Why I use Oracle cards, Moon cycle readings, and astrology

It's probably the most ‘woo’ thing I do, but over the years, it's something I’ve embraced more and more. It all started in my teens when I bought a pack of Tarot cards. I played with them for a while but quickly lost interest and packed them away.

Then, in the last few years, I delved into moon cycles and astrology. You can blame COVID for that search for answers in a world that had gone a little weird.

There’s something comforting about looking up at the moon and realising we’re not meant to feel the same every single day. When it comes to astrology, this isn’t just a quick paragraph in a magazine; it’s something deeper, like exploring natal charts. Again, it’s a search for something—who knows what that search was for?

We can all get a bit stuck, have off days, and lose motivation. This exploration became a way to understand why we feel this way, even a way of acceptance. I think part of this search is because we’re bombarded with information more than ever. Yet, what we see on social media often doesn’t resonate with us.

Some days, we’re energised and full of ideas. Other days, we want to retreat, reflect, cry, nap, journal, or simply be left alone with a cup of tea and our thoughts. Yet, modern life often expects us to operate like machines—productive, switched on, emotionally steady, and endlessly available. No wonder we feel overwhelmed.

The Power of Reflection

This is one of the reasons I love working with oracle cards, moon cycles, and astrology. Not because they “tell the future,” but because they invite us back into a relationship with ourselves. They help us pause long enough to ask:

• How am I really feeling?

• What season am I in emotionally?

• What needs attention right now?

  
  

It’s a tiny moment of reflection that can change everything. Just selecting a few cards can help focus our questions. So rather than providing answers, oracle cards simply allow an ease of asking the questions.

Oracle Cards: A Mirror, Not a Fortune Teller

People often assume oracle cards are about predicting dramatic events or receiving mystical answers from the universe. For me, oracle cards work best as reflective tools.

A card can act like a gentle mirror—showing you something you already know deep down but perhaps haven’t admitted to yourself yet.

You pull a card about rest just as you’ve been pushing yourself too hard. You pull a card about boundaries right after saying yes to something you didn’t want to do. You pull a card about trust during a moment when fear is trying to run the show.

Today, I pulled a card about Purpose—something I'm really feeling right now. I’m asking the question, ‘What is my purpose?’

Coincidence? Probably. But what I focus on more is the pause it creates.

Oracle cards encourage intuition. They help us move out of overthinking and back into feeling. And as you must know by now, I'm all about the feels. They create space for curiosity instead of control. Sometimes, all we really need is to give ourselves permission to stop for five minutes and notice.

Using Moon Cycles (Isn’t as Crazy as You Might Think)

Considering the moon cycles takes this process to another level.

Naturally, the moon has rhythms and phases—and so do we. I explain this to my clients who are ‘doubters’ by saying the moon impacts tidal waves—huge expanses of water. When you remember the average human body is made up of 60% water, it feels like it would be more surprising if we weren’t affected by the moon than if we are.

When we begin paying attention to moon cycles, we often start noticing our own emotional and energetic patterns too. Try it for a few months and see. You might be surprised at what you see and feel.

The art of reading moon cycles goes back hundreds, even thousands, of years. Civilisations used it in farming to predict good and bad times, for navigation over land and sea. Today, biodynamic gardening is returning as a ‘thing’—a real sense of working with nature.

And another thing: I don’t think it’s any coincidence that a female menstrual cycle is 28 days, just like a moon cycle.

New Moon Energy

We consider the new moon to feel quieter, inward, and reflective. It’s a beautiful time for:

• Setting intentions

• Journaling

• Beginning new habits

• Asking yourself what you truly want

• Planting emotional “seeds”

  
  

Not in a “new moon manifestation checklist” kind of way, but more in a:

• What am I ready for now?

• What do I want more of in my life?

• What needs to change?

  
  

Full Moon Energy

The full moon often illuminates things. Emotions can feel heightened. Sleep can feel different. Feelings we’ve pushed down sometimes rise to the surface, asking to be acknowledged.

Full moons can be powerful for:

• Reflection

• Releasing

• Emotional honesty

• Celebrating progress

• Letting go of what no longer fits

  
  

Sometimes, a full moon simply shines a light on what we’ve been trying not to see. While that can feel challenging and uncomfortable, it can also be incredibly healing.

Turning to Astrology: Understanding Your Natural Wiring

Astrology, at its heart, is a language of patterns and energy. It’s less about the magazine horoscope saying, “Today you will meet a tall dark stranger,” and more about understanding your natural tendencies, strengths, challenges, and emotional landscape.

Your birth chart can reveal:

• How you process emotions

• What helps you feel safe

• How you respond to stress

• Where you naturally shine

• Why certain patterns keep repeating

• What your soul may be trying to learn

  
  

For many women—especially in midlife—astrology can feel validating. It seems to be the time we search for more meaning in life, questioning why things have happened to us and seeking to understand what is to come.

You suddenly realise:

• You’re not “too sensitive.”

• You’re not lazy for needing rest.

• You’re not failing because your energy fluctuates.

• You’re not broken for craving deeper meaning.

  
  

You’re human. Thank goodness for that!

And perhaps you were never meant to fit into rigid systems that ignore natural cycles altogether.

Why These Practices Matter for Wellbeing

In my treatment room, I often see women who are exhausted from constantly overriding themselves. They’ve become disconnected from:

• Their bodies

• Their intuition

• Their emotions

• Their natural rhythms

  
  

Practices like oracle cards, moon reflections, journaling, astrology, meditation, and seasonal living gently reconnect us. It’s why the workshops resonate so well as I bring many of these aspects to the events. You can find the details of the workshops and events here: Radiance Therapy Events.

Or sign up for my regular emails, where I’ll keep you informed as new dates arrive: Sign Up for Updates.

Not because they solve every problem overnight, but because they help us become more aware. And awareness is powerful! It’s the first step to knowing your inner self. When you understand your patterns, you can support yourself differently.

You begin noticing:

• When you need rest instead of discipline.

• When anxiety is masking intuition.

• When you’re emotionally overloaded.

• When you’re trying to force instead of flow.

• When your nervous system simply needs softness.

  
  

That’s where healing often begins.

The Best Bit: You Don’t Have to “Believe” in It Perfectly

One of the biggest misconceptions is that you have to be deeply spiritual or fully immersed in astrology to explore these tools. You really don’t. I pushed against this for a long time. But then I was curious (and probably a bit bored during lockdowns).

The best way to start is to keep it simple. Pull an oracle card and reflect on what it brings up. If it resonates or makes you think, journal your thoughts.

Next, notice how you feel around a full moon. Read about your birth chart and see what resonates. I like Cafe Astrology as it provides a free chart reading and a great starting point.

Journal during the new moon (if it helps, return to the new moon questions above). Pay attention to your energy through the seasons.

A Final Thought

Perhaps the real beauty of oracle cards, moon cycles, and astrology is this:

They remind us that life is cyclical.

There are seasons for action, seasons for rest, seasons for growth, and seasons for release. Just like the moon, we are allowed to change phases too.

Maybe wellbeing isn’t about becoming perfectly balanced all the time. Maybe it’s about learning how to honour ourselves through every cycle we move through.

I guess this was why I started working on Seasonal Archetypes (more on that another time).

One of my cards today - asking the question 'what is my purpose?'

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