So, here I am with a fully fledged divination deck of 72 cards. I had no plans to create any, so how did we get to this point? I do look back and wonder.
I had no original grand plan for a deck of cards. I had purchased a couple of books for life and business focus, part of those books contained room for a yearly card spread to do at the end of the year for the coming year and I did think ‘wouldn’t it be cool to create my own set’ but honestly that was a deep as it went.
I lost my mum 5th November 2015 and during works Christmas shutdown I was determined just to try and instil peace and downtime into my life, to reflect, to grieve and to heal. During the downtime I printed a template of card sized boxes on white card and cut them out. With no idea what I was doing I simply started to draw, it was an odd feeling as I became totally submerged in the drawing, I lost myself for the whole time the pen was on paper and it was a welcome break from all the tears.
Before I knew it I had created a finished card, the outlines reminded me of stained glass outlines and the colours I was drawn to use to fill the shapes I used without question. I left my critical, analytical brain behind and simply went with the flow, it was a precious feeling I will never forget.
As I penned each card I would get a feeling or a word that skipped around my head so that when the card was complete I already knew its meaning or the exact word it needed to be called. After finishing each card I would show it to my daughter and low and behold she would come up with the exact same feelings or words for the card, I was beginning to feel that something special might be unfolding.
I literally couldn’t stop creating and my beautiful daughter supported me by looking after our dogs, making me cuppas and doing the chores whilst I drew and drew and drew, she also knew something special was happening.
Before I knew it, literally a matter of days, I had created 36 cards, all coloured and named and I spread them out to share them with my daughter. That was the moment our jaws first dropped. The 36 creations all had a pattern to them, there were 6 different very distinct sets of colours and feels and the names they had all fitted within their individual sets! We kept looking, going over them and sitting there in total wonder at how this had happened. It was, cliché I know, but a real magical moment, now we were sure something special was happening. When I completed the first original 36 cards I proudly announced I was done, I must admit that I announced it with a little relief as whilst I had enjoyed creating the cards I was driven to create them and couldn’t stop and by now my hands and mind were tired…..little did I know.
A matter of hours rest and I needed to pick up my pens once more! Again my daughter took up helping where she could so I could continue on until I was done. Again before I knew it, another 36 cards. None of the colouring of the cards was ever planned, I would look at the patterns and simply knew which shape had to be which colour and I didn’t question it, I knew whatever was happening was bigger than me and I just had to trust it and go with the flow.
Unsurprisingly at this point, as we laid those fresh 36 cards down, the patterns, colours, words and feel of those cards fitted those first 6 sets perfectly. They blended as if I had known exactly which card belonged where and created them to slot right in, we looked at all 72 cards laid out on my lounge floor in wonder.
At this point I felt incredibly grateful as I knew I had been a part of something special, I felt blessed as corny as that sounds. I knew somehow that my Mum had been a part of this and I knew that somehow these cards were part of something bigger. These were not just meant for me.
But where to start? I knew nothing about printing, nothing about creating a deck or how to reach people with it! So I did what anyone who knows nothing did, I started one step at a time. Slowly I found the information I needed to find, I received my quotes for things and dug around on the internet trying to find advice etc. It was a much longer process that I envisaged and took around 6mths to finally bring the dream to fruition but here I am and here they are. People are spreading the word, beginning to buy them and share them and hopefully be inspired by them. I am truly grateful for every little bit of support I have received and continue to receive in getting the deck out to as many people as possible. The following is growing daily and I know something special is still happening.
So, that in a nut shell is my journey, grateful for every step, for every lesson and for the memory of my Mums last poignant words to me that have fitted this journey so well, “Always look up”.
