During the annual Cauldron of Wisdom Virtual Conference in 2023, one of the workshops was about being in a relationship with money. I was really intrigued by this and found myself wanting to dive deeper into this so I signed up to do a workshop with Karena Osborne of The Witch's Inn, the same goddess who ran the workshop.
At the time of the deeper workshop, I had received a new deck of playing cards that I knew I needed to use for readings. However, because this deck is all about Alice in Wonderland and uses illustrations from the books on the cards, I wasn't sure if I could read them as I am not familiar with the book or its illustrations. This was a really interesting experience and it has taken me almost 2 months to want to write about it because it was so powerful.
Before pulling any cards, there were some general money-related questions to answer. The first was: What would a better relationship with money do for you? My response was that money would allow me to travel more, to see and experience other cultures, visit places I've only dreamed of, and finally that money would give me a greater sense of freedom in my life. The next question was: Do you have the energy to budget to hold the abundance of this love from your money? My response was possibly because I was unsure if I could but I wanted to have a positive attitude towards it. But another secondary question followed: Why don't I deserve my own commitment? This was a really deep question and I feel like the answer lies within how I value my own self. The lower my self-esteem is, the less I feel like I deserve my own commitment. The final question was: Do I chase money or do I attract it? At the time, I responded with neither because I didn't feel like I chased money but I didn't feel like I attracted it either; it was more like I was indifferent to money.
After this, we moved to using cards to answer the prompts. First was: Where did I learn this pattern from? I pulled the Three of Hearts which depicts a scene from close to the end of the tale of the Walrus and the Carpenter where the Walrus has practically eaten all of the little Oysters. To me, this image spoke of over-indulgence and wanting all the things, and perhaps needing to temper that now. Perhaps this card also showed that I wanted to take everything in and that I perhaps wasn't willing to leave anything foranyone else to share.
If money was a sound, what would it be? This bit didn't need a card but I felt like my answer at the time was: a constant humming sound, something low that was more of a background or white- kind of noise. Money is always there, whether I'm focused on it or not so that's what the sound embodied for me. But the follow-up question was: What sound would I want it to be? I initially wrote joyful bells but thinking about it now, I think I'd rather hear wind-chimes, the soft ones that sound from a gentle breeze with a lot of joy in the undertones.
But the next question was: Can you raise your vibration to match it and increase your energy budget? I pulled the Queen of Diamonds and the message I got from this card, and its image of Alice and the "Drink Me" bottle, was that I perhaps needed to take the initiative, perhaps that I needed to shrink a little in order to find my Self. This card also made me think of the song "Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend" but the version sung and performed by Christina Aguilera in Burlesque but in a way where I'm in the audience rather than the performer; changing my view so I don't have to be front and centre all the time and I can spend time in the background.
At the time, I wasn't certain what the Queen of Diamonds was saying so I did pull a clarifier card which was (and still is unusual) for me. This was the Ace of Diamonds. and from this card, I felt like the message was that I needed to be willing to make mistakes. The Lion either having a twin or being mirrored so that everything is obvious to someone somehow; wearing glasses and looking upwards with a scholarly look, almost like he's reading the past and looking for something to improve upon.
If money was a smell, what would it be? I immediately thought of tea, specifically Chai because it has layers to it and not all Chais are the same. I have two Chais in my collection: Chai of Madagascar and Masala Chai. The Madagascan Chai is fruity and then has a chocolate aftertaste (to me, anyway) so there are layers to it, while the Masala Chai has a spicier, more in-your-face kind of flavour.
The next question was: Where have I experienced this? I pulled the Ten of Diamonds which has an image of the Mad Hatter holding a sandwich in one hand and a cup of tea in the other hand. This was a hilarious coincidence to me (although I don't really believe in them) because I have a great love of tea and by that I mean that I have 70 different brews, not all of them containing leaves from the Tea plant, that I drink depending on what I am in the mood for. My moods have layers so it makes sense that there should be layers to my tea experiences.
Next, Karena asked: When I hear 'abundance', is my reaction nervous or calm? My initial response was that I'm more indifferent to that phrase although I was starting to become excited about it. I don't mind the word but I think perhaps it is overused and that turns me away from wanting to use it in my personal vobaulary.
Karena also asked this: What embodiment practice could help to source and sustain abundance in my body, clearing old energy and expanding my energy budget? At first, I wasn't sure about this as I couldn't really think of anything. Then music was suggested, perhaps creating a playlist and listening to it daily. And then I realised that I do have magickal means at my disposal for this as well: creating and nurturing a money bowl, or even putting essential oils on the lava beads of one of my crystal bracelets.
The next question was: How does money care for me? I pulled two cards for this: Seven of Hearts and Jack of Diamonds with the Jack needing a clarifier which turned out to be the Ace of Clubs. The Seven of Clubs depicts a Frog-Footman standing on a doorstep holding an envelope (which has an invitation inside for the Duchess to play croquet with the Queen of Hearts) and this signified that money is waiting for me to accept its own invitation, that I need to either allow it into my heart or more generally into my life. With the Jack of Diamonds, the image is of Bill coming out of the chimney after being sent down to scare Alice out of the White Rabbit's house. I wasn't entirely sure how this card fitted into answering this question (and I'm still not now) but I started noting down that money wantsto be noticed but what it can do and not just what I want it to do. With the clarifier card being the Ace of Clubs, I felt like the message was that money is patient. The clocks may be ticking but money is waiting for the bell to strike.
Karena then asked: How do I care for money? I pulled the Six of Hearts for this and with the image being that of the sleeping Gryphon to whom Alice is taken to so that she can visit the Mock Turtle but the Gryphon is also a mythological being. From this image, I feel like I'm less indifferent and more that I'm just not bothered unless there's something happening like a crisis or I need it for a particular purpose. I did note down "apathetic" in my notes and while this is partially true because it means I don't care about it, I think there's a point where I do care but only insofar as what it can do for me.
The final question Karena asked was: How can I care for money? I pulled the Seven of Clubs here and with the image being that of the Cheshire Cat's head with the King and Queen of Hearts arguing with the Ace of Clubs who is the Executioner. This image gave me the feeling that I need to not be like the Cheshire Cat, who in this particular scene-snapshot is not actively involved in the situation. I need to be more involved and less detached from money. At the same time, with the King and Queen of Hearts arguing with the Ace of Clubs, there's an element of not creating chaos as in this scene, they are arguing about whether the Cheshire Cat could be beheaded. I need to be logical but not to the point where I'm no longer in a relationship with money.
This was certainly interesting and I look forward to doing this again and then reviewing both experiences to see if anything has changed and if it has then how it has done so.
Peace and love to all!!!!
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