Last week we were over in Yorkshire visiting our families and we popped to Hebden Bridge for the day. I found a gorgeous little shop called Earth Spirit and I noticed a tiny little book about ‘Tea Leaf Reading’. My great-nana Phoebe used to read tea leaves and I’ve always wanted to give it a go. I bought the book and yesterday I gave it a try.

The experience of reading tea leaves for the first time was made even more special due to the fact I used my nana’s (great-nana Phoebe’s daughter) teapot and I used a great-grandmother’s (from my father’s side) tea cup and saucer. It felt like I was connecting with my ancestral line in a really tangible way, bringing together these little pieces of the women who came before me and opening myself up to the magical energy and wisdom that flows through connection.

I want to bring a little twist to the way I read tea leaves, so I’ll be drawing what I see in the leaves and building up a visual tea-leaf directory. I’d be interested to know what you can see in the cup though? Do you see what I see? Or something entirely different? It would be interesting to hear your thoughts in the comments.

I couldn’t resist seeing what would come out with tarot as an accompanying message to the leaves and it was so insightful for me. I am quite excited to combine tea leaf readings with tarot and read for others in this way too.

I can’t wait to do more tea leaf readings and share the images I see.

To follow my tea leaf reading journey, follow me on instagram.

It started with a conversation with fellow artist Emmi and then yesterday another of my old drawing books turned up (I’d recently found a stash when we were clearing out the study in February) but this one turned up in a forgotten bag in the downstairs cupboard yesterday afternoon.

The drawing journals I’d found in February were from the early 2000’s, back when I was obsessed with Lord of the Rings and wanted to be an elf 🧝‍♀️ (I may or may not be being serious there, you can decide 😜) I had written in elvish all around etheral images of horses and other pretty characters but also drawings of surfboards (I used to surf quite a lot in my youth! ) so I’m figuring that particular page of elvish was about surfing or a recent surf trip? Who knows! (Please don’t attempt to translate from my photos, god knows what I have written and it could end up embarrassing!)

Anyway, back to the conversation I’d had with Emmi, we discussed how we were both feeling being drawn back towards drawing by hand and then not long after, that other drawing book turned up! (Was it a sign?) I’ve had these celestial images floating about in my head for a while so I thought to myself, “why wait?” and I began.

First I made a List

Before I drew anything, I wrote down some of the words and feelings I wanted the images to evoke.

Then I started drawing the symbols, sort of like a visual language that I’d be able to combine.

Little symbols that felt like they belonged to some kind of visual language.

After that it was time to start combining them and that’s when…..

Is that a moon toilet? Said my husband 😂

He was joking of course but once you’ve seen a moon toilet, apparently then you can’t unsee a moon toilet!

I’m now slightly concerned I’ve created an entire new genre of celestial bathroom fixtures 🫣

The funny thing is, though, that underneath the silliness, I’m really enjoying this. I’m really enjoying sitting down with a pen and paper and not having to know exactly what I’m creating. I’m not designing a finished product and I’m not trying to make anything “perfect”. I’m just following the little pictures that have been appearing in my head and seeing what happens when I get them onto paper.

They might become a collection of postcards, or prints, or downloadable PNGs, who knows 🤷‍♀️ For now though I’m just drawing and that feels really good.

I’ll keep sharing what emerges although I may need to work on making my celestial symbolism slightly less…..toilet like 😂

Want to explore a little more of the world I’m creating? 🌙

You can find my existing tarot, mindful doodling and moon inspired creations over in my Etsy shop, Barley Moon Digitals.

• Who am I becoming?

• What wants to be expressed through me?

• Where have I been hiding parts of myself?

• What am I ready to step away from so I can become more fully myself?

Leo is connected with self expression, creativity, courage, confidence, joy, playfulness and the heart. Use this eclipse as an opportunity to pause rather than try to “do more” and also there is a message coming through of allowing yourself to be seen as you really are. Leo is asking us to reconnect with the part of ourselves that knows what feels alive, creative and authentic, rather than constantly seeking permission, approval or reassurance from outside ourselves.

With this powerful new moon eclipse in Leo I have created a pick-a-pile reading to offer you a little personal reflection on the energy you are moving through right now. The cards are not here to predict what might happen, they are here to illuminate what you need to see, release, remember and embrace as you step into the next chapter.

Take a few slow breaths, close your eyes and when you open them, notice which number you are drawn to and read down below for the reveal.

✨ Support The Barley Moon

Make sure you picked your pile before you read any further!

The Reveal….

Pile 1:

Pile 2:

Pile 3:

A message for all:

If you have enjoyed this reading and would love more collective readings then consider joining my free WhatsApp community: The Barley Moon Circle

Every year around this time, I notice the conversations around the Lions Gate Portal beginning to appear.

People share rituals, intentions, tarot readings, meditations and reflections around this symbolic time of year.

But beyond the dates, the astrology and the spiritual language, what I love most about Lions Gate is the invitation it offers. It’s about taking a moment to pause and reflect, to reconnect with ourselves and ask:

Where am I now?

What am I ready to release?

What am I being invited to create next?

For me, Lions Gate has always felt like a beautiful opportunity to slow down and listen.

What is the Lions Gate Portal?

The Lions Gate Portal is a spiritual tradition associated with the period around Leo season, often marked from late July into August, with the energy commonly celebrated on 8/8 (8th August).

It is connected symbolically with:

🦁 The Sun moving through Leo

⭐ The star Sirius

∞ The symbolism of the number 8 and themes of alignment, abundance and infinite possibility

Different people connect with Lions Gate in different ways. Some see it as an energetic gateway, while others simply enjoy using this time as a meaningful marker for reflection and intention setting.

For me, it’s less about needing to “manifest perfectly” and more about creating space to listen.

The practices I return to during Lions Gate

The rituals that support me are simple.

A journal.

A tarot deck.

A quiet moment with a cup of tea.

A creative practice.

A question that invites me to look inward.

I often find the most powerful reflections come from slowing down enough to hear the answers within.

This is why tarot, mindful doodling and journaling have become such important parts of my own journey.

They create a space between where we are now and where we feel called to go next.

The story behind my Lions Gate lion

In 2022, during the Lions Gate period, I sat down and began drawing a lion.

At the time, it wasn’t created as a product.

There was no plan.

I was simply following a creative pull and allowing the image to emerge. On 8/8 that year I went to a local drumming circle and I gave the lion drawing to the host as a gift.

Over time, though, this image of the lion I’d drawn, stayed with me.

This year, that original artwork has become the heart of my Lions Gate creations.

Ways to journey with Lions Gate this year

For those who feel called to receive personal guidance.

This intuitive 8-card tarot journey explores themes such as:

✨ Your current energy
✨ What is awakening within you
✨ Your inner strength
✨ What you are ready to release
✨ The opportunities opening before you
✨ Wisdom from your future self
✨ Your next aligned step
✨ Your Lions Gate message

Your reading includes:

🎧 A personal voice recording
📸 A photograph of your tarot spread
📖 Reflection prompts
🌙 A beautiful digital Gateway PDF

Explore the reading here:

Lions Gate Tarot Reading

The Digital Lions Gate Collection

If you’d prefer to create your own self-guided ritual, I’ve created a collection of digital resources to support your reflection.

Included:

📱 Three Lions Gate phone wallpapers

✨ Eight printable affirmation cards

💌 Letter to My Future Self with matching envelope

These are designed to be returned to year after year, whenever you feel called to reconnect with your intentions.

Explore the collection here:

Explore the digital collection

The Lions Gate Journey

For those who want the complete experience.

This combines:

✨ The Personal Lions Gate Tarot Reading

PLUS

📱 The Digital Lions Gate Collection

A self-paced journey combining tarot, creativity and reflection.

Explore the bundle here:

Explore the bundle

The Lions Gate Virtual Retreat

If you would love to experience Lions Gate alongside others, I’d love to welcome you into my virtual retreat space.

Together we’ll explore the energy through:

✨ Tarot

📖 Journaling

🎨 Mindful creativity

🌙 Reflection

🦁 Future visioning

💛 Community

Your retreat place includes the digital Lions Gate resources, and retreat participants will also receive an exclusive opportunity to add a personal tarot reading afterwards.

Join the retreat here:

Join the Lions Gate Virtual Retreat

However you choose to work with Lions Gate…

There is no right or wrong way.

You might pull a card.

You might write a letter to your future self.

You might sit quietly and dream about what comes next.

You might simply take a few minutes to notice how far you’ve already come.

The most important part is creating a little space to listen.

Laura
The Barley Moon ✨🌙

Today, I shared the final doodle from that collection, and it feels like the perfect moment to finally share the story behind them.

These doodles were created during a year when I was trying to find my way back to myself. They became little moments of hope.

Promises to myself that I could choose a different way of thinking, even when life felt incredibly uncertain.

Looking back now, I can see that those affirmation doodles were the very beginning of something much bigger than I could have imagined.

They were also the first seeds of The Barley Moon.

But to understand where they came from, we need to go back to 2020.

Or perhaps, even a little earlier.

The year everything changed

In May 2018, I discovered that my then husband was having an affair.

I found out completely by accident, and from that moment onwards, the life I thought I was living slowly began to unravel.

By August 2019, the affair had finally been admitted, and we began living separately under the same roof while trying to navigate what came next.

If you are someone navigating a similar experience, I want to remind you that you are not alone. I recently came across another writer sharing her lived experience of this chapter of life, and I think her words may bring comfort to anyone finding themselves in a similar place. You can find Sarah here: ...@startingoverwithsarah and her substack here.

It was a painful and confusing time. I remember feeling like I was trying to hold together a life that was already changing around me. I had spent so many years knowing who I was within my marriage and as a mum, and suddenly I was questioning so much about myself.

I was grieving the life I thought we were going to have as a family if 4 ( our boys were only small at the time) while also trying to work out who I was outside of the relationship I had spent so many years building.

Then, as 2020 began, the world changed too.

But before lockdowns and everything that followed, something unexpected entered my life: Tarot.

When tarot found me

In January 2020, I visited a clairvoyant who used the most beautiful tarot deck during our session.

The reading stayed with me, not only because of the things she shared, but because of the cards themselves. I remember being completely captivated by the artwork. There was something about the imagery that felt like it was inviting me into a story.

She told me things she couldn’t possibly have known, and I left feeling fascinated by this mysterious world of tarot.

I began exploring tarot readers on Instagram and YouTube, learning about different decks and the many ways people connected with the cards.

Eventually, I bought my first tarot deck.

The Wild Unknown Tarot.

At the time, I had no idea that this deck would become such an important companion during one of the hardest periods of my life.

Looking back now, the timing feels almost symbolic. I discovered tarot and then very quickly experienced my own powerful “Tower moment”. That card has become the one I associate most strongly with 2020, the image of old foundations falling away to make space for something new.

I also think it’s important to get across that I never approached tarot as a way of predicting the future but saw it as a way of reflecting what was currently happening in my life.

It was a way of asking myself deeper questions and reconnecting with my intuition when everything around me felt so uncertain.

The beginning of The Barley Moon

Alongside tarot, another practice started to emerge. Connecting back with my creativity.

I had always loved drawing, but during this time doodling became something different.

It became a form of healing.

I began creating affirmation doodles and I remember sitting and drawing these little pages, not with any idea that anyone else would ever see them, but because I needed those words for myself.

These simple drawings centred around words and reminders I needed to hear myself.

Words like:

I am enough.

I am worthy.

I trust myself.

I choose love.

And one particular one which came from someone who helped nudge me into finally working on healing myself and loving myself; Nourish You.

These affirmations became little anchors and very important ones at that.

At a time when my confidence had been shaken, they helped me slowly change the way I spoke to myself.

They reminded me that I was still worthy of love, kindness and happiness.

In February 2020, I decided to take myself away for a spa day.

Looking back, this feels like such a significant moment.

I was beginning to learn how to give myself the care and love I had spent so much time looking for outside of myself.

While I was there, I remember looking at the tiles on the wall around me and suddenly noticing the pattern.

It reminded me of an Instagram grid.

And I had a little idea.

I had already been creating these affirmation doodles, so why not share them?

Not only could they potentially help someone else, but it would also hold me accountable.

If I committed to creating and sharing one each day, I would keep showing up for myself and I would keep creating. That in turn would help me to keep choosing thoughts that helped me move forward.

So I created an Instagram account.

At first, I called it Soul Love.

A name that reflected exactly what I was trying to cultivate during that chapter of my life.

I need to remind myself to have more love, more compassion and more kindness towards myself.

But as my journey continued, another form of spirituality began calling to me; working with the moon.

I discovered the Moonology Oracle and the accompanying diary, and I became fascinated by the cycles of the moon, intention setting and the rhythm of nature.

If this is something you are interested in the creator of the Moonology deck, Yasmin Boland is also on substack @yasminbolandmoonology and you can find her here

In April 2020, Soul Love became The Barley Moon.

A name that felt more aligned with the path I was stepping onto.

What started as a daily affirmation practice during heartbreak was slowly becoming something much bigger.

I just didn’t know it yet.

The summer everything started to change

That summer became a turning point.

As I continued healing, reflecting and learning more about myself, I discovered the Lions Gate portal.

I was drawn to the idea of using this time as a moment of reflection; a chance to think about what I wanted to create, what I was ready to leave behind and who I was becoming.

I wrote a letter to the universe calling in the love I wanted to experience, the type of love I deserve.

At the time, I didn’t know what would happen next. I couldn’t have known that the intentions I was writing down that summer would become part of a story I would look back on with so much gratitude.

I also didn’t know that the person who would eventually become my husband was about to become part of my story.

Another substack writer I can recommend at this point is JoJo @thepocketcoach and her substack here

JoJo and I have had some conversations already about finding someone who speaks the same love language as you and she has a similar journey to share.

John was already someone I knew. Our lives had become connected through a painful situation neither of us had chosen, as our previous marriages had both been affected by the same affair.

But rather than our story beginning with romance, it began with friendship.

Two people who understood the pain of what the other had been through.

Two people who slowly began finding laughter, support and connection again.

And then, in October 2020, something shifted.

We kissed for the first time.

At the time, I had no idea what the future held but looking back now, I see how many little threads had been weaving together.

The tarot cards.

The affirmations.

The doodles.

The moon.

The letter calling in the love I deserved.

All of these small moments were leading me towards a version of myself I hadn’t yet met.

The woman who created those first affirmation doodles was simply trying to heal.

She had no idea she was also creating the foundations of The Barley Moon.

And she certainly had no idea that the journey was only just beginning...

Because for me, Lions Gate isn’t just a date on the calendar.

It’s become a yearly invitation to pause, reflect, dream and reconnect with the person I am becoming.

My own Lions Gate journey began in 2020.

I was at our family holiday home in Wales, standing on the beach, and I came across the idea of the Lions Gate Portal for the very first time.

I had never heard of it before, but something about creating a moment to slow down, reflect and dream felt deeply meaningful.

That evening, I sat down and wrote a letter to the future.

I wrote about the kind of love, connection and life I hoped I would one day experience.

At the time, I had no idea how much my life was about to change.

I don’t believe that writing a letter means we can control exactly how life unfolds, but I do believe there is something powerful about becoming clear on what matters to us, creating space for hope, and allowing ourselves to imagine a different future.

Not long after that Lions Gate moment, someone who was already loosely connected to my life crossed my path in a different way.

We were both coming out of incredibly difficult chapters, carrying the lessons and the scars of what had happened before.

What began as a friendship slowly grew into something deeper.

In October 2020, we realised there was something more between us.

That friend became my husband.

Looking back now, it feels like one of those beautiful moments where life reminds us that endings can also become beginnings.

If you’d like to hear our story I tell it here on the Susan Sheehan Podcast

But the Lions Gate journey became about so much more than love.

Each year, it became a space where I checked in with myself and asked:

✨ What am I ready to create?
✨ What dreams am I nurturing?
✨ What version of myself am I stepping towards?

In 2022, I found myself writing again during Lions Gate season.

This time, my dreams weren’t about relationships. They were about something that was still just a tiny seed of an idea: The Barley Moon.

I was preparing to take a career break and pour my energy into building something that had been quietly growing inside me.

I remember writing in my little notebook about my hopes for this creative path and the kind of space I wanted to create for others.

That same year, I drew the lion artwork that has now become the inspiration behind this retreat.

At the time, I had no idea that image would one day become part of something shared with others.

In 2023, I created my own Lions Gate vision board ritual, combining creativity, reflection and tarot.

I loved the process of using journaling, imagery and intuition to explore what I wanted to call more of into my life.

In 2024, I joined my beautiful friend Joanne for her Lions Gate vision boarding workshop.

Sharing that experience with others reminded me how powerful it can be when we create alongside others; when we give ourselves permission to dream, reflect and imagine what could be possible.

And now, in 2026, all of those threads are weaving together.

The Lions Gate Virtual Retreat feels like the next chapter of a journey that began years ago.

A journey that has held love, healing, creativity, courage and transformation.

This retreat isn’t about creating a perfect future or having all the answers.

It’s an invitation to pause, listen inward, explore your dreams and reconnect with your creativity.

To use tarot, mindful doodling and reflection as tools to help you connect with the vision you hold for yourself.

Sometimes we simply need the space to remember who we are and where we want to go next.

That is what Lions Gate has always represented for me.

A doorway, a moment of possibility and a chance to come home to myself.

And this year, I’m opening that doorway for others too.

The Lions Gate Virtual Retreat
A Tarot-Guided Doodle Vision Board Journey

A gentle, flexible virtual retreat experience blending tarot, mindful doodling, journaling and intention setting.

If you feel called to join, the waitlist is now open….join me in The Barley Moon Circle to be one of the first to hear when bookings open.

There are moments in life that seem small when they happen, but when we look back, we realise they were the beginning of something much bigger.

The Lions Gate Portal has become one of those moments for me.

Not because I believe we can simply wish things into existence, but because every August it has given me a beautiful opportunity to stop for a moment , reflect and ask myself:

What am I ready to create?
What dreams am I nurturing?
Who am I becoming?

And when I look back now, I can see the thread that has been weaving through each year.

2020 — The beginning of the journey

In 2020, I stood on the beach in Wales that I’ve known all my life. We have a family holiday home there that Grandma had owned since 1962. I was there with my two little boys and my parents. There had been a brief break in the strictness of lockdown and I hadn’t let that opportunity pass me by. I’d got myself and my boys on the first ferry over from Ireland and come over to meet my parents in this special place.

I was finally starting to feel like I was coming home to myself, months previously I’d had a complete breakdown (living under the same roof as my (now) ex-husband while he continued his affair had just got too much) but now I was coming back to me and feeling positive about the future ahead. I was in the early stages of my spiritual journey and it was on the 8/8/20 that I marked the Lions Gate Portal for the very first time.

If you are interested in my story, I share it here on the Susan Sheehan Podcast.

I had never heard of it before.

Something about the symbolism of the day, the energy of reflection and the invitation to dream felt deeply meaningful to me. It felt like an opportunity to step away from the noise of everyday life and listen more closely to what my heart was trying to tell me.

That evening, I sat down and wrote a letter to the future partner I hoped I would one day meet.

I wrote about the kind of love I hoped to experience, the qualities I valued and the life I dreamed of sharing with someone.

Not long afterwards, I became friends with the man who would become my husband (the full story is wild because he’s the ex-husband of the woman my ex-husband was having the affair with! You can listen to the story here)

Looking back now, it still feels like one of those beautiful moments where life seems to whisper, pay attention.

But what I love most is that the Lions Gate journey wasn't only about love.

It became about connection with myself.

2022 — A dream begins to take shape

Two years later, I found myself returning to that same practice of reflection and intention setting.

But this time, my questions were different.

I was dreaming about something that was still only a tiny seed of an idea. It was already in existence as my Instagram page but now I was allowing myself to dream about what I could do with The Barley Moon.

At that point, it was still in its infancy. I was preparing to take a career break and pour more energy into this little vision that had been growing inside me.

I wrote ideas, dreams and possibilities into my notebook.

I didn't know exactly what it would become.

I only knew it felt important.

Around that same time, I created the lion artwork that has become the foundation of this year's Lions Gate journey.

Looking back, I love seeing how creativity often works this way.

A tiny spark becomes an image.

An image becomes an idea.

An idea becomes something we share with others.

2023 — Creating my own ritual

By 2023, I had begun creating my own Lions Gate vision board ritual.

I combined the practices that had supported me so much over the years:

✨ Tarot for reflection
✨ Journaling for clarity
✨ Creativity for expression
✨ Visioning for possibility

It became a yearly moment to check in with myself.

Not a list of things I wanted to force into existence, but a gentle invitation to notice where I was being called next.

2024 — Dreaming in community

In 2024, I joined my beautiful friend Joanne for her online Lions Gate vision boarding workshop.

It was such a lovely reminder that while our dreams are personal, there is something powerful about creating alongside others.

Sometimes we need space held for us, we need someone else to remind us to pause; we simply need permission to dream a little bigger.

And as I look back now, I smile at how much was unfolding during that year of my life (I just didn’t know it at that time)

Now, six years after first standing on that beach in Wales, I find myself returning to the Lions Gate again.

But this time, I’m not simply creating a ritual for myself.

I’m opening a space for others.

A space to pause.

A space to reflect.

A space to reconnect with creativity and intuition.

A space to explore the dreams and intentions that are waiting to be nurtured.

This is how The Barley Moon Lions Gate Virtual Retreat was born.

The Lions Gate Virtual Retreat

A Tarot-Guided Doodle Vision Board Journey

This will be a gentle, flexible virtual retreat experience designed to unfold across the Lions Gate weekend.

Together we’ll explore:

✨ Tarot reflection and intuitive guidance
✨ Mindful doodling practices
✨ Vision board creation
✨ Journaling prompts
✨ Intention setting
✨ A closing meditation to honour the 8/8 energy together

This is not about creating a perfect vision board or having all the answers.

It is about creating space.

Space to listen.

Space to imagine.

Space to connect with the version of yourself that is waiting to emerge.

The retreat will be designed as a dip-in, dip-out experience, allowing you to move through the practices around your own life and schedule, with an integration day afterwards to continue reflecting and creating.

If something in this story has stirred something within you, I would love to welcome you into this journey.

🦁 The Lions Gate Virtual Retreat waitlist is now open.

My WhatsApp Community members receive first access and special early invitation pricing. You can join us here:

The Barley Moon Circle WhatsApp Community

Come and dream with me. 🌙✨

There are certain moments in the year when you can feel the energy shifting before it even arrives.

A friend of mine has been feeling that upcoming shift so strongly, she had asked if I look in my Moonology diary to see what the astrology was for the new moon in July. I’m fascinated by astrology but always struggle to keep it all in my head so I decided I’d read the section all about July in general first.

I had to stop and reread it.

Six major astrological aspects. Rare ones. Powerful ones. The kind that astrologers get genuinely excited about because they point towards change, movement, possibility and stepping into completely new territory. Then I started watching a few of my favourite astrologers on YouTube and they are all talking about July.

The messages feel clear:

This is not a month to stay where you are simply because it feels familiar.

This is a month for trusting the call towards something new.

And then I remembered this isn’t the first time I’ve heard whispers of 2026.

When we first moved into this house in 2022, I remember unpacking boxes with YouTube podcasts playing in the background, listening to Dan Waites and S.J. Anderson talking about the astrology that was coming in 2026.

If you want to watch those episodes you can find them here

At the time it felt so far away, but I remember feeling something in my body when they spoke.

Like something big was waiting further down the path.

They spoke about André Barbault and his observations of rare planetary patterns — basket-like formations in the sky that often point to major collective turning points, endings and beginnings.

I remember thinking back then:

I wonder where I’ll be when that arrives? And now here we are and actually standing at the doorway of it.

Looking back now, it feels surreal not just because 2026 is almost here, but because so much has changed since then.

The version of me unpacking those boxes could never have imagined the life I’d be living now, the healing I’d walk through, the things I’d have to release, or the parts of myself I’d have to reclaim.

And maybe that’s what these bigger astrological cycles do.

They don’t predict, they prepare you and give you a preview.  An invitation of sorts to use the energy wisely.

I know how many of us are carrying quiet desires for change right now. I see it come up in the tarot readings I give. Themes of a new beginning, a brave conversation, a creative leap, the list goes on.

It’s up to us to trust in ourselves and take the steps but often what stops us is fear.  Overthinking and waiting for certainty. Or waiting until the timing feels “perfect.”

Yet the truth is, most meaningful journeys begin before we feel ready.

That’s exactly why I felt called to create something special around this energy, not because I have all the answers. It’s because I know the power of being held while you move through change.

Inspired by the imagery of the 6 of swords in the Lightseers Tarot I have created “Uncharted Waters”.

A 7-day tarot and journaling journey running from 1st–7th July.

A space to reflect, listen, release, dream and take brave small steps towards what’s next.

Over seven days, participants will receive:

🌙 Daily personal tarot guidance

📖 A guided workbook

✍️ Reflection and journaling prompts

🎨 An active doodling meditation

💬 A private WhatsApp space

✨ Opening and closing circles

It’s been intentionally designed to fit around real life. No fixed times and no pressure.

Just a gentle daily rhythm that you can return to when it suits you.

A quiet invitation to step off the shore and into something new.

Maybe that’s what July is asking of all of us. It’s saying it’s okay not to have it all figured out, but to trust the water enough to begin.

Registration is now open and if this feels like it’s speaking to you, you can reply to this post or message me directly.

Maybe July is your month to take the leap and you don’t have to do it alone 🌊

When I first created my WhatsApp community, I didn't have a big plan.

I simply wanted a lovely place where I could share moon reflections, tarot insights, mindful practices, and little moments of inspiration with people who felt drawn to them.

What I didn't expect was how wonderful it would become.

In a world where so many online spaces feel noisy, overwhelming, and demanding of our attention, this little corner of WhatsApp has grown into something very different.

It's quiet, it’s intentional and, most importantly, it’s supportive.

There is no pressure to keep up with endless conversations. No expectation to be constantly online. No need to have the perfect thing to say.

People can simply arrive, read, reflect, and receive.

Some members engage regularly. Others dip in whenever they need a moment of grounding. Both are equally welcome.

Over the past few weeks, I've shared collective tarot readings, moon rituals, journaling prompts, spiritual reflections, mindful doodling practices, and gentle guidance to help us navigate life. It’s an energy of slowing down, supporting one another, and creating meaningful connections. It's also one of the reasons I love Substack so much.

The community has become a place where we can work with the moon cycles together, reflect on what's unfolding in our lives, celebrate small wins, and remember that we don't have to navigate everything alone.

One of my favourite things about the community is that there is no pressure to participate in a particular way.

You can join every live gathering.

You can catch up on recordings later.

You can simply read the messages when you have a quiet moment with a cup of tea.

Nobody feels like they have to catch up.

The space is there whenever you need it.

As we move into this next chapter, I feel incredibly grateful for every person who has chosen to be part of it.

What started as a simple WhatsApp group has become a community of kind-hearted souls supporting one another and it feels really magical.

If you're looking for a warm and friendly group filled with moon wisdom, tarot, mindfulness, creativity, and heartfelt connection, I'd love to welcome you.

Come and Join Us

This community has become one of my favourite things I've created.

The WhatsApp Community is a calm, intentional space for:

✨ Collective tarot and oracle readings

✨ New and full moon rituals

✨ Journaling prompts and spiritual reflection

✨ Mindful doodling and creative practices

✨ Gentle guidance and shared wisdom

✨ Connection without pressure

You don't need to keep up with a busy chat.

You don't need to reply every day.

You can simply dip in, read, reflect, and receive whatever resonates.

If this sounds like the kind of space you've been looking for, you're warmly welcome to join us.

✨ Join the WhatsApp Community here:

https://chat.whatsapp.com/HbURJ0JxFC94R9RwckTR9G

It feels like a turning point that happens internally first, are you feeling that too?

I pulled a collective spread using only the Major Arcana, and the message that comes through feels very clear:

We are being asked to come back into alignment with ourselves… by releasing what’s been emotionally heavy, confusing, or misaligned.

The Collective Tarot Message

Card 1 — What we are being invited to root into:
The Lovers (reversed) + Justice

This is about returning to truth in our choices.

There may be places where we’ve been choosing from pressure, habit, or fear of disruption rather than alignment. Justice steps in as a balancing force, bringing us back into honesty, clarity, and accountability with ourselves.

This New Moon is not asking for rushed decisions…
it’s asking for aligned ones.

Card 2 — What needs healing or reclaiming:
Judgement (reversed)

This pertains to hesitation around our own becoming.

There may be self-doubt, overthinking, or a quiet resistance to fully stepping into the next version of ourselves. Not because we aren’t ready… but because it feels vulnerable to fully answer the call.

This is a moment to soften self-judgement.

To stop questioning whether we’re “allowed” to grow into something new.

Card 3 — What wants to emerge:
The Moon (upright)

What’s emerging is deeper trust.

Intuition.
Inner knowing.
Emotional honesty.
Creative flow that doesn’t need full clarity to begin.

The Moon reminds us that we don’t need the full path revealed to take the next step. We only need enough light for the next one.

Moonology Oracle — Full Moon in Scorpio
It’s time to release negativity

This ties everything together.

There’s a clearing happening right now, a clearing that’s emotionally, mentally, and energetically resetting.

Old patterns, old fears, old ways of choosing that no longer feel aligned… they’re ready to be released.

So something more grounded, more truthful, and more self-led can begin to take root.

🌿 Join the Taurus New Moon Moon Chat

Alongside this reading, I’ve opened the Moon Chat in my WhatsApp community, where I’ll be sharing a simple guided worksheet to work with this energy.

It’s designed to be really easy to follow and is a gentle reflective practice you can do in your own time over the next day.

If you’d like to join us and receive an individual major arcana card pulled to work with, then you can join the community here

✨ If you join after the worksheet has already been shared

You’ll still be completely included.

• Once I see you’ve joined, let me know you want the worksheet and I’ll privately send you:

• the worksheet (you can either print it or copy it down)

• a simple explanation of how to use it

You can also ask for your Major Arcana card pull when you arrive, so you can use the worksheet.

If this New Moon feels like it’s asking you to slow down, simplify, and come back to yourself… you’re already in the energy of it.

The Moon Chat in my WhatsApp community is now open 🌑✨

Social media started to feel quite loud for me, so I stepped back and created something smaller and more intentional instead. It’s a WhatsApp community called “The Barley Moon Circle”.

It’s become a really lovely space where I can share more naturally, without pressure or noise. A place for reflections, energy updates, tarot pulls and meaningful connection.

Tomorrow, I’ll actually be doing a live tarot hour within my community. It’s something I’ve been really enjoying building to and I am so looking forward to pulling cards for members tomorrow.

After this lovely long break, I’m also ready to come back to Substack. It feels like I could have the right balance again. I’m looking forward to continuing to share doodle affirmations and bring everything together in a calmer way.

I’ll be sharing my affirmation doodles again from tomorrow.

If you’d like to join tomorrow’s live tarot hour, it’s happening inside my WhatsApp community from 8pm-9pm GMT 🌿 You can join here.

Happy 1st of October! I love this time of year, walks in the woods kicking up crispy leaves, marvelling at the magical colours, and coming home to a cosy house and hot chocolate by the fire! Best of all though, the kids get excited about Halloween! To celebrate, I have some cute hand drawn Halloween PNGs you can download for free from my Etsy shop I drew these digitally using Procreate for the iPad ( while feeding the youngest of our brood!)

To download them just follow the steps shown here: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DPQnl3LDNP4/?igsh=M2dxZ3o5dHJ2dWd1

I’ve also created a fun Halloween activity pack for children. My own children have tried it out and given it a big thumbs up! You can check that out here: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/4361111896/?ref=share_ios_native_control

If you download and use either (or both of these) and use Instagram, please do tag me @thebarleymoon I’d love to see what you create!

The freebie PNGs are perfect for printing out large and small to decorate homes, journals, classrooms etc or great for using in digital journals! Let me know how you use yours! Just find my shop announcement in my Etsy store and click on the link!

I can’t believe this little squidge is 4 weeks old already! Time really has been flying by.

His 5 older brothers and sisters absolutely adore him and we are certainly not short of helpers, he is certainly enjoying lots of cuddles with everyone.

Arthur has settled in now and I feel like we are getting into a rhythm with feeding. He’s doing the odd 4 hour stretch at night which gives me a bit more sleep. It had been 8 years since I gave birth last so I’d definitely forgotten how exhausting this phase is! To keep myself awake I’ve been busy creating more digital downloads for my new Etsy shop: Barley Moon Digitals.

To launch my shop, the first item I uploaded is my Baby Contrast Cards. Arthur has been road testing them and they definitely get his approval!

As a bonus freebie, I’ve included 5 sample milestone cards to celebrate the first month with your newborn ( I’m currently working on the full pack which will be available soon) I’ve added a few more of my creations since, it’s not just a shop for baby digitals, I’ll be posting about my other downloads soon so keep an eye out. I also have a dedicated Instagram page which you can follow here.

It’s my birthday on August 13th so look out for a special discount code I’ll be sharing in a note.

Some of the goodies I’ve uploaded include:

I’m so in love with him, our first child together but our 6th addition to our blended family.

Arthur came into the world ( in the only pool they have) in The Coombe, Dublin. It’s the same pool my other two boys were born in and I feel so blessed I got to birth this little one in that pool too. I had forgotten what labour is like, it’s 8 years and one month since I’d given birth to my second.

It was bliss ( after a tough few hours) to step into that water and feel the relief wash over me, one more push and he was suddenly in my arms.

We are so relieved he is here now safe and sound. All his brothers and sisters came to meet him at the hospital last night and they are so excited for us to come home today.

I will share more when we have settled in, for now I’ve a hungry little man to feed and snuggles to have.

Laura

X

I’m back after a wonderful 10 days in Spain with our children! I enjoyed a full phone and social media detox while we were away, and it did me so much good. Now that we're home and I feel well-rested, I’m excited to resume my daily doodle affirmations, Monday messages, and moon readings starting tomorrow.

I’m also thrilled to finally share something that’s been quietly growing behind the scenes — The Clarity Compass! This beautiful new monthly program is designed to help you find calm, clarity, and connection through:

🔮 Weekly Tarot Readings: Four readings for each month you sign up

💫 Distance Reiki Session: A soothing energy healing experience

🖋️ Self-Reflection Prompts: Simple exercises to deepen your insights

🌀 Printable Workbook: Mindful doodling activities to guide you through the month

This idea blossomed during a challenging time in my life back in 2020. Tarot, doodling, and energy healing helped me navigate the fog, and I want to offer those same gentle tools to you.

💛 What’s Included:

You don’t have to do anything except look forward to your weekly reading, which will arrive in a private Google Drive every Monday. You’ll also be able to book your distance reiki session at the start of the month. Alongside each weekly reading, you’ll receive journal prompts and affirmations that you can explore in your 22-page printable workbook.

Investment Options: This offering is valued at €170, but you can access it for just €147 with an upfront payment. Alternatively, I offer payment plans of two instalments of €75 or three instalments of €50.

Limited Spaces: May spaces are open now — only five spots are available! June will open soon after, but please note that there will be a little break in July and August as I welcome my own new little soul into the world. ✨

I had a wonderful client try this out for the month of April, here is what she experienced:

If you’re feeling the pull, this is your moment! 💌

Join the May group now by booking here.

With love,

Laura

If you enjoy Mindfulness & Magic, it would mean the world to me if you invited friends to subscribe and read with us. If you refer friends, you will receive different rewards:

Tier 1- One of my Mindful Doodling Workbooks for free

Tier 2- Free access to my online course: Oodles of Doodles

Tier 3- Free 30 minute recorded tarot reading.

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• Get Tier 1 for 3 referrals

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Thank you for helping get the word out about Mindfulness & Magic!

Appropriately, the card “You’ve got the love” has appeared for this full moon which has a key theme of “relationships”. Where do you need to set boundaries? Have you been forgetting to give love to yourself? Sometimes we become so focused on giving to others, we put our own needs on the back burner. The innocence card serves as a reminder to nurture your inner child, do things that used to really soothe you, excite you, things you’ve forgotten you used to love. This card also serves as a reminder to let go of any heavy aspects of life at the moment, what’s been weighing you down? This full moon is the perfect time to let go and to focus on nourishing you.

Decks used: The Starseed Oracle by Rebecca Campbell and The Celtic Moon Oracle by Moon Mná

For personal readings contact me anytime at:

laura@thebarleymoon.ie or check out my tarot and oracle reading offerings here:

https://mindfuldoodling.thebarleymoon.ie/tarot

I’ve used my own deck this week to see what affirmations would appear for the collective. If you have been enjoying my daily doodle affirmations, you can use these as affirmations you can write out and doodle around this week.

I’ve also got a lovely mini-course available for €9 ( Substack can avail of a limited period discount to get 20% off just use the code SUBSTACKDOODLE at checkout)

The 7-Day Doodle Affirmation Challenge is your pocket-sized path to calm. Each day, you’ll doodle your way through an uplifting affirmation—helping you slow down, reduce stress, and reconnect with your creativity.

You can find it here:

https://mindfuldoodling.thebarleymoon.ie/7daychallenge

Hey Doodle Lovers!

If you’ve been craving a simple way to slow down, get creative, and bring a little calm into your everyday life… I’ve got something for you 🌙

I just released a brand new 7-Day Doodle Affirmation Challenge — a mini mindful doodling course designed to help you gently reconnect with yourself, reduce stress, and feel a little spark of joy through daily creative moments.

🖊️ Here’s what’s inside:

• A calming intro video to guide you into the practice

• A 7-day printable workbook filled with beautiful affirmations for you to doodle into

• Cut-out pages that transform into your own mini affirmation deck — perfect for pinning to your mirror, tucking into a journal, or keeping on your desk for daily reminders

It’s designed to be flexible and completely self-paced. All you need is a pen, a bit of quiet, and a few moments each day to play with patterns and positive words.

✨ The full course is €9 — but because you’re part of my Substack family, I’ve created a special private offer just for you. Use code SUBSTACKDOODLE at checkout to get it at 20% off for a limited time only ( offers ends at the end of April) 💛

👉 Grab your copy here (just pop in the code at checkout)

I really hope this little pocket of creativity brings you some peace and joy whenever you need it most. Let me know if you try it — I love seeing your doodles and hearing how it feels for you!

With love and doodles,

Laura x

The Barley Moon

Doodling has brought me so much peace and joy that I’ve created a mindful doodling activity book that you can use to kick start a daily practice yourself. It’s called The Mindful Doodler and you’ll find it on Amazon here.