anti-hero

What message do the angels have for us through this rather dark-looking card?

For me, it feels like quite a dark card. Not dark as in sinister, but dark as in the light isn't yet shining. And I feel that this is what this card is very much about.

We're talking about maverick, risk-taker, and rule-breaker; somebody who doesn't conform to normal society beliefs, maybe also normal family beliefs. And it's a message to those of us who have chosen to walk a path that lights us up from the inside, but a path that may not be fully embraced by those around us. Perhaps it goes against the beliefs of some family members. Perhaps it goes against the normal acceptances of society as a whole. But being a maverick, being a risk-taker and being a rule-breaker can also be a positive thing.

If we look in the background, this card is based in a place where there is graffiti and wall art. Again, graffiti splits the camps. Some people, like myself, will look at graffiti and think it's the most fabulous art you can find. And some people will look at graffiti and they'll think it's just an abuse and violence to our environment.

Graffiti artists often put a tag which is their name. And these tags (on the card) are in red and yellow. And it's as if you're saying, "Look. This is who I am This is what I'm doing." And you're tagging your name on a wall for people to see. But, because you're maybe doing it in a tunnel or somewhere where it's dark, not everybody is going to see it. And, at the same time, not everybody's going to like it.

But you're tagging it in yellow and red because red shows how passionate you are about how you're leading your life and what you're doing in your life. Yellow is about optimism, self-belief, and positivity, knowing that, even if people don't agree with what you're doing, you know inside that what you're doing is for your own good. It's your soul purpose. You're shining your light inside. You just need to get that light to shine a little bit brighter.

Like I said, this card feels a little bit dark. But not from a sinister point of view, more because you're not shining your light.

There's a lot of black on the card. And for me, black is the colour of elegance and sophistication but it's also a colour of authority. And it feels like you are stamping your authority in your life by choosing not to follow everybody else like a sheep,  but by choosing what's right for you and doing what is right for you. And that takes real guts and real courage because it's much, much easier to blend in with everybody else, to be accepted as one of the crowd. It's not so easy to break and follow your own path where you may not have all the support that you would like. But in the end you will be a lot more fulfilled.

What I love about this card is her bare feet. They're something that stood out for me near the beginning, that she has bare feet, no shoes on. And that really felt significant to me because when you are in bare feet, you're so much deeply connected with Mother Earth. And when you're connected with nature and Mother Earth, it means you're a lot more connected with yourself. So, although you may have broken the normal rules by following your own path, by doing so you are so much more connected to yourself and who you are at soul level.

Yes, people will not necessarily stand up and sing your praises and shine the light on you. Things may feel challenging and tough and dark at times. But you're being true to who you are. And there is nothing more important in this life than being true to who you are, not being true to what everybody else is.

The other thing I like about this card, that caught my eye, were her eyes. It almost looks like her eyes are, not closed over but, like there's some kind of block over her eyes. It looks like someone who has cataracts on their eyes, their eyes are completely glazed over. And that feels siginificant to me as well. Not because your eyes aren't open, your eyes are open, but they're glazed over from a positive point of view. They're glazed over to what everybody expects from you, what society expects you to do. It's not that you're turning a blind eye to it all, but you've glazed your eyes over where others are not influencing you.

You have found your path and although, like I said, people will not necessarily sing your praises and they will not raise you up because you are breaking the normal rules, you are being a bit of a maverick. But there's so much more courage and conviction to somebody who chooses to walk their own personal path, who chooses to follow their soul, who chooses to be who they truly are deep within them. It takes great courage, it takes authority, it takes elegance and it takes a passion and a self-belief in yourself because, when others around you may not be supporting you or believing you, it's very easy to lose your self-belief. You need to hold onto that.

Out of everything on this card, it's the red and yellow (graffiti on the walls) that's really popping out, the passion and the self-belief and the optimism and positivity. You really need to hone in on that. Perhaps you're feeling in a little bit of a dark place because you haven't surrounded yourself or you haven't found people who are like you yet. Keep walking. Keep walking bare foot, keep connecting with yourself and with nature. And you will find them, your people. They will start to see your light, they will start to find you and they will start ro come towards you.

So don't change who you are so you can fit in with expectations. Be brave, be bold, be a maverick. Do what so few people in this world do and follow your soul, follow your passion, do what lights you up from the inside. And, yes, your light may not shine brightly and attract everybody to you, but that's a good thing. You only want to attract those who are similar to you, who understand you, who can take your light and take it further, not try to dim your light.

So be that maverick, break those rules, take those risks, and follow what your soul is telling you to do.

Reference: This beautiful card is from Les Vampires Oracle Deck by Lucy Cavendish, artwork by Jasmine Becket-Griffith