Earth Lore News

Whether you are new to the realm of oracle card reading, or you own every deck the infamous Doreen Virtue has ever published; this quick guide is meant to give beginners and seasoned readers alike a more meaningful, decisive card reading.  Try these tips with self-readings and service readings for others.  Take time practicing your own variations on these tips. With a little patience and a little practice, you will find a reading regimen that works best for you!

CHOOSING A DECK

There are many ways to choose an Angel Card deck. The trick is to find the way that works for YOU. No one method is better than the next when it comes to making such a personal decision…and choosing your deck is a very personal decision. Try not to be swayed by the input of others. Here are some tips when shopping for your Angel Card deck. Following these tips will help insure you get the best deck for your needs, that works best with your energy.

• Choose to buy your deck on the new moon of the month. Energy will be high for new beginnings and manifesting future dreams on that day.
• Take time in the days leading up to the new moon to meditate on choosing your deck. As you meditate, visualize yourself finding the perfect deck. See yourself find the deck that has been waiting for you. Ask your Angels and Spirit Guides to unite you with your perfect deck.
• It is highly recommended that you shop alone for your deck on this day. This will allow you the peace and personal time you will need to make the best choice.
• More than one deck may call out to you as you are shopping on the new moon. You may need to step away for a moment to meditate. Center yourself and call on your Angels again to help you choose wisely.
• Hold each deck that calls to you in your hands. Close your eyes for a moment with each one and feel its energy. If you get tingles, feel heat throughout your body or just in your hands, if you start feeling emotional, or if you see an Angel appear in your mind’s eye, this may be the deck for you!
• Choose the deck from which you receive the most spiritual feedback.

WORKING WITH THE CARDS

Keep in mind, these tips will work whether you are doing a personal or service reading. However, additional steps are recommended for better accuracy when giving readings to another person (a service reading). As soon as you open your new Angel Card deck, be sure to cleanse it with white sage, and prepare a safe and cleansed space to store it. A bag or box with clear quartz and a few white sage leaves inside is highly recommended! Once your deck is cleansed and has a proper home, it is ready to be programmed and used.

• Using white sage, cleanse a quite, comfortable space to do your reading. Clear the space of clutter and distractions. Turn off your phone.
• Lay a special cloth over the space where you will spread your cards. The cloth may be of any material or pattern, as long as it is meaningful to you. (Note: if you are doing a service reading, you may want to substitute with a cloth chosen by the patron of your service.)
• Do not clutter your reading space. You may choose to burn one white candle (or any color you feel you need). You may place a sentimental object in the reading space as well: a picture of the person you will be inquiring about, an item from a deceased loved one, or a token of gratitude to your Angel helpers!
• Before you begin shuffling, hold the deck in your hands and program it with a prayer of intention. You may want to cleanse and reprogram your deck every time you use it, as your need for guidance may change from reading to reading. Your prayer of intention may be as simple or complex as you wish, but make sure it is focused and precise. Pray to the Angels to give you the best guidance for the situation about which you will soon inquire. Always close your prayer with a word of gratitude for whatever guidance you will receive.
• Choose your questions wisely! Always ask for guidance for the highest good of all involved. Refrain from phrasing asking questions which promote the “commanding of” or “forcing your will upon” others. Do not let your ego get in the way of pure Angelic guidance. You may need to do a short breathing exercise and meditation before you ask your question. This will help you ask the right questions, resulting in helpful guidance for the highest good of all involved. Keep shuffling until the right question comes to you. Ask the question aloud 3 times.
• Place the deck on your cloth. Cut the deck once, then draw the cards for your layout from the top of the deck (I highly recommend the 3-card “Past, Present, Future” layout). You are now ready to start interpreting!
• Use your intuition along with the included guidebook for your specific deck. If you are having trouble interpreting the card layout, ask your Angel helpers for one “clarify-er” card. Draw one addition card and place it above your layout for additional guidance.
• Keep a blank journal, and pen handy in case you wish to write any notes down from your reading.
• Be sure to thank the Angels for their help before closing your reading.

I hope these little tips help you get the maximum divine guidance from every reading you do for yourself and others!

Getting a candle to burn perfectly is not actually that hard.  Getting familiar with how to burn different styles of candle will make experiences more safe, economical, and pleasurable.  Burners will hardly even need cleaning when candles taken care of, as there will be no soot or wax left over.  Burning candles flawlessly is a form of art. Here are my favorite tips on get the most burn for your buck.

The smallest candle can sometimes bring the most clarity.  Meditation candles, also called “chime candles” after the popular angel chime Christmas decorations, are about one half-inch in diameter and four inches high. They burn two to two and a half hours each.  Always use a mini candle holder to burn these, also set the holder on a plate to catch running wax.  I usually don’t worry about trimming the wick as long as they are short and burning in a draft-free area.  If you choose to anoint the candle with oil, please use natural essential oils. Sometimes it’s nice to scratch  names or an affirmations into the wax before lighting the candle. The purpose is to send your intentions into the universe, manifested.  If the goal is to burn a bunch of candles and you don’t have burners, put at least an inch of sand into the bottom of a dish and stick the candles into the sand.  Always watch these quick burning candles, especially if you’re burning them in sand.  For extra meditation candle fun, combine color and aromatherapy, or consult Llewellyn’s 2011 spell-a-day almanac.  Large dinner candles  can also be used in meditation.  We carry high quality hand dipped tapers from Canada.

Although a burning candle should never be left alone, votives are a good choice of candle for burning in bedrooms and bathrooms.  Smaller areas really don’t need all the scent thrown from a large candle anyways.  The typical votive lasts up to fifteen hours.  The snugger the fit of candle in holder, the longer it will burn.  More space left on the sides of the candle allows more heated air to circulate around the flame, thus burning the wax faster.  If the holder is shorter than the candle, the wax will spill all over as it liquefies.  Removing the bottom sticker on candles is important and easy to forget.  I’ve just about given my self a heart attack more than once when out of the corner of my eye flames are shooting out of my burner.  When the candle is gone and left over wax remains in the burner there are easy ways of getting it out.  Think ahead by adding about half a teaspoon of water to the bottom of a votive glass. This prevents the wax from ever bonding to the bottom of the container.  The second method employs the freezer.  Make sure the wax has cooled to a solid and place container in the freezer for about one hour.  Free wax from sides of container with a butter knife if it doesn’t just fall out.  If neither of these work,slowly heat a small amount of water in a pot, set container in the warm water.  Soon the wax will start to liquefy and release from the bottom and sides of container.  Do not let any water get into the wax, this will cause a huge spattery mess.  Pour out what you can, wipe with tissue, wipe with vegetable oil, and last wash with hot soapy water to remove any traces of oil.  I say clean waxy glass with vegetable oil because as we learned in chemistry; like dissolves like-and it works. If black soot accumulates around the rim, wipe with a dry paper towel or even newspaper. Whatever the reason, dry works better than moist towels when it’s soot you’re dealing with.

Pillar candles look elegant and offer a warm glow.  Always make sure to trim the wick to one-quarter inch before lighting.  Allow to wax pool to extend all the way across the top, and if the sides start bowing out hug the edges in toward the flame by gently pushing in with thumbs .  Typically, this takes one hour for every inch across, and when done properly prevents the candle from tunneling.  If tunneling already has begun and you’re trying to keep the wick from being buried there’s a couple of ways of trouble shooting the problem.  Start by removing only the carbon buildup from the wick tip.  This usually resembles a little mushroom on the top.  If the candle will not stay lit try heating with a lighter while holding sideways to drip out over a coffee can, trash bag, etc revealing the wick.  Keep the candle burning by pouring out small amounts of wax as needed while hugging the tall sides in as they soften.Eventually the walls will level with the center  Once in a while, I’ve had one so bad that I pull out a saw and cut off some of the top rim.  If the wick is  far down the wax sides will only continue to drown it. To prevent tunneling,  make sure the wick is center when you blow it out. If it’s leaning to one side, use the end of your wick trimmers or a pencil to push it to center while the wax is still warm.  When the wax cools the wick will remain centered and ready for the next time it’s lit. If you need to blow a candle out early, just allow it to burn a little longer next time to even it out.  Don’t forget to use a pillar plate or coaster to protect surfaces from oil staining.

Jar candles are a low maintenance way of enjoying light and fragrance.  Really, the only keys to remember are keep the wicks centered and trimmed to prevent the flame from touching the side of the jar, blackening it or breaking it. Allow them to burn one hour for every inch in diameter to make sure all the surface wax pools.  Extinguish flame when there is less than half an inch of wax remaining in the glass. The glass gets extremely hot when the candle is that low and could ruin table surfaces or crack the glass.

Take into consideration what’s overhead and underfoot in areas you burn candles.  For instance, a candle may look nice on a shelf above the television but what happens if there is an accident?  Or areas where there are pictures or cabinets overhead, feel the areas above burning candles and make sure they’re not getting too hot.  The same rule applies to burning clusters of different height candles, if placed too close together they will melt each others sides.  High traffic and pet areas are, for obvious reasons, big no-no’s as well.  Instead of blowing candles use a snuffer to prevent spraying wax everywhere.  I hope these tips light the way to perfect candle burning and clarity.  If there are any further questions about, feel free to stop in the store and ask a sales associate.