The Creative Flame Oracle Deck and Guide
- Patricia Ballentine
- Apr 3, 2023
- 2 min read
I have used various means of divination to feed my intuition and guide my magical and mundane work, often turning to bibliomancy, oracle decks, divination bags and bones. However, the clearest messages seem to be the ones that arrive on the breath of the winds, in the shapes dancing within the flames, and through the energies just outside the focus of my gaze in nature.
Over the years I’ve taken thousands of photos of places and things that stir memories of messages, fueling my need to think and feel bigger and deeper. Often in response to a subtle “pull” to capture a moment, revisiting the images reveals things not seen before. With an intention set or a question in my mind, gazing gently taps my intuition and brings clearer sight and insight.
In June of 2020, I decided to create an oracle deck with the images most frequently returned to. I wanted to ponder them more deeply and allow my own work from the past to inform life in the present and the future. In a sense, it seemed that putting form to a tool would support my need to look within and trust my own ongoing inner wisdom.
With the help of a laminator and printer, I created the deck. Then grabbed a new journal to record impressions and began pulling three cards a day. Some messages were very subtle. Each card was unique and often a single card offered just the message needed in the moment.
As with any new habit in formation, what initially took reminders and self-talk justifying the time spent each day, became a ritual. Consulting the Oracle became a spiritual practice. Intuition, imagination, and creativity were all expanded through practice with the cards.
Now, two years later, I’m ready to share this work.
This is not a guidebook that instructs what each card means. Rather, it is a guide that offers a few clues to help you explore what each card means to YOU.
The last section of this guide brings together original full moon artwork and corresponding incantations created in 2020 and 2021. A thought is that the guide can be opened and placed on your altar around the full moon, reflected upon, and read aloud during ritual. I hope that you will be inspired to write your own incantations with the images and printed verses as helpers.
Ultimately, I hope you create your own magical tools. I encourage you to trust your own insights and visions. To help make that happen, at the end of this guide you will find the contact information through which you will be sent a pdf copy. Feel free to print it, cut, and paste the bits and pieces on your personal journal pages or Book of Shadows. Also included will be black and white coloring pages for each of the full moon images.
May the Creative Flame within you be sparked!
Patricia
If you're interested in the art of tarot reading but not yet ready for a professional consultation, online tarot card interpretations available for free can be a great learning resource. These platforms often explain the symbolism and potential meanings of each card within different contexts. By doing simple spreads for yourself, you can start to build your own understanding and intuition with the cards. It’s a convenient and cost-effective way to begin your exploration of tarot and its potential for offering guidance and sparking self-reflection on various aspects of your life.