So how do you choose? And what’s the major difference between the two? Here, we’ll walk through how tarot and oracle cards work, the key differences between them, and how to figure out which one you feel most drawn to.

What Are Tarot Cards?

Tarot cards have a long and rich history, dating back to the 15th century. A tarot deck always consists of a set number of cards—78 to be exact—divided into the Major Arcana (22 cards) and the Minor Arcana (56 cards). The Minor Arcana is further divided into four suits, much like a deck of playing cards, each with its own symbolic resonance.

Tarot is a structured system, deeply rooted in numerology, astrology, and archetypes, with each card carrying layered meanings that blend imagery, symbolism, and esoteric wisdom. That’s why tarot is often seen as more complex—but it’s also a useful tool if you’re ready to look deeper into your patterns and personal growth.

A traditional tarot reading involves drawing cards in a specific card spread, which could range from a single card pull to elaborate spreads like the Celtic Cross. Each card’s position in the spread adds another layer of meaning, making tarot great for personal growth and self-reflection.

What Are Oracle Cards?

Oracle cards, on the other hand, are a much more open-ended and free-flowing divination tool. An oracle deck does not follow a universal structure or a set number of cards. Instead, each deck is designed by the creator with a unique theme, tone, and purpose in mind—ranging from angelic messages to moon cycles, divine feminine archetypes, animal totems, or chakra healing.

Unlike the more rigid format of tarot, oracle cards offer more flexibility. The type of card and the number of cards in the deck can vary widely, often accompanied by a guidebook that offers meanings and messages for each card. This makes oracle cards particularly appealing for beginners, as they require less memorization and are more intuitive in nature.

Each card in an oracle deck is typically meant to be a direct message—often uplifting, encouraging, and affirming your current path. They’re a simple way to hear from your higher self, bringing spiritual guidance, emotional insight, and energetic alignment.

How Do Oracle Cards Work?

Oracle cards work by tuning into your intuition and allowing your inner wisdom (or higher guidance) to speak through the card you pull. The imagery, words, and energy of the card provide a mirror for what is already stirring within you—often offering inspiration, new perspective, or confirmation.

You can use oracle cards daily to set the mood for your day, seek clarity in decision-making, or receive encouragement when you feel unsure. Because there’s no structured system, you can draw one card or multiple cards in whatever way feels aligned—letting your own preference guide you.

Where Do Oracle Cards Come From?

Unlike tarot cards, which have historical roots in Renaissance Europe and are tied to a defined structured system, oracle cards do not stem from a singular origin or tradition. Instead, they’ve emerged more organically from the larger framework of spiritual evolution and modern spirituality.

They became more popular as more people started exploring personal growth and following their intuition. With more people seeking spiritual guidance beyond religion, oracle decks became a supportive and intuitive tool to help them connect.

While some oracle cards may draw inspiration from ancient symbolism, mythology, or cultural archetypes, most modern oracle decks are created by spiritual teachers, intuitives, or artists who channel their own insights into card form. Each deck offers an intentional space for reflection and connection.

Because there is no set system or fixed number of cards, the possibilities are limitless. This freedom allows each deck of cards to express a different voice or vibration—making oracle cards incredibly diverse in both design and intention.

So while oracle cards don’t have the long history that tarot decks do, they still carry a deep, intuitive energy that supports personal growth and self-connection.

Are Angel Cards Tarot Cards?

This is a common question—especially for those just stepping into the world of divination tools. The answer is no: angel cards are not tarot cards. They are a type of oracle card, created specifically to offer messages from the angelic realms, spirit guides, or divine beings of light.

Angel cards usually carry a soft, high-frequency energy. Their messages tend to be gentle, uplifting, and loving—designed to soothe and offer reassurance. They often include phrases like “You are safe,” “Trust your path,” or “A new beginning is near”—words that offer emotional support.

While tarot readings can sometimes bring up shadow aspects or challenge you to face certain truths, angel cards tend to stay on the side of divine encouragement. This makes them particularly appealing to beginners, those healing from trauma, or anyone seeking a gentler form of spiritual guidance.

Just like other oracle cards, angel decks don’t follow a structured system or set number of cards. They may be accompanied by a guidebook, offering interpretations for each card, but the focus remains on connecting with celestial support in a way that feels intuitive.

So if you feel called to light and uplifting messages, an angel card deck may be the perfect gateway into your spiritual practice.

Are Tarot Cards the Same as Oracle Cards?

Although they often serve a similar purpose—providing insight, clarity, and self-reflection—tarot cards and oracle cards are not the same. They are distinct tools, each with their own structure and way of delivering wisdom.

The major difference lies in their design and usage:

• Tarot cards follow a time-honored format with a set number of cards (78) and a consistent internal structure: Major Arcana, Minor Arcana, and four suits. Each card is packed with symbolism, and understanding the nuances often involves studying astrology, numerology, and archetypal themes. Tarot offers a deep, layered language—a symbolic system that reveals patterns, cycles, and soul lessons.
• Oracle cards, by contrast, are far more fluid. There is no universal number of cards or fixed framework. Each deck is entirely unique, often created to explore a particular theme, such as self-love, healing, goddess energy, animals, or cosmic messages. Oracle cards are often more intuitive, less intellectually complex, and more focused on emotional resonance than symbolic analysis.

Another way to think about it:

• Tarot is like learning a structured musical scale, where each note has a place, progression, and role.
• Oracle cards are like free-form melody, guided by feeling and inspiration rather than formula.

Both are powerful tools for accessing your intuition, gaining perspective, and aligning with your inner knowing. Many practitioners use them together—turning to tarot for deeper exploration and structure, and oracle for broader guidance or to open and close a reading with soft, anchoring energy.

So while they both belong to the same spiritual family, they speak different dialects of the same divine language.

Are Oracle Cards Better Than Tarot Cards?

The truth is: there’s no “better”—only what resonates more deeply with you.

• If you’re drawn to symbols, archetypes, and layered meanings, or you love systems like numerology and astrology, you may feel more aligned with a tarot deck.
• If you’re seeking a more flowing, intuitive, and emotionally soothing tool, oracle cards might feel more natural and inviting—especially in the early stages of your spiritual journey.

Many people use both, allowing each to serve a different purpose in their practice. Tarot may guide the deeper introspective work, while oracle cards offer daily inspiration and gentle spiritual guidance.

Which Should You Start With—Tarot or Oracle?

If you’re a beginner, oracle cards are often easier to connect with right away. There’s no need to learn a structured system—you simply pull a card, read the guidebook, and tune into what it evokes in you. This makes it a wonderful doorway into working with a deck of cards as a spiritual tool.

If you feel ready for a more complex and symbolic path that can open doors to profound self-reflection, tarot cards may be the perfect next step.

Either way, your intuition will always lead you to the right tool at the right time.

Practical Rituals + Card Spreads to Try

Whether you’re working with tarot or oracle, here are a few ways to deepen your connection:

Daily Draw Ritual

Light a candle, ground your energy, and pull one card to set the mood for your day. Journal on the message and how it relates to your emotional state.

Moon Cycle Spread

Perfect for both tarot and oracle:

• New Moon: What am I ready to plant?
• Waxing Moon: What’s growing?
• Full Moon: What’s coming to light?
• Waning Moon: What am I ready to release?

Self-Reflection Spread (3-card)

1. What energy am I currently holding?
2. What is ready to shift?
3. What wants to emerge through me?

In Closing: Follow What Feels Good

Whether you begin with the classic symbolism of a tarot deck or the subtle guidance of an oracle deck, remember that both are simply mirrors—tools that help you get clear on what you already feel or sense inside. Go with what feels practical and helpful for where you are right now.

There’s no wrong place to start—just different ways to build clarity, trust, and growth.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this article and found something to take away with you. 

To receive my weekly, self-care focused email that inspires you to go deeper inside the magic that is you, sign up for the Dwell in Magic weekly newsletter.

Craving more inspiration, guidance, and connection? 🌙 Join the Dwell in Magic Patreon for exclusive weekly resources, uplifting community support, and a cozy book club.

For self-paced inner work, visit the shop for transformational bundles and guides. 

With love,

Jessica

The post Oracle Cards vs Tarot Cards: Understanding the Key Differences appeared first on Dwell in Magic®.

Letting life be easy, even when it's seemingly not, is a lifelong skill that will save you over and over again. We incarnate for the fun, messy ride of the human experience, but it can get scary and rough at times. The good news is, you'll always have YOU. And if you can remember and practice the tips I'll share in this article, life will feel so much easier, even when it isn't.

How to let life be easy

The Truth is, life is always for us, and therefore, the option of choosing easy is always available. Yet we do come here to experience and gain new perspectives, and sometimes, in our human form, that can feel far from easy.

It feels harder and scarier when we wander away from Truth, which is a natural occurrence down here on planet Earth because when we incarnate, we narrow our focus down to concentrate on this life experience. You're always connected to the Higher parts of You, but your full awareness is limited in order to have the experience here.

I wanted to have the experience of Jessica, so I couldn't bring my full awareness of everything that I AM, otherwise I wouldn't get the full benefit of living through Jessica's eyes and heart.

But there are ways to soothe the Little You (human you) and stay connected to the Bigger You (your higher self/inner being) so that you allow yourself to be carried by the current of love that is always flowing for all of us. When we mistakenly think this current will hurt us, we struggle and go underwater. When we relax, we can float down this river and watch MAGICAL things occur in our lives because we allow it by being in a receiving, open state.

Here is what I've learned that helps me move from struggle to relaxed and open, that helps me in letting life be easy.

1. Understand how the universe works

Science and spirituality agree that everything is energy and frequency. We attract people, circumstances, and situations that match our energy and frequency, plain and simple. I've written about the universal laws in a nutshell and highly recommend checking that article out.

Understand and always remember that you are a creator. You create by feeling the way you want to feel in order to attract an "outside" experience that matches that feeling. Rather than waiting for an outside experience to give you a feeling, you feel it first and then know and expect that the outside will eventually match it.

This means your main job in life is to be intentional with your thoughts and emotions. When this is harder to do, for instance, when you're going through something scary or triggering, you focus on relaxing and letting things pass because this will raise your frequency. When everything is going fairly well, you can get more specific and focus on manifesting things at a higher frequency.

There are always two sides to every situation that you get to choose to experience. You can trust, flow, and receive, or fear, resist, and block. Either way, the universe constantly sends you assistance, miracles, love, and gifts. When you block it, it doesn't stop the flow. At any time and point, you can choose to relax and begin receiving again.

In order to let life be easy, we have to remember that the way we choose to think, feel, and believe is what we will attract and experience.

2. Assume the best, aka trusting

When you adopt the belief, and eventually the inner knowing, that life is always happening for you, you stop feeling like a victim and start getting curious. You can also trust that life is happening in everyone else's favor too, no matter what the circumstances look like on the surface.

Often, an experience we're having or witnessing doesn't seem to have anything good about it. We can't see why it would be happening because it certainly doesn't seem in our favor. But this is where trust comes in because expansion comes from every single experience. When we trust that we are all being guided and loved every step of the way, we remain in an open, receiving state where insights, answers, and clear guidance are available to us.

Being curious is a much better place vibrationally than not trusting and assuming the worst. Assuming that all is well is even better, but practice being curious if you can't get there. "This is interesting...I wonder what all of this is for?" Actually, asking is a surefire way to receive an answer. You have to be open, though, to receive it.

Trusting that you will be okay, that things are unfolding for you, and that you are right where you're meant to be is how you float down the river of life rather than struggle against it. And what does the alternative do? Do you get any further in life if you curse it and don't trust it? You get to feel awful and attract more awful feeling circumstances to manifest, is all.

Assume the best and trust that it will all work itself out. Lie back and float down that river rather than struggle in the same spot for years on end.

3. Let others be

It is so true that nothing anyone else does has anything to do with you, and when you can finally get this, life becomes so much more joyful.

I finally understood this by looking at my own self. Everything I've ever done was out of my own pain, curiosity, desire for exploration, etc. Many times a decision I've made hurt someone else or offended them, but it was never my intention.

Others also do not need to behave in any sort of way for us to be happy. Spending our time instructing others on what they need to do in order for us to feel good is not only exhausting, but it's giving away your power. You are the creator of your experience, and if you depend on others' behavior for your happiness, you will never be happy.

Everyone is having their own experience, and most often, people mean well. The older I get, the less I feel the need to explain or defend myself, or to instruct others on how they need to behave with me. Typically, this puts me in a lower frequency anyway, and it's never worth it.

Stepping back, getting quiet, and witnessing others through the eyes of love and compassion, though, is a win every time. No one needs to "get me" for me to be happy. Life is easier when I release this belief.

4. Do what lights you up

When you do things that make you feel good, you raise your frequency and put yourself in that universal flow where you can receive. Also, you feel better! Win.

Sometimes, it actually helps for me to write down what doesn't light me up so that I can get clarity: being on my phone too much, getting lost on social media, focusing on what others are doing, letting myself spiral in my thoughts, avoiding things I need to do, not keeping my spaces clear, not taking care of my appearance, etc.

Then I can easily feel into what lights me up: looking at my curated Pinterest feed of inspiring Abraham Hicks quotes and spacey art, going to the gym, fresh bed sheets, putting my phone on airplane mode, reading good books, sitting outside, spending time with my kids, decorating my home, taking silent baths, going to bed early, doing a moon ritual, having a good conversation, petting my cats, etc.

As you can see, nothing grand needs to happen to make us feel lit up. It's the small things we do in a day that either raise or lower our frequency. It has an accumulative effect. When you notice you aren't feeling that great, just think of something small that would make you feel better. This is so much more powerful than most people realize. It's not the big, exciting events that make a good life–it's the small, everyday joys that are so beautiful.

5. Tend to your inner connection

This goes a step beyond the last one, where you really connect within to obtain inner balance, peace, and connection to the higher part of you. There are things that feel good, and then there are things that stabilize, ground, and connect you to yourself.

Tending to your inner world will set you up to flow with life easier, receive insights and spiritual guidance, and assist you in maintaining a solid higher-frequency foundation within yourself.

Here are things you can do to tend to your inner connection:

• Journaling
• Meditation
• Divination
• Simply spending quiet time alone
• Having a dream practice
• Moon rituals
• Morning/evening sheets
• Exercising/dancing/moving the body
• Yoga

These types of activities help you tune into yourself. When we're tuned in, we're plugged into our Source, and it makes life soooo, SO much easier. I've had many people remark on how calm I am or how they'd be freaking out in my situation (always lovely when people tell you that 😅), and it's only because I tend to my inner connection. I connect with my guides and higher self, and that inner connection is where my peace and trust come from.

When I feel scared or stressed, I always know it means I must tend to my inner connection.

In conclusion

We are Creators, making it all up as we go. We are never alone and are always being divinely guided and assisted. This flow of love to us never stops; we only block it temporarily when we resist life. I love how Abraham Hicks says that it always finds ways of reaching us, even if it has to go through tiny cracks where we don't have as much resistance.

Letting life be easy is like kicking your feet up and enjoying the movie. You don't take the movie personally; you enjoy the emotional journey it takes you on and remember that you're there for the experience and expanded perspective it gives you. When a character dies, you know it was an act and that they aren't really gone. When a character feels defeated, you see the bigger picture and that they are so much more than they realize.

You let yourself be drawn into the passion, joy, grief, and eventual understanding of it all. Life is beautiful, especially when we aren't attached to anything. When we can observe and experience it with our hearts open and hands unclenched. Take it all a little less seriously, play with the universal laws, and watch the magic that will unfold.

This article comes with an exclusive digital download, The Let It Be Easy Worksheet, to complement the material above. It's available to all Dwell in Magic Patreon members in the Worksheet section. If you aren’t a member, I invite you to join!

EXPLORE FURTHER

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this article and found something to take away with you. 

To receive my weekly, self-care focused email that inspires you to go deeper inside the magic that is you, sign up for the Dwell in Magic weekly newsletter.

If you’d like weekly digital resources, guidance, and community with me and others, come and join the Dwell in Magic Patreon. We have a book club too!

For self-paced inner work, visit the shop for transformational bundles and guides. 

With love,

Jessica

The post How to Let Life Be Easy appeared first on Dwell in Magic®.

I began reading everything I could find about dreams, and from there, I learned how to start a dream practice that took me down so many new paths of self-discovery and non-physical experiences.

I fully believe that dreams are so much more than just the brain releasing steam and processing our daily lives. Dreams give you access to things that are about to occur in your life (pre-cognitive dreams), experiences on the astral plane (out-of-body experiences), and contact with your higher self and spirit guides.

In this article, I’ll explain dreamwork, the benefits of a dream practice, and how to start tonight with one.

What is dreamwork?

“A dream which is not interpreted is like a letter which is not read.” – The Talmud

Dreamwork is the practice of intentionally becoming more present and aware of/in your dreams. The purpose behind this practice is varied: personal growth, spiritual development, healing, deeper connection with self/subconscious/higher self/the universe, or simply for the fun and enjoyment of it.

The nature of what dreams even are is hard for anyone to describe. Here are some quotes from philosophers, dream researchers, and psychologists on what they believe dreams to be:

“Dreams are a reservoir of knowledge and experience, yet they are often overlooked as a vehicle for exploring reality.” – Tarthang Tulku, Tibetan Lama and Scholar

“Dreaming is a kind of mental metamorphosis that takes place at night, as the dreamer creates a new narrative that can bring new insights and understanding.” – Rosalind Cartwright, Psychologist and Dream Researcher

“Dreams are a place where the conscious and unconscious mind meet, providing a way to process complex emotions and experiences.” – G. William Domhoff, Dream Researcher and Psychologist

“Dreams are a form of thinking, occurring under conditions of the brain and body that are different from those of waking life.” – J. Allan Hobson, Psychiatrist and Dream Researcher

“Dreams are windows into the mind’s most secret, and often most important, concerns.” – Ernest Hartmann, Psychiatrist and Dream Researcher

“Dreams provide a means by which the mind can explore ideas and emotions that are not readily accessible during waking hours.” – Deirdre Barrett, Psychologist and Dream Researcher

After the experiences I have had over the last few years of recording my dreams daily, I really believe that dreams are so much more than just the mind and soul working out problems. Dreams are a gateway to our higher selves, where we have access to loved ones in non-physical, experiences in other realities, and information about experiences we are about to have in this reality before they happen.

Benefits of a dream practice

There are so many benefits to having a dream practice. Here are just a few:

• increased awareness of self
• solutions to daily issues
• insights into your repressed fears/concerns
• connection to loved ones here and on the other side
• connection to guides, higher self, and loved ones from other realities
• precognitive awareness of upcoming experiences
• psychic development
• out-of-body experiences
• lucid dreaming
• emotional and physical healing
• creative ideas/inspiration
• more presence
• improved memory
• enhanced intuition

A regular dreaming practice can lead to any of the above. The more you become aware of your dream state, the more you are connected to all parts of yourself.

I have found a dream practice to be one of the most tangible spiritual practices I’ve experienced. Meditation for expanded consciousness is a very close second, but my dreams have shown me so much and have opened me in ways I never expected.

Personal development through dreams

Personal development is almost a guaranteed side effect of having a dream practice. I say almost because I have seen other dreamers who tend to see their dreams as a fun virtual reality without much meaning. However, if you have a practice for long enough, even those who see dreams like this eventually realize they are much more than a fun escape, especially when facing a life challenge.

A dream practice naturally causes you to become more present and aware in your waking hours. This alone helps with personal development because most people are going around asleep while awake, going through the motions and lost in their thoughts/mind.

Being present detaches you from the incessant noise and stories the mind creates on a daily basis. Eckhart Tolle’s book The Power of Now is all about being present and the inner peace that comes from it.

When you record your dreams daily, your connection with yourself begins to grow and deepen. Your dreams allow you to explore your subconscious, as well as even give you messages about people and events in your life.

Precognitive dreams are some of the most interesting dreams I’ve had in my dream practice, and they can be common and frequent. I would see people in my dreams before meeting them, or I would see a major event happen–like my 85-year-old grandmother falling down the stairs days before it happened. My dad was going to be doing yard work, and I saw him come across a large snake in a dream. I told him about it, and he actually did almost step on a copperhead a few days later while doing the yard work.

I have improved relationships with loved ones here who haven’t passed but with whom it’s too difficult to converse. In my dreams, they have shown me their love, and I have witnessed my own love for them as if I were a bystander.

The most interesting, beautiful, and healing things can happen in our dreams. I believe they happen every time we go to sleep, but without a dream practice, we aren’t aware of them.

How to start a dream practice

Starting a dream practice is extremely simple, and “the basics” are always the most powerful ways to engage and recall your dreams. Here is what I recommend.

Start a dream journal

The number one practice all dreamers have is recording their dreams daily in a journal. You can record your dream out loud using a recorder or dream app, but it’s most potent to write the dream out later once when you have time.

Writing your dreams down encourages recall, as well as helps you to really decode and understand a dream. Sometimes, as you write a dream down, you will find more and more dreams popping into your mind.

I use my tablet and a writing app called Notability. I like the way I can search the app for a dream and easily find it, which is why I prefer using this journal app versus an actual pen and journal.

But all you need is a journal—it doesn’t really matter if it’s a physical or digital one. Get a journal and start writing down your dreams every time you wake up.

Dream recall methods

There are a few tried and true ways to remember your dreams.

• Tell yourself every time before falling asleep, “I now remember all dreams and experiences.” Say it a few times, and that’s it. This is a very powerful, simple tip I learned from another dreamer who has amazing dream recall.
• When you wake up, don’t move right away. Try to stay still and keep your eyes closed. Start replaying your dreams in your head as you lie there. Then, proceed to write your dreams down in your dream journal.
• Practice being present during the day. The more present and aware you are in your waking life, the more present and aware you’ll be in your dream state as well.

How to interpret dreams

I’ve learned that decoding dreams is extremely subjective, so always go with your intuitive feelings about your dreams versus using a dream dictionary or other general interpretations.

That being said, we do, as a collective, have universal symbols that we’ve assigned certain meanings to. I highly recommend the book “The Secret Language of Signs” by Denise Linn. This book is not a dream dictionary but one of the most accurate books I’ve come across to use for decoding your dreams.

I also encourage you to consider whether a dream could be more than a dream. What I mean by this is that a dream you had could actually have been an out-of-body experience remembered as a dream or an experience you had in another reality.

Not all dreams are experiences that only you have in your private subconscious mind; they can actually be experiences you have in other areas of your consciousness. This is extra evident when you share a dream experience with another person.

Mindfulness and dreamwork

As I’ve mentioned a few times already, becoming more present and mindful during the day will naturally cause you to become that way in your dream state.

I recommend reading Eckhart Tolle’s book because it will teach you how to be present. Another tool that dreamers use is asking themselves throughout the day, “Am I dreaming?” and then actually attempting to decipher whether they’re in a dream or not.

The benefit of doing this is that you will become mindful and present throughout the day. You will also find yourself wondering if you’re dreaming while dreaming, which will allow you to become lucid in your dream.

Development of psychic abilities

Once you begin your dream practice, you might find at some point that your psychic abilities are opening or expanding. This is because, in your dreams, you use your psychic abilities versus your physical ones.

People in your dreams talk to you telepathically, and you intuitively know things without being told. As you become more fluid in your dream state, this translates over into your waking state. Your intuition is enhanced, and a whole host of psychic experiences can occur.

This is all completely normal and part of the personal and spiritual growth that comes from having an active dream practice.

Out-of-body experiences & lucid dreaming

Just like psychic abilities being enhanced by a dream practice, you will likely also begin having lucid dreams and/or possibly out-of-body experiences as well. These are so AWESOME!

Lucid dreams are when you become aware that you’re dreaming within the dream, and you can then control what you do in the dream.

An out-of-body experience is when you realize your consciousness is outside of your physical body. That’s the easiest way to describe it because, really, you could say that an out-of-body experience is going inwards into other dimensions of your consciousness. But it FEELS like you are outside of your body.

You will intuitively know the difference between the two. Out-of-body experiences are very often remembered as dreams, which is why, as you go deeper into your practice, you will begin to notice different types of dreams and which ones were “more than dreams.”

My favorite book to learn more about expanded consciousness within dreams is this one. I also recommend this one, this one, and this one. I also wrote a blog post here on how to have out-of-body experiences, which is essentially everything I learned from the books I just shared that worked for me.

Conclusion

To summarize, starting a dream practice is one sure way to expand, grow, and have some of the coolest experiences that will blow your mind. It can be hard to write down your dreams when you first wake up, but it is always worth it. You will discover so much about yourself, mainly that you are truly a multidimensional being!

EXPLORE FURTHER

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this article and found something to take away with you. 

To receive my weekly, self-care focused email that inspires you to go deeper inside the magic that is you, sign up for the Dwell in Magic weekly newsletter.

If you’d like weekly digital resources, guidance, and community with me and others, come and join the Dwell in Magic Patreon. We have a book club too!

For self-paced inner work, visit the shop for transformational bundles and guides. 

With love,

Jessica

The post Dreamwork 101: How to Start a Dream Practice For Spiritual Expansion appeared first on Dwell in Magic®.

Whether you’re new to the concepts of spiritual laws or you're deepening your existing practice, practicing the law of detachment can dramatically shift how you perceive and interact with the world. It invites you to release your firm grip on expectations, thereby opening the door to unexpected opportunities and serendipitous experiences. In this article, I'll discuss the profound impact that detachment can have on your emotional well-being, relationships, and spiritual growth.

What is the principle of the law of detachment?

The principle of the law of detachment revolves around releasing attachment to specific outcomes, allowing life to flow more freely. This spiritual concept teaches that by letting go of our rigid expectations and desires, we open ourselves up to experiencing greater peace, fulfillment, and, most often, even better outcomes than we could've ever imagined.

The law of detachment isn't about giving up your intentions or desires but rather about giving up on the unhealthy fixation for a certain result. It's about trusting that the universe will guide you toward what is most beneficial for your growth and well-being, even if it doesn't align with your initial expectations. This detachment from outcomes ensures that your emotional state and inner peace are not dictated by whether things go exactly as planned.

You are present, open, and trusting that everything is always working out for you, no matter how it may look on the surface.

In practice, this law helps you to stay grounded in the present moment, engage more fully with the process itself, and reduce the anxiety and stress that come from needing to control every aspect of your life. Practicing the law of detachment helps you embrace the unpredictable nature of existence with acceptance and grace.

How do you practice the law of detachment?

Practicing the law of detachment involves developing an attitude of openness and flexibility towards how your life events unfold. Beyond that, it's about really developing the belief and knowing that life is always working out for you. You lose nothing by believing in this, and eventually, you will come to know the truth of it after enough times of witnessing how everything really does work itself out without your interference.

Here are some practical ways to incorporate this principle into your daily life:

1. Trust that everything is always in your favor

One of the key mindset adjustments that people who practice the law of detachment have is that they trust what happens because they believe that everything is always working out for them.

This in itself takes practice, but the more often you do it, the easier it gets. Mindfulness teacher Byron Katie always says, "How do you know something was supposed to happen? Because it did." Put that to any circumstance or situation in your life and know that it was meant to happen because it did. That's reality.

A Course in Miracles says reality, the nature of this universe, is nothing but love. Anything else is a delusion the ego creates in order to separate itself. So if reality is always love, then you can trust that everything that is happening is because things are unfolding for your greatest good. That's the Truth.

Whether it's a car accident, the loss of a job, or the death of a loved one...practice trusting that it happened for a higher reason that benefited all involved. There are beautiful realizations and gifts in every single experience we have. If we can open and trust that, we can see them. If we close off and feel victimized, we turn away from the Truth and take a little trip on the struggle bus.

2. Let things work themselves out

Abraham Hicks is one of my favorite law of attraction teachers, and one of the things they always talk about is letting things work themselves out. When you can do this, you benefit in multiple ways.

Firstly, you benefit from letting things work themselves out by detaching from any certain outcome. You're not struggling to force or make anything happen. That's a win. Secondly, because you give up control, you shift upwards in your vibration, which, by the law of attraction, means you begin attracting circumstances and situations that are even better.

You move into a place of allowance so the universe can give more easily to you. The universe, in all of its intricacies and laws that create perfect balance and flow, always wants to give to you. Are you open and ready, or are you distracted trying to wrestle something into the ground somewhere?

Anytime you feel stress or worry, realize that it's because you feel like you have to control something or figure something out. You're attached to a desire or outcome.

Detach, let go, and trust that things will work themselves out.

3. Embrace the unknown

Due to not trusting and fear, most of us don't like uncertainty. But the truth is that no matter how in control you ever are, you can't control everything. A person can be so in control and on top of things and STILL be unable to know what's going to happen tomorrow. So why go through all the stress of trying to be in control when you really aren't at the end of the day?

The richest person could go bankrupt, the happiest couple could break up, and the most beautiful home could burn down. You could never do enough things "right" to escape the uncertainty of tomorrow.

So why not embrace uncertainty? Why not see it all as a beautiful ride you're being taken on, trusting that what shows up before you is for your highest good? Why not be curious and focus on the good, as opposed to fearing the worst and focusing on the things you don't like? Even the negatives are still beautiful, always pointing you back in the direction of love and trust. You really can't mess any of this up.

Get comfortable with the unknown and uncertainty. You are never truly alone, and you're always loved; that's all the certainty you actually need.

What are the laws of detachment in love?

When it comes to romantic relationships, the law of detachment is really about embracing emotional and psychological freedom in love. This approach encourages both partners to maintain their individuality without excessive dependence or unrealistic expectations being placed on one another.

So many of us were raised with unhealthy relationship dynamics being modeled for us, and unrealistic relationships being shown to us in shows and movies. Being in a relationship or getting married has been touted for so long as the ultimate goal we should all have. All this is though is a type of control, once more, out of a fear of uncertainty. We think if we have a partner, we can finally relax. But that never happens, and we move on to other things to worry about or control about the relationship, so it stays "certain" for us.

Detachment in love means accepting that the future of the relationship and the person cannot be controlled. This acceptance helps you remain present in the relationship without the pressure of predicting or dictating the outcome, thus allowing the relationship to evolve naturally and in a healthy way.

Again, trust is foundational in practicing detachment. Trust your partner and the relationship enough to allow things to happen as they are meant to. Letting go of fears related to loss or betrayal can help the relationship stay healthy and help you enjoy what-is.

Detachment in this context does not mean emotional disengagement but rather an approach to love that honors both the connection and the individual freedom of each partner.

Law of detachment books & resources

There are several resources for learning more about the law of detachment. Here are some of my favorites.

I've learned so much about the law of detachment from the following teachers:

1. Abraham Hicks
2. Byron Katie

Law of detachment books:

1. The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success
2. The Detachment Path
3. Getting the Hell Out of the Way and Letting the Universe Do Its Job
4. The Universe Has Your Back

Law of detachment articles:

1. Experts Explain What The Spiritual Law Of Detachment Is + How To Use It
2. How To Harness The Power of Law Of Detachment In Spirituality
3. The Law of Detachment: Unlocking Spiritual Meanings
4. Detachment: a Skill, a Practice, and a Way of Life

Conclusion

In essence, the law of detachment invites us to let go of our rigid expectations and embrace the freedom that comes with it. By practicing detachment, we not only live more joyously on a daily basis but also open ourselves to receiving more by allowing the universe to work things out for us. When we don't insist on how things have to be, we give room for the universe to provide so much more.

This is a daily practice, one that gets easier and easier to achieve. It isn't always easy to believe or trust that things are always working out for you. It's a lot easier to react, blame, complain, and feel victimized, but that never feels good in the end. And feeling good is the one thing that raises your vibration, attracts better things, and is the whole point of anything anyway!

This article comes with an exclusive digital download, The Law of Detachment Worksheet, to complement the material above. It's available to all Dwell in Magic Patreon members in the Worksheet section. If you aren’t a member, I invite you to join!

EXPLORE FURTHER

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this article and found something to take away with you. 

To receive my weekly, self-care focused email that inspires you to go deeper inside the magic that is you, sign up for the Dwell in Magic weekly newsletter.

If you’d like weekly digital resources, guidance, and community with me and others, come and join the Dwell in Magic Patreon. We have a book club too!

For self-paced inner work, visit the shop for transformational bundles and guides. 

With love,

Jessica

The post The Joy of Release: How the Law of Detachment Sets You Free appeared first on Dwell in Magic®.

In this post, I'm sharing my finds of the most magical oracle decks for assisting you with your spiritual connection and self-care, as well as how I use oracle cards in my practice.

What is an oracle deck

Oracle cards are considered a divination tool, meaning they are used for spiritual guidance and as a way to shed light on situations or circumstances that a person might not be seeing or considering.

"To divine is to imagine the world rightly, to see past the illusion that we are separate from the entire fabric of reality." Gwendolyn Womack, The Fortune Teller

Merriam-Webster defines divination as "unusual insight: intuitive perception." As Gwendolyn states above, it is an illusion that we are separate from anything, and therefore everything in our reality is reflecting something back to us. 

When we pull an oracle card, the card can be seen as a reflection of our current energy. There are many ways to interpret a card, which is why it's good to look past the guidebooks that come with most decks and practice interpreting the possible meaning each card has for you personally. 

What an oracle deck is used for

Oracle decks are one of my favorite tools to use to connect with my higher self and spirit guides. I pull oracle cards anytime I'm wanting clarity on a situation, or even just guidance for my day.

Most often I have used my oracle deck to pull a card in the morning by asking what I most need to know for the day. 

The second most common way I've used oracle decks is during a ritual or self-care time. The Moon Ritual bundle comes with several card layouts that I've used time and time again for personal and spiritual exploration.

You can use an oracle deck to connect with yourself, your higher self, your guides, your gods, your angels...whomever and whatever you personally believe in. 

The difference between oracle and tarot decks

The main difference between oracle and tarot cards is really the structure. Tarot cards are more structured and detailed, and oracle cards are more open-ended and can come in any format. 

For example, most traditional tarot decks have 78 cards per deck that correlate with numerology and astrology. Oracle decks on the other hand can come in any number and can contain cards with unique meanings not found in other decks. 

Oracle decks give a more general overview while tarot decks can get much more detailed. Although I have to say, as an oracle card user, I have found very rich and deep meaning in my card pulls.

I prefer oracle cards for the very reason that they are more open-ended in interpretation Sometimes our minds can instantly go into fear when we're given a more detailed message that we don't fully understand, so with oracle cards there is less chance of this happening. 

It's really just a personal preference and most people enjoy both kinds of decks in my experience.

Best oracle decks

I have scoured the interwebs in search of magical, beautiful oracle decks that I think are worth recommending. There are so many to choose from out there, but my advice is to go for the one that makes your eyes light up when you first see it.

Just like with crystals, you are intuitively drawn to the right deck for you. Read the reviews from customers and the description of the deck, but let your heart pick it out and not your mind.

1. Awaken Tarot Deck

Awaken Tarot Deck

This beautiful tarot deck is a modern and more intuitive adaptation of the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck. It is designed to guide you on your journey of self-discovery. It can help you create focus, channel direction and promote clarity of what’s important in your life.

This deck comes with an easy-to-follow guide book to help you understand each card and how to use them for guidance, which makes it perfect whether you're a beginner or an experienced tarot reader.

2. Moon Witch Oracle Deck ™

Moon Witch Oracle Deck 

This is the second edition of the Bestselling Moon Witch Oracle deck. This deck was inspired by the exploration of the Divine Feminine and the source of her powers: The Moon. 

The deck consists of 42 cards and is divided into four suits: Action, Connection, Insights, and Message. Each card offers a ritual or spell to strengthen your connection to your higher self, which I love. There's also a guidebook provided (so it's beginner friendly).

3. Woodland Wardens Oracle Deck

Woodland Wardens Oracle Deck

Drawing on mythology, folklore, and literature, each card in the Woodland Wardens deck features an animal-plant pairing accompanied by a distinct and thoughtful message: the hare and the oak; the finch and the peach; the hawk and the thistle.

My sister-in-law brought this deck over the other night and we all pulled a card that was spot on for each of us. I highly recommend this magical deck!

4. Zodiac 108 Oracle Deck

Zodiac 108 Oracle Deck

This is a best-selling, highly-loved deck from Etsy star seller Kimberly Fisher. Her object-based oracle cards combine astrology, numerology and tarot with a plethora of meaningful keywords that enables anyone to go deeper while reading oracle cards without a guidebook.

The raving reviews from customers leave little doubt in my mind that this oracle deck has the potential to become your next favorite. 

5. Believe in Your Own Magic Oracle Deck

Believe in Your Own Magic Oracle Deck

This gorgeous new oracle deck by Amanda Lovelace is based on her poetry series Women Are Some Kind of Magic.

Each card is like a re-written fairy tale where you are your own hero. I personally love how it showcases women of all shapes, colors and sizes, sending messages of empowerment and self-love just as you are. 

6. Dreams & Incarnations Oracle Deck

Dreams & Incarnations Oracle Deck

This 52 card, intuitive oracle deck features original surreal and fantasy art by J. Edward Neill and card concepts, keywords, & guidebook by Heather Neill.

The focus for this deck is awareness of both the conscious (waking) and subconscious (dreaming) self. You'll discover dreamlike, surreal images, meant to guide you between the wakeful and sleeping worlds. 

7. Wild Whiskers Oracle Deck

Wild Whiskers Oracle Deck

This is the second edition of Wild Whiskers. The new deck includes 60 animal illustrations, a booklet, a rigid box, and quality card stock with black edging! The cards feature gorgeous hand-painted watercolor images and an 8-sided instructional booklet.

The back of each card depicts an anatomical heart surrounded by folk art flowers. They're easy to shuffle and read, and can be used in multi-card spreads or as single cards for daily contemplation. 

8. Wisdom of the Oracle Divination Cards

Wisdom of the Oracle Divination Cards

This magical deck is my personal go-to and has been for quite some time. The creator Colette Baron-Reid blends elements of the I-Ching, Norse runes, traditional tarot, and other ancient divination tools into this deck. 

It is a 52-card deck and comes with a companion guidebook that will allow you to interpret messages about all aspects of your journey, with over 250 independent meanings that can speak to an unlimited number of circumstances.

9. Salt Water Spirit Oracle Deck

Salt Water Spirit Oracle Deck

Water is the womb of the Earth, and holds a long forgotten ancient wisdom that has a deep connection to the divine feminine. As we enter the Age of Aquarius, the bearer of water, we see the divine awakening of the collective stirring.

This deck was created with intention to help clarify the world around you through a deeper perspective using ethereal artworks which awaken a deeper communication between spirit and the querent.

10. The Intuition Oracle

The Intuition Oracle

The idea that every human being has an innate ability to make good decisions based on their “gut instinct” is experiencing a surge of popularity in this time of instability and insecurity. This unique deck is an essential tool in developing that inner wisdom. 

This 52 card deck corresponds to archetypes and universal symbols, which are meant to prompt meditative thought. An accompanying guidebook includes a variety of intuition-sharpening exercises to be used with the cards. 

11. Nocturna Oracle

Nocturna Oracle

For this deck, creator Megan Wyreweden chose mostly plants and animals that are active at night. The deck starts with the "dusk" card as the beginning of night, and ends with the "dawn" card, signifying the first light of day. 

An accompanying guidebook offers suggestions on how to interpret the cards, however this is optional, and you can derive your own meanings yourself she says.

12. Sea Soul Journeys Oracle

Sea Soul Journeys Oracle

The Sea Soul Journeys Oracle deck provides mindful daily mantras to boost your mood, providing quiet yet potent signposts and connecting you more deeply to your intuition and to the magic and power of the sea.

The supporting guidebook contains expanded explanations and prompts for each card and provides ideas on how to use the deck in different ways, daily, weekly, monthly or randomly on a card-by-card basis.

13. Home Oracle Deck

Home Oracle Deck

This is a whimsical Oracle Cards Deck of 51 cards that each have a different message. It's a modern, beautiful and intuitive deck that is designed to help you connect to your inner wisdom and discover your own magic. 

The deck is full of unique characters, and the artwork is heavily influenced by the early modern art style, Fauvism. It also comes with a beautiful Thai and English bilingual guidebook.

14. The Seed & Sickle Oracle

The Seed & Sickle Oracle

This is an oracle deck that centers on the cycle of sowing and harvest, exploring themes of productivity and rest. The cycle of sowing and harvest is one that we see reflected around us every day...there are times for productivity and there are times for rest. The Seed and the Sickle Oracle deck is designed to encourage reflection on both. 

Each card carries two meanings; one for times when moving forward is important, and one to help cultivate your own well-being. Whether you are sowing seeds for your next big project or harvesting rewards for a period of rest, The Seed and the Sickle will accompany you on this journey.

15. Flower Medicine Oracle

Flower Medicine Oracle

The symbolic language of flowers has long been a part of world mythology, literature, and culture, and this beautiful deck will guide you to understanding flowers and what they mean.

This deck set includes an interpretation booklet and guide to the symbolism of each flower, a color psychology guide and a 'flower spread' guide to help yo use the cards. This is a truly beautiful deck designed for divination and self care.

16. The Metaphysical Cannabis Oracle

The Metaphysical Cannabis Oracle

The Metaphysical Cannabis Oracle Deck is designed to help you tap into your intuition, encouraging reflection and opening the third eye through herbal healing. Written by Maggie Wilson, the first Black female cannabis sommelier, it combines her expertise with richly illustrated cards by artist Ejiwa Ebenebe. 

A 78-card deck, printed on a matte-finish paper stock, this oracle will help you cultivate intentional rituals with plant medicine using deep spiritual symbolism.

17. Green Witch Oracle

Green Witch Oracle

Explore the hidden powers of the Green Witch and her sacred herbs, plants, and flowers through folklore, healing properties, garden magick, and hidden messages. These forty-four cards allow you to draw upon both the magickal and medicinal aspects of the garden.

Ethnobotanical and plant folklore historical facts are sprinkled throughout the guidebook enclosed, along with gardening advice and spells.

18. Astral Realms Crystal Oracle

Astral Realms Crystal Oracle

The next deck on my wishlist! This 33 card deck is a portal into the esoteric world of crystal healing and celestial influence. It employs a trifecta structure that combines crystals, celestial bodies, and key words.

Included is an immersive companion guidebook that gives insight into crystalline energies and universal principles, written to encourage the reader to transform their perspective and elevate their tangible experience.

19. The Herbal Astrology Oracle

The Herbal Astrology Oracle

This unique 55-card oracle deck and guidebook helps you to discover the powerful connection between the healing wisdom of plants and their astrological rulers.

You can use these cards to assist with manifestation and a better connection with Earth. The little booklet that comes with it is very helpful, especially for beginners.

20. Oracle of Mystical Moments

Oracle of Mystical Moments

I've owned this deck for a few years and have to include it on this list because of its unique imagery and rich meanings in each card. 

Each of the 52 oracle cards captures a magical moment full of vintage charm. It also comes with a little guidebook that help you interpret your card pulls.

21. The Wandering Soul Oracle

The Wandering Soul Oracle

In this deck the energy is of exploring past lives, searching for soul family members, recalling your blueprint, connecting with guides, meeting your gatekeeper, and more. This is teamed up with real world, practical advice.

This deck comes with 50 cards, plus an altar card, and comes with a booklet that sits seamlessly in the box with cards.

22. Angel Number Messages & Affirmation Oracle

Angel Number Messages & Affirmation Oracle

If you're into numerology or wanting to learn more about it, you'll want to check out this best-selling deck on angel numbers. 

It comes with 53 gloss black cards with gold gilded edging, and can be used alone for guidance or to complement other oracle/tarot spreads.

23. The Faceted Garden Oracle

The Faceted Garden Oracle

This deck was inspired by the symbolism and metaphor of the garden, and the artwork was intuitively hand-painted using a variety of collage and other mixed media.

This is the second edition of the Faceted Garden deck and comes with two new cards. It comes in a two-piece sturdy box with an accordion-folded guide that includes brief meanings for each keyword. The cards are easy to shuffle and edged with a holographic foil for a beautiful rainbow shimmer.

How to use oracle cards

Most decks come with a booklet that will tell you how to clear your deck and infuse your own energy into it, and they'll usually have some suggested spreads and general instructions on how to use the cards.

For me, this is what I do every time I sit down to pull cards:

1. To clear the deck, I usually hold the deck in my left hand, close my eyes, and knock on it with my right hand while envisioning it popping with white light. You can do it in any way you want, as it's your intention that clears the energy, not the actions.

2. I ask my spirit guides to be present and to help guide me towards what I need to know.

3. I shuffle my deck until I intuitively feel ready to stop, thinking of my question, and then pull a card that feels right. If I feel hung up, I picture all the cards being blank and remember that whichever card I pull will hold the message I need to see.

4. Turn my card over and begin taking notes. I look at the illustration on the card, observing what's in the picture: colors, symbols, numbers, and the feelings I get from it. I then begin reading inside the booklet.

Finding the message

With card pulling, you learn to read between the lines of the guidebook and feel into your intuition. Not every description is going to fit you exactly, so I look for words or sentences that I feel are for me.

Your spirit guides/higher self is showing you this card because somewhere, in the illustration or within the description, there is something for you to benefit from. So just look for it and if something pops out at you and resonates, that's your message.

One thing I like to do is keep my notes from all of my card pulls because it's nice to be able to go back over them a few days later or anytime I'm needing to hear the message again.

I might spend a few days studying one specific card. I think about the number I pulled or what the colors or animals could possibly symbolize, especially to me. Different things symbolize different things to different people. If you and I both pull a wolf card, it will have a different meaning depending on what wolves symbolize to us individually.

This is an example of how I document my card pulls during moon self-care rituals.

In conclusion

EXPLORE FURTHER

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this article and found something to take away with you. 

To receive my weekly, self-care focused email that inspires you to go deeper inside the magic that is you, sign up for the Dwell in Magic weekly newsletter.

If you’d like weekly digital resources, guidance, and community with me and others, join the Dwell in Magic Patreon. We have a book club too!

For self-paced inner work, visit the shop for transformational bundles and guides. 

With love,

Jessica

The post 22 Magical Oracle Decks for 2023 appeared first on Dwell in Magic®.

In a nutshell, it was life-changing. Even though a few friends shared their experiences with me before I went, I had no idea what to expect. I think it's best to go in with no expectations and an open mind, as TMI (the Monroe Institute) recommends.

They'll teach you how to explore your consciousness in a way you likely haven't done before. In addition, you'll be meditating in a place full of timeless energy with like-minded people, which tends to make your experiences much richer.

Read on for a more detailed description of my experience at TMI and why I believe you should go if you're interested in it.

What does the Monroe Institute do?

According to its website, TMI's mission is "helping people create more meaningful and joyful lives through the guided exploration of expanded consciousness." 

Robert Monroe established TMI in the early 1970s as a nonprofit research and education institution. Before that, in 1956, Bob had his own radio production company and began researching the effects that different sound patterns had on human consciousness. At that time, it was popular to listen to programs that promised learning through the subconscious while one slept.

Bob Monroe frequently used himself as a test subject and, in 1958, began having spontaneous out-of-body experiences. These experiences, to say the least, significantly changed his life. His professional career changed directions to follow his newfound focus and purpose. Thus, TMI was born and has been growing ever since.

Today, TMI (a nonprofit, nonsectarian organization) offers numerous programs that explore varying levels of expanded states of consciousness. They teach you to access your own higher consciousness using "specially built binaural beat audio-guided technology," which Bob first created.

Their main program, The Gateway Voyage, is the best starting point, as it is also a prerequisite for most of their other programs.

What is the Gateway Voyage experience?

The Gateway Voyage is a week-long retreat that teaches you how to reach expanded states of consciousness to access the higher self and other nonphysical communications. You begin by practicing with the first six waves of the Hemi-Sync® Gateway Experience®, and by the end of the week, you understand how to do it without audio sounds.

The Gateway Voyage explores Focus Levels 10-21. According to a handout I was given at TMI, Focus Levels are explained as such:

"Throughout Robert A. Monroe's out of body journeys, and during the course of several years, he mapped "territories," as he called them. These territories, or locales, remained consistent with specific deep-state levels of consciousness. His subjective experience of each locale was the same every time he entered the state of awareness associated with it. To avoid using mystical or religious language to describe these territories, Bob numbered them, calling them Focus Levels. Along with Hemi-Sync®, the Focus Levels formed the basis of Monroe Institute core programs."

The following are all of the Focus Levels that Bob mapped:

• Focus 1: "C-1" (waking consciousness)
• Focus 10: "Mind Awake/Body Asleep" (exactly as it sounds)
• Focus 11: "The Access Channel" (access to Total Self)
• Focus 12: "Expanded Awareness" (expanded beyond the five physical senses)
• Focus 15: "No Time - No Space" (the void, all potentiality)
• Focus 18: "The Heart Level" (unconditional love vibration)
• Focus 21: "The Bridge State" (access to nonphysical energies and intelligence)
• Focus 22: "Here and There" (a locale where you encounter people who are physically alive but unconscious, such as those in a coma or drug-induced state)
• Focus 23: "New Goners" (a locale where you encounter people who are no longer physically alive but haven't realized it yet)
• Focus 24, 25, 26: "Belief System Territories" (afterlife expressions of spiritual traditions)
• Focus 27: "The Park" (an afterlife area created by humans often resembling earth environments)
• Focus 34-35: "The Gathering" (allows communication with intelligences gathered to observe happenings on Earth)
• Focus 42: "The I-There Cluster" (allows awareness of even more aspects of Self)
• Focus 49: "Infinite Sea of Bonded I-There Clusters" (higher order guidance, "The Cluster Council")

My experience at the Monroe Institute

This section aims to give you an idea of the physical basics when staying at the Virginia location of TMI. A couple of friends I spoke with before gave me an idea of what to expect in this area, and I found it very helpful.

Accommodations

Most rooms are double-occupancy, but sleeping inside your CHEC unit, which has a curtain, provides considerable privacy.

There are two retreat locations at the Virginia campus: the Nancy Penn Center and Roberts Mountain Retreat. I stayed at the mountain retreat, which is up the hill. I had a room in the annex building, where most of us slept.

The rooms were nothing fancy, but they were clean and provided everything I needed for the week. I also had amazing sleep in the CHEC unit–they provided lots of blankets, and the air conditioning was great. I was worried I'd be a little warm, but the units were nice and cool.

Inside your CHEC unit are headphones, an overhead dimmable lamp, and a small shelf to put things on. There are buttons on the inside wall for adjusting sounds and switching your ready light on so the instructors can begin your meditation.

In the room I stayed in, we shared a bathroom. My friends stayed at the Nancy Penn Center and said bathrooms are located outside the rooms (they also said there are LOTS of bathrooms everywhere, so not to fret)!

Overall, the room situation was fine. Of course, I'd love to not have to share a room, but so much time is spent in meditation and group sessions that it wasn't that big of a deal.

Also, shuttle services brought people from the airport and took them back at the end of the week. A few of us drove in, such as myself, since I live only three hours away.

Meals

I never got a picture of the dining area, but this table spread was waiting for us in the Fox Den the first day we arrived. Everything was fresh and high-quality.

TMI has a kitchen staff, including a chef who prepares the most delicious meals! Our chef was Mark, and he had the best energy, which is probably why his food was so good. He even took requests from us, making someone's favorite cookies one day, for example.

They work hard to accommodate everyone's diet, which is really nice. There was something for everyone. The salad bar was always stocked and included homemade dressings that everyone raved about.

We had three meals a day, and the kitchen was always open if you needed a snack. Fruit, nuts, and candy were always available, as well as leftover homemade desserts from the previous day. Coffee, tea, and water were also available. The chef flavored the water daily with different combinations of herbs and veggies. My favorite combination was ginger, lemongrass, and cucumber–it gave the water such a unique, delicious flavor.

Many people brought their own water containers, but there are also water glasses and mugs that can be used throughout the day.

Meditations

The Gateway Voyage experience is centered around the meditations. We did three meditations between breakfast and lunch and up to two more after the afternoon break.

Each meditation lasts about 40 minutes. I didn't time them, but that's the length they seemed to be around.

They always take place in your CHEC unit. Also, you'll pee more times at TMI than you have your whole life because they advise you to before every meditation. Nothing is worse than getting into an altered state and realizing you need to go to the bathroom, so don't skip it!

Once inside your CHEC unit, you'll shut your blackout curtain, get into a comfortable position (some people sit up, halfway up, or all the way down), get your headphones on, and turn your ready light on and your lamp off.

It's normal to fall asleep during some meditations, and the running joke at TMI is how nice those $2,000 naps are! I also learned the meaning behind the term "clicking out," which happens when you're alert during meditation but wake up to the sound of the meditation ending and realize your consciousness went somewhere else at some point.

I always try to focus on affirming that I remember all of my nonphysical experiences. This is half the challenge of exploring the nonphysical–bringing the awareness of it back with you.

Group sessions

There are group sessions before and after most meditations. Every day, before breakfast, there is an optional yoga session. Only a few people in my group attended these. After breakfast, we had our first official group session of the day. These sessions were educational and allowed us to ask any questions we had.

After each meditation, we would debrief, share any experiences we wanted to share, and then discuss the following meditation. This was the pattern while at TMI: discuss, meditate, debrief, repeat.

Most people wore loose-fitting, stretchy clothing. I went in September, so it was mostly warm outside, but it's good to take cardigans or sweaters because you never know if the air conditioning will make you feel chilly. Also, most people wore casual sandals that they could easily slip on and off.

Some other random info that comes to mind when I think of going to group sessions is that TMI provides umbrellas, so if you're trying to travel light, don't worry about bringing one. Also, if you'd like to tip the staff, please make sure you have cash on hand to do so.

Breaks & other notable things

Every day, we had a long afternoon break that started after lunch and lasted until around 4 p.m. TMI is big on "no time," which means there are no clocks posted anywhere. You listen for their bells to ring, which signals the next activity. However, I observed the afternoon break to be around two to three hours long.

During the afternoon break, people napped, went for walks, ran, swam in the pool, got massages, or relaxed in the peaceful sitting areas around campus. Most people also visited the bookstore at some point during the week, where they could purchase audiobooks, souvenirs, books, and other items.

Back to the time thing, I noticed they generally woke us up around 6:30 a.m., followed by yoga at 7, breakfast at 8, lunch between 12 and 1, a break from 1 to 4, and our last session ending around 9 p.m.

I also enjoyed the sounds they played at night in our CHEC units and the wake-up recording done by Bob. The sounds at night were made for sleeping, and these faint airplane sounds were conducive to going out of body, in my opinion. They currently do not have these night sounds available for purchase.

Bob's wake-up call was awesome. His voice would come over the speakers quietly and he would have you affirm how good your day was going to be. It was such a nice way to wake up.

Noticeable changes before and after

I noticed several apparent changes before I left TMI and after going home. I saw several other people experiencing the same things. The following are some things you might experience:

• decreased appetite
• vivid dreams (or no dreams)
• feeling the need to ground often (which they assist you with)
• feeling like you're high after going home (a very relaxed, blissed state)
• driving too slow, being a bit more zoned out
• vivid dreams after returning home
• feelings of love and connectedness with others
• seeing people in a new light
• no more fear of death
• increased or newfound psychic abilities

I met a person at TMI who had his first out-of-body experience while there. It was short but blew his mind. Another woman who had no previous experiences vividly saw a small craft hovering over her inside the CHEC unit. She reached up to touch it, and her hand went through it. She was so awe-stricken during our next group session that she was visibly shaking while retelling her experience.

I did not have a conscious out-of-body experience while there, besides small recollections of walking up the stairs outside or checking my phone while meditating. However, I did receive many psychic impressions during the meditations and found my personal meditation before sleep to be super powerful, such as feeling vibrations for an increased amount of time.

Since I struggle with some social anxiety and am very sensitive to energies, I found myself a little drained each day and not fully charged up for having an out-of-body experience or even much dream recall.

I found myself appreciating the process of learning how to induce these expanded states of awareness more than needing to have experiences there. Since returning home, I have applied what I learned to make my meditations more effective and efficient. Before, I might meditate for up to an hour and never really reach a good meditative state, but now I know how to get there within less than 10 minutes.

Using Hemi-Sync® to expand consciousness

Before I went to TMI, I would listen to Gateway Experience meditations occasionally. I didn't know what I was doing, but the synchronization sounds would put me in an altered state, and I would have some really cool experiences.

I would mainly listen to Focus Levels 10 and 12 at that time. The sounds alone would make my meditation so much more effective. I remember one of my first experiences using Focus Level 10, which took me to some time in the 1700s here in the U.S. I was inside a cabin, and we were deciding where to hang a picture. If I had that experience now, I would know to inquire more about it, but at the time, I just marveled at it and wondered what it meant.

The following Focus Level recordings are the home study versions of the audios used for the Gateway Voyage:

• ​Wave I (Intro to Focus Level 10)
• Wave II (Intro to Focus Level 12)
• Wave III (we did at least one from this track, like "5 Questions")
• Wave V (Intro to Focus Level 15)
• Wave VI (Intro to Focus Level 21)

Each day, we focused on one wave: three in the morning and two in the afternoon. The audios are slightly different from the home study versions, but I noted they're pretty much the same. The ones at TMI might be slightly longer.

I recommend Focus Levels 10 and 12, linked in the above paragraph, or you can get them in this collection, which contains Wave I and II. You will likely experience some cool things even if you do not fully understand everything.

Recommended reading

Bob's books are recommended reading before you get to TMI. They are:

• Journeys Out of the Body
• Far Journeys
• Ultimate Journey

I read his first book a year before attending TMI and found it fascinating. Before attending TMI, I read the last two, which were also fascinating in a different way. Those books explored a lot of his experiences and conversations with nonphysical entities.

You can also read this post for my favorite books on astral projection.

In conclusion

I took this picture from my front yard right after returning from TMI. The three cloud rings reminded me of their logo and I was in such a state of gratitude.

I highly recommend that anyone interested in exploring their consciousness attend TMI at least once. I personally would love to attend yearly. Not only is it educational, but it's also highly conducive to connecting with higher aspects of yourself.

I typically read books and "do it myself," but I walked away from my experience at TMI with so much more context and understanding than I could have ever gotten on my own. Or, at the very least, a lot faster than it would've taken me otherwise.

Despite being a more private and sensitive person who can struggle with social anxiety, I really encourage anyone like me to still attend. There were a few people there like me, and we all felt it was worth it.

I plan to go again many more times, with the personal expectation that the energy will be strong. I'll feel it, and I'll struggle some with social interactions, but I'll walk away with so much more than I walked in with.

It's a life-changing experience, and if you ever get the chance to go, I say don't let it pass you by.

EXPLORE FURTHER

Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed this article and found something to take away with you.

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With love,

Jessica

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