Spirit Garden: Explorations in the Spiritual

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Review: Findhorn Spirit Oracle Cards

 

Findhorn Spirit Oracle Cards
Written and illustrated by Swan Treasure
Findhorn Press, Rochester, VT, © 2022. $19.95
ISBN: 978-1-6411-374-5
44 cards. 3.5” x 5”

Review by Catt Foy

Once upon a time, three friends, Peter and Eileen Caddy and Dorothy Maclean, were hired to manage a The Cluny Hill Hotel in Forres, a small town in the northeast of Scotland.  The three shared similar spiritual ideas and practices and, relying on Peter’s intuition, and Eileen’s ability to communicate with spirits, brought the hotel up to a four-star experience.

When they were released from employment in the hotel, the three moved to a “caravan” (read: trailer) park in nearby seaside town of Findhorn.  With little money, they started a home garden to supplement their income.  Eileen’s ability to commune with spirits enabled the group to grow miraculously large vegetables in the nutrient-poor and sandy soil of Scotland’s northern coast.  It was 1962.

Fast forward 60 years and the little community is now the world-renowned spiritual center and eco-village known as the Findhorn Foundation.  The hotel the trio once managed is now the property of the Findhorn Foundation offering education on a wide range of environmental, spiritual, and co-creative topics, and hosts artists, performers, and spiritual teachers of all stripes.

Enter Swan Treasure, who joined the community in 2012. Treasure is a “catalyst for transformation,” artist, writer, NLP Master Practitioner, Medicine Woman and Systemic Constellator. 

Systemic Constellations take place in an energy field that connects family, ancestors, organizational members, the natural world and all of humanity,” according to the website North American Systemic Constellations.

Treasure was introduced to an art technique called “touch drawing.” A non-porous surface, like a white board, is covered in paint of one or many colors.  A sheet of tissue paper is laid atop and the artist, using only hands, fingers and fingernails, begins to draw. It is believed this allows the inner creative spirit to more fully express itself. The images seen today in the Findhorn Spirit Oracle Cards are all touch drawing images.

They are lovely, delicate drawings with the innocence of childhood art, depicting the spirits of animals, plants, trees and nature.  The deck is one of several standard sizes for oracle cards these days, 3.5” x 5”, making them a bit easier to shuffle than standard tarot cards.

The accompanying booklet not only contains interpretations for the cards, but gives background on Findhorn, touch drawing, and medicine wheels.  The pack is organized according to the Medicine Wheel structure of East, South West, North, Above, and Below. There are instructions for tuning into spiritual frequencies, blessing your deck, preparing for a reading, and a few card layouts.

In writing this piece, I began with an Essence Reading—a five card spread—this time for a “year ahead” reading.  Four of the five cards represent three months each, and the final card represents a significant outcome or result. Once the cards are laid out, you can look them up in the alphabetical index for the page number.

I pulled Healing (p. 132), Sustenance (p. 82), Confidence (p. 92), Tenderness (p. 64) and Purity (p. 104)

Here is how I interpreted my findings:  for May, June and July, I can expect healing.  The guardian of this card is the White Rose Spirit. I am reminded that we all have pain, and I can choose to heal by lightening my load and moving past my burdens. By allowing whatever feelings are buried or suppressed to emerge and express themselves, my body and spirit will experience improved health.  This fits my present situation, as I am healing from the traumas of the past five years and especially the last two. Each card also recommends an exercise or practice to empower the manifestation of the right energy.

For August, September and October, I can expect Sustenance or Medicine Making, This card reminds me that I can make my own healing medicine and I should listen to my body’s intuition.  The practice for this card is to garden—one of my favorite activities.

In November, December and January, I pulled Confidence, the Spirit of Honesty. I am advised to disregard my doubts and know that I am here for a reason and walk in truth. I am also told to ignore un-helpful criticism and return to renewing that which is in need of restoration.  Perhaps that means I will be able to move forward to making the Meraki! Spirit & Arts Fair happen in again!

February, March and April of 2023 is rule by Tenderness, the Spirit of Wholeness, who advised me to take things easy, and be kind to myself.  The overarching theme is Purity, the Guardian of the Waterfall, who promises this is a time of renewal and expression—coming out into the world with courage and a pure heart.

Now the actual reading was more complex than that, but I gave you here the synopsis.

My only criticism is that the box does not have the little thumb/finger divot on the sides of the lid to make it easier to get the top and the bottom apart. 

Aficionados of oracle cards will find these cards gentle and inspiring.  Meditate on the images alone and you will find your own intuition stimulated to greater understanding. Overall this deck would make a good addition to anyone’s collection of oracular tools. 

References 

Swan Treasure website: http://Swantreasure.com

The Findhorn Foundation: http://www.findhorn.org

Touch Drawing: http://touchdrawing.com

 

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Catt Foy has been a professional psychic and astrologer since 1978 and a freelance writer and photographer since 1981.  She is the author of Psycards: An Oracle of Archetypes, Rune Stones & Their Interpretations, and the novel Bartleby:  A Scrivener's Tale.  She holds an MA from Western Illinois University and an MFA in Fiction from Spalding University, and is currently Queen (CEO) of Psycards USA.  Catt likes to garden, paint, and make jewelry, and is currently working on several other novels.  Catt is also an ordained minister and certified hypnotherapist specializing in past-life regression.

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