JMs DoW: Spirit Doodle cards

[Joan Marie]

This freaky little deck was gifted to me () at the beginning of this year.

Its called Spirit Doodle Cards, Space between the Notes. It is an Oracle.
There are 50 cards (poker-sized) and a 200 page book that goes with it.

I will write more detail later, but to quickly describe, the artist, Elrond Mills, has made these squiggle doodles and given each one a keyword.

Which came first, the squiggle or the keyword? I'm not sure, I'll have to consult the book again. And this book is truly amazing. It deserves a very thorough description which I will try and do later this week. But quickly, each card gets a real treatment from Elrond. He looks at and examines those squiggles (and keywords) from a number of different angles offering some real thoughtful insights.

I will talk more about the book and keywords in subsequent posts.

For now I will do my draw for today:

The first card I draw is communicate and at first glance this doodle reminds me of an old-fashioned telephone receiver!
BTW these doodles are all highly scry-able and contain more depth than is initially apparent.

It also has the "Air" symbol. So this also makes me think of communication through the "air" as opposed to face-to-face.

A very quick perusal of the book (sorry I am in such a hurry) shows an emphasis on taking great care in how I communicate today, not only to others, but also to myself. Consider the power and weight of words and choose them carefully. Also be mindful how words can really stick.

There is also an interesting self-care activity for this (there is one for each card). For this card he recommends writing a letter to someone expressing raw emotions about something, but don't send it. Keep it in a folder. And see if, the next day, at least some of those raw feelings have dissipated.

[Joan Marie]

This card is about taking the steps toward a goal. It's not about the goal, or the whole plan, it's about the steps toward it.

Elrond provides and analogy of crossing a football field. You can't get to the end before you cross half of it. And you can't do that until you cross a quarter of it.

I am in the process of creating something, actually 4 things (3 are of a piece). It has been daunting. An idea is just an electric impulse in the brain. Making that into an actual tangible thing is harder than it seems. It's an act of creation, almost a godly thing (forgive me, I'm not comaparing myself to a god here...just trying to describe the feeling)Right now there is nothing, but step by step, there will be something where there once was nothing.

This takes more than work. It takes a mental state that doesn't give in, give up, get discouraged or doubt. This doodle, which reminds me of a fire burning, is that spirit that keeps me believing in and excited about what I am creating. And also keeps me taking each step which is so important when the fire starts to go out. You need both the physical acting (the work) and the mental (spirit) strength. They work together like friends, each bolstering the other when needed.

I've learned when I feel lazy working brings me out of it and rekindles the fire. When I am excited and inspired and the fire is burning almost too bright, work helps me express that and expend the energy in a productive way.

EDIT: haha! I just now noticed the Fire symbol is the corner!

[Joan Marie]

This card is called "Meditate" and to me the doodle looks like a representation of chakras. I mean not really, but that is the instant feeling I got.

I do need this. I have been working with a series of readings every morning this week, and will go onto next week with it. I'm learning a lot but one theme that keeps arising is my need to connect more deeply with the more mystical.
That's not the best description, but it's the best I can do at the moment.

I have a lot of things that came up this week and my weekend will also be full but starting next week I will be able to share more with you here.

What a sweet little deck this is.

[Joan Marie]

I promise to write more about this maazing little deck soon but I am swamped at the moment with some unplanned situations and activities so I can't do it right now but here is my card for today!

Find YourIntention

Always good advice. Especially at a time like now when I am very busy it's easy to get caught up in the busy-ness and forget the true intentions behind things. It's the intention that really brings the joy to a task, the magic to the result.

This is a good thing for me to remember today.

I wish you all a wonderful saturday!

[Joan Marie]

I have to confess, I did not actually draw this card today. It was sitting on my deck all by itself. It had somehow escaped from the pack so i decided to embrace it.

Music!

I need to reconnect in a serious way with music. I listen to a lot of podcasts and although they are interesting (sometimes) I'm not sure they are as uplifting as I need right now. Music would be better. I am not as connected to all the new ways to listen to music as I should be, could be. I need to get that sorted out.

I'm realising more and more that I have to work on building a stronger bridge to certain sides of myself and I think music can help me get there.

[Joan Marie]

I promised a little more in-depth look at this deck, Spirit Doodle Cards. I've only posted just a few of the cards, but I think you can get the idea.

The artist, Elrond Mills describes at the beginning how he got into the habit of making these doodles and after having made several he started to see something in them. he saw/felt/ heard a spirit that was behind the creation of each one.

I won't write his whole story here, just want to make the point that these images are not as random as they seem. There is some real energy behind them and it comes through.

He does encourage the use of these cards in conjunction with other decks. It's really easy to see how well that works. When I first got the deck i did that instinctively and the cards acted as a kind of clarifier.

The book is truly wonderful. And he does the most interesting thing.

Rather than just expand on the meaning of the keyword on each card, he offers a whole slate of ways to interpret it. I find this so ingenious because it lets the user be free to apply whatever aspect is relevant at the time of the reading.

I will break it down here what he gives you for every card:

Every card has a drawing, a title, a number, and an elemental symbol.

There are 2 or 3 quotes from famous people that are relevant to the card
His personal thoughts on the card
"When you get this card" advice or hints
Messages he got from his guides about the card
Prompt, a bit about the the initial message or message he recieved to make him draw the doodle
Additional keywords for the card
The Shadow meaning of the card
Emotions with this card
Emotions to develop
An Affirmation
A self-care activity
Recommended pieces of music to listen to (he's a musician)
Trees
Animals
Elements
Chakra correspondences
Crystals and minerals
Guides of all kinds
Extra materials, books ´, films, art or anything that might help

The result is, you can pick and choose whatever is meaningful to you at any given time. We all know that changes, doesn't it?

It's a wonderful book and a charming deck. There are many ways to use it which I am still exploring and hope to try out soon.