promises that Never Come to Be - Empty Words - Not Living in the Now

Alice couldn't help laughing, as she said, "I DON’T WANT YOU TO HIRE ME—AND I DON’T CARE FOR JAM.”

“It's very good jam,” said the Queen.

“Well, I don't want any to-day, at any rate.” “You couldn't have it if you did want it,” the Queen said. uThe rule is, jam to-morrow and jam YESTERDAY—BUT NEVER JAM TO-DAY.”

W^HEN THE V^HITE QUEEN makes her outrageous statement that jam is for tomorrow and for yesterday but never for today, Alice realises that no-one is ever to get any jam! When this card comes to you, what can it mean? Well, it is likely that someone is making promises that sound like there is plenty on offer, when in fact it is extremely unlikely they will ever deliver and come through with all the wonderful things they are attracting you with. You see, when this card comes, someone is claiming they can do a lot of good for you, but whether they are offering

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a pay rise, a good time or a commitment, it is never to be. The promise is never ever delivered or enjoyed today.

They exist on promises of a better future and the memories of a wonderful past, but they will never make good on their promises when it most counts 一 and that is today. Fortunately, Alice is not at all attracted by the offerings of the White Queen. She literally does not want the jam, so she cannot be manipulated. But, those who do want the jam could be forever living in the hope that one day they'll get jam. The (fact is, this will never, ever happen.

Listen to the person making you some rather wonderful promises or boasting about how much they can offer others. When will they deliver ? Arc they always talking about the past and planning for a wonderful future, but struggling in the present ? If so, it is best to be like Alice and have no desire for promises which will never be fulfilled.

Divination: Words are plentiful, but deeds are few. Thinking that the past and the future are better than the present. Being attracted by promises of good times and abundance that may never be kept. Boasting of plenty, but never enjoying it in the moment. Manipulation and withholding. Demand results in the present and work toward satisfying your desires yourself Dont buy what they are selling!

Reversed: Being easily manipulated because you believe what people say, rather than what they do. Living off promises and hopes. Wondering if someone will ever deliver the payoff they have promised you. Fantasising about tomorrow, dreaming of yesterday.

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  1. 3 Shine Bright

Li电 a Candle

You Will Make It Through This

“For it might end, you know,” said Alice to HERSELF, “IN MY GOING OUT ALTOGETHER, LIKE A CANDLE. I WONDER WHAT I SHOULD BE LIKE THEN."

YOU ARE CHANGING, and all about you everything seems unfamiliar. You are changing so much that you may be wondering if you will make it through this change. You may, like Alice, be thinking that if things keep going the way they are that you could go out like a candle and end altogether. But, Alice does not cease to exist simply because she is an unpredictable situation and nor will you.

You have a bright and glorious light within you that will shine through all the changes in your life, through every opportunity and perfect decision. It will shine despite the mistakes and hurts you may experience. The brightness within you is eternal and cannot be put out so easily. So, despite the times when you fear that darkness lies ahead, know that the guiding light you seek is inside of you. When you receive this card, know that no matter

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how difficult or strange things seem to be and no matter how much your life is altering, that you are a bright and shining soul. And, you will continue to shine for a long time to come!

Yes, you may wonder what will become of you, but do not torture yourself with unnecessary worries or contemplate disasters. It is natural to feel a little anxious and to prepare for the worst, but trust this card. Your light has a long time yet to shine in this world. It will only grow brighter as your soul continues its marvellous journey through the Wonderland of existence.

Divination: Your divine light is strong. You are radiant. Endurance, resilience, making it through a trying time. Hopeful future. Wondering about life and death. Contemplating the purpose of your existence. Connections with the afterlife.

Reversed: No interest in life beyond the immediate and material. Questioning whether there is existence beyond this lifetime. The refusal to wonder about the next stages of your life or what will happen next. Sureness that nothing at all will change.

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  1. 3 Nature

Coniniunication

Flower Energies - Faery Energies 一 Elemental Messengers

“O Tiger-lily!” said Alice, addressing herself to ONE THAT WAS WAVING GRACEFULLY ABOUT IN THE WIND, “I WISH YOU COULD TALK!”

“We can talk,” said the Tiger-lily, “when there's

ANYBODY WORTH TALKING TO."

W^ITH THIS CARD, Alice thinks that because the flowers are, well, flowers, that they cannot speak, reason or communicate. They are not like her, and therefore she thinks they cannot ever understand or connect with her. Alice assumes the same applies in the opposite direction, but to her surprise, the flowers in the world Through the Looking-Glass can speak - and they are very critical, very picky and very aware of their choices. While they also make assumptions, thinking Alice to be a flower like them, yet unlike them, they reveal that most of the time they do not speak, because they feel there simply isnt anybody worth talking to.

Alice then realises the flowers have recognised her as someone

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worth talking to ... perhaps because she has praised their beauty and simply wished to be able to communicate. She also has humility and a desire to understand. When this card comes to you, do not make assumptions about people, creatures or beings who seem too different for you to communicate with. There is always a way to bridge the gap between us. If you request for these beings to speak with you and stay open to that possibility, there will be communication. This is especially important when working with the plant kingdom 一 trees and flowers, elementals and faery energy.

Be a person worth communicating with. Open your heart and mind, and express your desire. In that way, new bonds and cords of understanding can grow between the human world and the wonders all about us.

Divination: You are being asked not to make assumptions. Be open to possibilities that seem to be outside rational expectation. Attempts to communicate with beings from other realms - within nature, spiritual planes or even just humans it is thought there is no chance of speaking to or being understood by. Be open and express the desire for communication. Be more lateral and less literal about the ways communication can take place. Be a being worth communicating with - this will go far!

Reversed: Stubbornness. Refusing to approach language from a different perspective. Assuming signs and communication must fit in with your own. Assuming things about other beings, without really tuning in. Refusing to expand your capacity for understanding.

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38.而i Are Rare and Free

There Are Not Many Like You!

"Are there any more people in the garden besides me?” Alice said, not choosing to notice Rose's LAST REMARK.

“There's one other flower in the garden that

CAN MOVE ABOUT LIKE YOU,” SAID THE ROSE.

“I WONDER HOW YOU DO IT—"

SOMETIMES, people will struggle to understand you. And when they have this trouble, they may well try to fit you into one box or another they are already familiar with. When you are not clearly one thing or the other, when you are a trailblazer, a rebel and a free spirit, you are likely to meet with disapproval. And this is what happens to Alice when the flowers, who know just who they are, cannot classify her. They assume she is just a rather wild flower, who would much rather be like them.

You too are something of a rare, wild flower. You are a nature child. You are free, you are adventurous and you just wont behave in ways that others think are right. You may wish to live outside

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the rules and conventions of society and culture. Vbu are inspired by being your own self and exploring your potential. You are unconventional, surprising, different and people recognise this. Some will say you are wrong to be free or downplay you as a weed, which the other flowers do to Alice, but others (like the sweet bud) will love you.

Embrace your own rare qualities. Don't try to fit in, youll be so frustrated and always quietly unhappy. Be brave! By being your own wildflowery self youll inspire others 一 especially those who are younger - to be utterly themselves, too. And remember, its never too late to be a wildflower!

Divination: A struggle to find places where people accept you or where you feel you fit in. You must learn to embrace all that makes you different and become the very best you that you can possibly be. You will never be defined, so refuse to comply. Explore the frontiers of the human spirit and know how precious and rare you are.

Reversed: Conforming may seem like the answer, as may disguising all that makes you different. Vbu may be attempting to be like others and allowing yourself to be told who you ought to be. Consider being your own best friend and celebrating your differences!

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  1. 3 Uncertainty

Choose Who You Will Become

The Caterpillar and Alice looked at each other FOR SOME TIME IN SILENCE: AT LAST THE CATERPILLAR TOOK THE HOOKAH OUT OF ITS MOUTH, AND ADDRESSED HER IN A LANGUID SLEEPY VOICE. “Who are you?” said the Caterpillar.

This was not an encouraging opening for a CONVERSATION. ALICE REPLIED RATHER SHYLY, "I—I HARDLY KNOW, SlR, JUST AT PRESENT—AT LEAST I KNOW WHO I WAS WHEN I GOT UP THIS MORNING, BUT I THINK I MUST HAVE CHANGED SEVERAL TIMES SINCE

THEN.”

VC^HEN ALICE MEETS the Caterpillar, he wants her to tell him who she is, what she is. Alice feels she cannot answer, as she is changing so much on her journey through Wonderland. She is unused to being so tall, it feels strange to be so small, but her indecision, sadness and uncertainty are not met with sympathy. Instead, the Caterpillar gifts her the chance to change herself to a size she feels comfortable with. He does not tell her how she

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should feel, or what size she should be, but he does offer her the keys to self-empowerment by subtly letting her know she can choose her own size, with the aid of the mushroom.

Its rarely so easy! Empowerment cannot be instantaneously given to you. You cant decide what you want to be and immediately be there. It is a journey. On the way, you will make errors of judgement and it is only through the willingness to learn, experiment, try, fail, retry and fail again, that you will come to understand what must be done to be who you wish to be.

Advice on what we must do to be empowered is on offer, but if you expect it to be easy, quick or something another person does for us, you will soon learn the process is trickier and more arduous. Ultimately, it is far more rewarding than you could ever have thought.

Divination: Good advice from an unexpected quarter. If you try, practice and are willing to make mistakes along the way, you will become far more powerful, and reach the place you are longing to be.

Reversed: Fear of following advice and learning through experience. Wishing things were easier or more predictable. The belief that becoming who you wish to be ought to be simpler. 'Anting another to do the hard work or solve your problems for you. Wanting support, but being unwilling to apply discipline or too scared to make the mistakes from which you will learn.

Ill

%. Ke叩 i昭 Up

Immense Effort - Advance

“Well, in our country,w said Alice, still panting A LITTLE, “YOU’D GENERALLY GET TO SOMEWHERE ELSE—IF YOU RAN VERY FAST FOR A LONG TIME AS WE’VE BEEN DOING.”

“A SLOW SORT OF COUNTRY!” SAID THE QUEEN, "NOW, HERE, YOU SEE, IT TAKES ALL THE RUNNING YOU CAN DO, TO KEEP IN THE SAME PLACE. If YOU WANT TO GET SOMEWHERE ELSE, YOU MUST RUN AT LEAST TWICE AS FAST AS THAT!"

The LESSONS OF YOUR LIFE are taking place at a fast rate 一 far too swiftly for you to process them! It seems you are only just keeping up with all the changes coming to you! You must work very hard to make any discernible progress, for now. You have been trying and trying to get ahead, and yet you always seem to be in the very same place. This could be in almost any aspect of life 一 your finances, relationships, career or success. At this point in time, the answer is to work even harder.

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You will not have to do this much work, with this much effort, perhaps ever again. But the only way out of your current situation is to accelerate, get intense and push for the breakthrough that is just ahead of you. You will need to devote more time than you would wish, and sacrifices will need to be made. However, if you do this, you will push through the resistance and explode into the next stage of your life.

Put all your effort into surging ahead and watch as you begin to move, in the tiniest of ways, ahead of where you have been. Once you take that lead, stay focused on where you are going and you will begin to leave the place you find yourself in now. When you push through, others will recognise the incredible dedication you have to your own life. This will inspire them to push forward with their own dreams, too. One thing is for sure, the intensity of your approach brooks no resistance. Your movement and energy will drive away all stagnation. Now go!

Divination: A time of very hard work. Getting ahead. Determination and resolve to push through into the next stage. Hie urge to improve your status and be rewarded. Moving quickly, with strength and stamina. A great deal to process and integrate.

Reversed : Sluggish approaches will not be rewarded. Feeling it is impossible to change the way things are. Feeling entrapped by the effort required to change your current circumstances.

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  1. Tbrget Who

Tbu Are

Conditioning Falls Away

Memory No Longer Defines You

“What do you call yourself?m the Fawn said at last. Such a soft sweet voice it had!

“I wish I knew!” thought poor Alice. She ANSWERED, RATHER SADLY, “NOTHING, JUST NOW.” “Think again,5, it said: "that wo'n't do.” Alice thought, but nothing came of it. "Please, WOULD YOU TELL ME WHAT YOU CALL YOURSELF?” SHE SAID TIMIDLY, “I THINK THAT MIGHT HELP A LITTLE.” “I'll tell you, if you'll come a little further on,” the Fawn said. "I ca'n't remember here.”

So THEY WALKED ON TOGETHER THROUGH THE WOOD, Alice with her arms clasped lovingly round the SOFT NECK OF THE FAWN, TILL THEY CAME OUT INTO

ANOTHER OPEN FIELD ...

YOU ARE AMIDST a new experience - one in which you have no idea of who you are anymore. Paradoxically, this apparent loss of self is a beautiful gift. The loss of memory of the self the absence of the conditioning that defines us, means we can approach new

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people and situations with an innocence and freshness. This is an opportunity to connect from the heart.

So it is with Alice when she enters a Looking-Glass forest with magickal powers ... all who enter forget who they are. Thus, not knowing he ought to be frightened of a human, a fawn approaches Alice. She responds with an incredible fondness for the fawn and they meet in simple affection, connection and friendship. When we forget what we have been taught to fear or hate, it brings the opportunity for a whole series of beautiful relationships to blossom. This is the situation you find yourself in now;

Forget what you tell yourself you are. Forget what others have said you ought to be. Forget the enmity, the avoidance, the fear we live with far too often. Forget who you have been taught to be. Instead, re-awaken the innocence of the soul. Un-know thyself! Accept the mystery of you! Within that open space, within that forest where we are all returned to our ancient, most natural self we can all be one again.

Divination: You are discovering what can happen when you rely less on conditioning, memory and civilisation, and more on heart, receptivity and nature. New friendships, connections, gentleness and joy will be yours.

Reversed: Believing everything you have been told you are. Defining self through labels, cultural programming, rules and laws. Missing out on beautiful, heart-opening opportunities to connect due to conformity and rigid beliefs.

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42 Mortality

Life is Brief, Bright, Beautiful and Yours to Live!

“If that there King was to wake,” added Tweedledum, "you'd go out—bang! —just like a candle!”

“I shouldn't!" Alice exclaimed indignantly.

LlFE IS, as Tweedledum points out, a strange thing, where we can go out in just a moment. None of us knows how long we have and no matter what we believe or tell ourselves, we are all mortal in this form. This lifetime is just one brief bright jewel. Alice denies this, but it is the truth 一 we are all mortal and we all pass. We must know this so we can hold on to the precious gift that is this existence.

When this card comes, it does not mean you are about to pass. It is not a card of death, but a reminder of the beauty and the fragility of this existence. It urges us all to take this life and make it as beautifiil, as meaningful and as full of adventure as we can. loo many of us live as if this life is a burden, awaiting another lifetime, or a 'heaven' which will save us from the difficulties and challenges

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ofbeing mortal.

Instead of living as if there is forever or a better place to go to, or as if other lifetimes or existence in the afterlife will be better, live like this life is all you have. Live like this is the very best you can ever experience. Live like this is the greatest blessing, the most treasured gift you could ever have been given. Life like this life is heaven, and your very existence is a miracle of creation. Because we can 一 and we will 一 go out, like a candle someday. And when that takes place, the only true measure of a soul is what we did here with this priceless gift of human life.

Divination: Appreciation of existence. Relishing being alive. Making the most of every moment. Accepting mortality in ourselves and in others. Living in the present. Feeling joy at being alive.

Reversed : The belief that this life has less value than other possible lives. Vesting time, procrastinating or stagnating. Waiting for a 'heaven.' Believing life is more a curse than a blessing... a burden to be carried. Refusing to believe in your own mortality. Denial of deaths presence within life. Living as though life is forever.

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43.而唧e to

Be Glad

Create Your Own Happiness Regardless of Conditions

“I WISH I COULD MANAGE TO BE GLAD!” THE QUEEN SAID. WONLY I NEVER CAN REMEMBER THE RULE. YOU

MUST BE VERY HAPPY, LIVING IN THIS WOOD, AND BEING GLAD WHENEVER YOU LIKE!"

THE QUEEN is almost berating Alice, imagining her to be happy whenever she wishes, thinking that the business of being happy is simple. As the Queen, she feels it is not simple for her, but she wants to manage to be glad 一 except, as she says, she cannot remember the rule. Is there a rule to happiness ? Is there a way to manage to be glad? When this card comes to you, there are two possibilities 一 just as there are two slithy toves in the painting! The first is that others assume your life is simpler, easier and that happiness comes more readily to you. There is the implication that they have it harder and must struggle to be happy. This is not the case at all. Your happiness has been earned. In some ways, you have created it by directing your thoughts and impulses toward the steady creation of happiness.

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The second possibility is that you must learn how to be happy. Having joy in our lives is not just good fortune, circumstance or temperament. It comes through the careful management of our thoughts and deeds, so that we nurture the possibility of joy and move ever closer to happiness.

Do not let others steal your joy, or imply that being joyful means you are not as serious, deep or hardworking as they are. Happiness is often hard earned. We must find it, amidst the most troubling of challenges. Alice has learned to do this, despite being lost and everything around her being so unpredictable. We too can manage our happiness, and defy those who claim it is more difficult for them. We can all do this, no matter our lot in this lifetime.

Divination: Tour happiness is in your own hands 一 it is something, which can be managed, nurtured and grown. Acknowledgement that life can be very difficult and challenging, but you are being asked to grow the happiness you long for, out of your magickal will and desire to feel joy once again.

Reversed : A belief that happiness is easier for others who seem more fortunate and have been given blessings you have missed out on. Believing that happiness is an act of fate rather than a disciplined way of thinking and behaving. Feeling happiness is out of reach. Focusing on the sadness, rather than the bliss that can be created.

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n Tbu Can't Go

B&cKto Yesterday

Be in the Present

And the Gryphon added “Come, let's hear some

OF YOUR ADVENTURES.”

“I COULD TELL YOU MY ADVENTURES—BEGINNING FROM THIS MORNING,M SAID ALICE A LITTLE TIMIDLY; “BUT IT’S NO USE GOING BACK TO YESTERDAY, BECAUSE

I WAS A DIFFERENT PERSON THEN."

In THIS LOVELY MOMENT, Alice is being asked to recount her adventures for the Gryphon who longs to hear them and is genuinely interested. Alice would love to share, too. But, she knows if she talks a great deal about what has happened and where she is from, she will never truly be able to move forward and find out who she is now that she has changed and is within the world ofWdnderland.

The Gryphon wants her to share so he can be entertained, and perhaps get to know her a little better. But for Alice, the thought of reliving the past is no good, as it will not help him know her, as she has changed too much. And therefore, her history is not

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a way to true friendship. Perhaps this is the same for you. Focus on creating new memories, on sharing experiences, on getting to know someone and letting them know you in the present, through observation and conversation. Accept that you have changed.

As we change, the simple telling of who we were and what we did, is sometimes not as powerful as sharing who we are becoming and experiencing new adventures right in the heart of the precious present moment. Yes, we can share our past adventures and histories, but perhaps you were quite a different person then. So, consider adventuring forth and fully experiencing the present with people you have connected with. Yduf past will spill out of you, when the time is right for the sharing of such things.

Divination: Ydu are more than your past. You have evolved and changed. Sharing your history is only to share who you once were. You are no longer the same person.

Reversed: Living in the past. Speaking of past events. Musing over what once was. Nostalgia. Believing you are the same as you once were. Living through stories rather than experiences. Memory overrides the present. No anticipation of the future.

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45 Such a Curious Dreani

Grounding 一 Returning to Reality 一 Coming Home

“Oh, I've had such a curious dream!w said Alice. And she told her sister, as well as she could REMEMBER THEM, ALL THESE STRANGE ADVENTURES OF HERS ... AND, WHEN SHE HAD FINISHED, HER SISTER KISSED HER, AND SAID, "IT WAS A CURIOUS DREAM DEAR, CERTAINLY; BUT NOW RUN IN TO YOUR TEA: IT’S GETTING LATE."

OFTEN HAVE remarkable moments - just as Alice does, when she begins her journey by following the White Rabbit. But just as we must follow the dream, we must also return to the everyday. In this card, at this moment, you are being asked to return to what many people might consider ordinary. You must take care of yourself Eat well, go home, be grounded and take care of what must be taken care of 一 the ordinary and yet blessed responsibilities within our lives. There is still great magick in this, especially after journeying through our own Wonderland and knowing true enchantment. For we can return, but we are forever

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changed.

Now, it is time to ground. Come home. Integrate the experiences youve had and do the very simple mundane tasks that most people done consider special enough to have any magick at all within them. But, they are magick, deal soul. They are.

Let every simple act be done with awareness, simplicity, gratitude and kindness. Do not be dissatisfied with the seemingly mundane nature of it all? Instead, embrace this coming back to earth as an opportunity to ground, reconnect and to bring a sense of the sacred, of the magick of Wonderland, to all that you do 一 no matter how humble it may be. You will return to that extraordinary place again. But for now, embrace the joy of being at home within your humanity.

Divination: A time when work must be done. Eat well and prepare good meals. Make magick in your everyday activities and ordinary moments. A return from an extraordinary experience, adventure, travel or holiday. When the time is right, you will encounter Wonderland once again.

Reversed : Venting to hold on to an experience and not return to the everyday. Wishing to live in <Wdnderlandrather than experiencing it and bringing its magick into your everyday world. Becoming ungrounded and disconnected. Feeling drawn to fantasy. Being susceptible to illusions.

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About the Author

LUCY Cavendish is an internationally acclaimed spiritual author and intuition expert. She exhibited strong extra-sensory abilities as a child, and with no answers from school or mainstream religion, Lucy set out on a personal quest to understand and develop her magickal gifts. Lucy grew up in Sydney, Australia, and she has lived in Paris, London and the United States. When shes not writing or speaking, you'll find Lucy surfing in the ocean, wandering deep within a faery forest, or dancing with the spirits in an ancient stone circle.

Today Lucy is an exciting, enchanting voice in the field of inspiration, noted for her breadth and depth of knowledge on sacred rites and sites, magickal history, witchcraft, folklore, alternative spiritual practices and intuitive traditions. Lucy shares her knowledge and gifts to inspire intuitive people to break through their conditioning, open up to their potential,

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discover their own personal power and dare to live brave, bright, authentic lives. Lucy is about spirited self-development and her intuitive training embraces both our shadows and our light. Both in person and in her publications, she is remarkable for her vision, compassion, wisdom, humour and insight.

Lucy lectures and teaches around the world 一 her books and oracle card decks are available in many languages, and shes a popular guest on television programs such as Studio Ten, The Project and The Morning Show. Her work has struck a chord with contemporary seekers ready to create lives of courage, spiritual adventure and enriching magick.

Lucys books include Witches and Wizards, Spellbound: The Secret Grimoire of Lucy Cavendish, The Lost Lands: A Magickal History of Lemuria, Atlantis and Avalon, White Magic: A Guide to Living an Enchanted Lifey and the trilogy Witchy Magic, Faery Magic and Mermaid Magic, co-authored with Serene Conneeley. Her best-selling oracle decks include Blessed Be: Mystical Celtic Blessing Cards to Enrich and Empower, The Faery Forest: An Oracle of the Wild Green World. Oracle of Shadows and Light, Oracle of the Mermaids, Oracle of the Shapeshifters, Les Vampires, Wild Wisdom of the Faery Oracle, Oracle ofthe Dragonfae, and Hay Houses first ever tarot deck, The Oracle Tarot, published in 2002.

You can find out more about Lucy by visiting her website: www.herodaughter.com

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About the Artist

JASMINE Becket-Griffith is a traditional acrylic painter, who combines elements of realism with fantasy and the surreal. Historical and spiritual references are intertwined with fairytales and the beauty of nature. Her trademark liquid-eyed maidens evoke a wide range of emotions and responses to the surrounding imagery. Jasmine lives in Celebration, Florida with her husband Matt and their cats, and also divides her time between her secondary studios in Kansas and in London, England. Her work hangs in collections worldwide and is regularly featured in various merchandise lines (including her work with Disney), books, galleries and other publishing projects. When she is not painting, her time is spent on travelling, vegetarian cooking, reading, and spending time in nature.

Visit Jasmines website at: www.herodaughter.com

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ALSO AVAILABLE FROM BLUE ANGEL PUBLISHING*

The Faerytale Oracle

An Enchanted Oracle of Initiation, Mystery & Destiny

Lucy Cavendish

Artwork by Jasmine Becket-Griffith

Princes quest for true love, Princesses dance in enchanted slippers, and girls

emerge from the ashes of the fireplace, changed forever by the touch of a Faery Grandmothers wand...

You are holding a great treasure, overflowingwith life-changing magick... Grounded in the epic tradition and timeless wisdom of faerytales, this oracle reveals the meanings and lessons behind stories like The Little Match Girl, Sleeping Beauty, Cinderella and Hansel and Gretel. This magickal deck will introduce you to undiscovered gems, unearthing tales of unsurpassed imagination to advise, inspire and delight you. Every beautiful card offers trustworthy, compassionate and uplifting guidance to help you navigate lifes every peril, every promise, every enchantment.

Illustrated by renowned faery artist Jasmine Becket-Griffith and written by Lucy Cavendish, The Faerytale Oracle teams the glory and wonder of the worlds most-beloved faerytales with stunningly accurate messages to bring you an oracle of outstanding depth and beauty.

ISBN: 978-1-922161-94-9

44 cards and guidebook set, packaged in a hardcover box.

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ALSO AVAILABLE FROM BLUE ANGEL PUBLISHING8

Oracle of the Shapeshifters

Lucy Cavendish

Artwork by Jasmine Becket- Griffith

Behold! A magickal tool for learning great secrets 一 some that have been lost a long time. Within its pages are messages from magickal familiars, once the

companions of shamans, witches, wizards and wise ones - and now, they are here for you. These mystical allies possess the hidden knowledge of shapeshifting, camouflage, change, invisibility and metamorphosis. They are ready to share their very honest, truly instinctual guidance for personal and planetary times of transition. These trustworthy companions will lend you their courage, point out new paths, help you make fresh discoveries, spark your creativity, inspire you with encouragement and teach you to develop abilities to adapt and change not only for survival -but in order to thrive and find peace, joy, accomplishment and satisfaction in a changing world.

With a 164-page guidebook by Lucy Cavendish revealing the history, legends, lore and magick of the Shapeshifters, including practical spreads for accurate readings, and stunning art by Jasmine Becket-Griffith, the Oracle of the Shapeshifiers is truly a unique and empowering deck.

ISBN: 978-0-9808719-3-7

45 cards and guidebook set, packaged in a hardcover box.

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ALSO AVAILABLE FROM BLUE ANGEL PUBLISHING8

Strangeling: The Art of Jasmine Becket-Griffith

by Jasmine Becket-Griffith with Amber Logan and Kachina Glenn

Since 1997, fantasy artist Jasmine Becket- Griffith has captivated a worldwide audience with her imaginative acrylic

paintings. Exploring realms of sparkling whimsy and gothic melancholy, her original characters evoke an emotional response with their large luminous eyes.

This volume contains a comprehensive compilation of fine colour reproductions of Jasmines paintings and serves as a true treasure for long-time collectors as well as being a very accessible introduction for new fans.

In addition to detailed personal insights from the artist, the artworks are supplemented with the poetry and short stories of Amber Logan and Kachina Glenn 一 the artists sisters 一 illuminating the histories behind some of Jasmines most beloved characters.

ISBN: 978-1-922161-02-4

124-page, fall-colour book with gold gilt edging and hard-padded cover.

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ALSO AVAILABLE FROM BLUE ANGEL PUBLISHING*

Jaery Jorest

The Faery Forest

An Oracle of the Wild Green World

Lucy Cavendish

Artwork by Maxine Gadd

The Faery Forest, a legendary Green World, is older than human history, more ancient than language, and its energy is

gathering once again to reawaken us all. This is a realm where the ancient ones dwell, and their guidance is needed now, more than ever before. With this oracle, Lucy Cavendish guides you through the gateways, and leads you to the path of the Green World, where the beings of the Faery Forest can offer you their insights, revelations and natural, wild wisdoms. Discover Goddesses, Gods, Faeries, Witches, Wise Ones and Wyzards; powerful, trustworthy ancients and allies devoted to nurturing the wisdom that lies deep within your heart, your ancestry, your soul. Featuring the lavish, sensual paintings of acclaimed faery artist Maxine Gadd, written by author and witch Lucy Cavendish, The Faery Forest is a feast for anyone seeking genuine guidance, healing, and a reconnection to the path of beauty, magick, truth and enchantment.

ISBN: 978-1-922161-88-8

45 cards and guidebook set, packaged in a hardcover box.

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