When you first get the cards, we recommend you start by reading the guide book through and look at each card as you read about it. It will give you a good overview of the deck before you start using it.
Then, before you draw a card, take a moment for yourself, calm down, and connect with a question or a concern that relates to yourself.
Take a quick look through the cards, then turn them over and shuffle the deck. Pick your own way of selecting a card.
In the following examples, we draw one, two or three cards. You can draw as many cards as you would like. These are just examples.
Here you draw just one card and have that as a message of the day, or a message to take with you onto the pitch. In this case, let’s say you draw 1.1 Champion of Strength. This can serve as a reminder, such as, “I need to build up strength”.
One Card Method
Two Card Method
You can also draw two cards and view them as a pair. Let’s say you draw 2.6 Patience and 4.2 Desire. Notice there’s not much activity on these cards. Do you need to calm down? Notice the colours as well. Patience is indigo on orange (Focus on Energy) and Desire is orange on green (Energy on Balance). Energy is in there twice. Is it time to recharge?
When you draw more than two cards, then it’s good practice to select the cards and place them face down first. Then turn them around one at the time. Read the message on each and notice the colours until all three cards merge into one message. The message is not just a mental understanding. It can be a feeling, too. Listen to your reactions when you see the cards. Do you get any particular feeling? Does a memory pop up? An idea?
One Card Method
You can also read into the position of a card. In a three card spread you can ask: What do I need to do in three steps? (Where the first card is step one and so on.) Or you can decide the first card is your past, second your present and third your future. Or first is preparation, second is action and third is outcome. In the previous two card spread you can have the first card represent your problem and the second your solution. Possibilities are endless.
Say you draw 7.6 Visualisation, 5.4 Change, and 2.7 Joy. If we look at this as a past, present, future spread then in the past, you held visions or ideas in your mind that now, in the present, are changing or need to change and if you do them, in the future, it will be all joy! The future is always uncertain, but the present and past are not. Is there something you’ve been dreaming of in the past that needs to change now? Intuition (the number 7) is twice, first and last. Has intuition been talking to you? Did you listen?
You keep on contemplating like this until you connect with something in your life. If you don’t connect at all to a card or a spread, then just ignore it. But keep it in mind. Maybe something happens later during the day that will remind you of it and clarify its meaning. This isn’t meant to be dead serious. Have fun with it. But always give it time and thought. There’s an art to this that takes practice, and it’s rewarding once you get it. The more you put into making the cards meaningful, the more meaningful they will become.
There’s a bonus, too. Using the cards like we’ve suggested is a form of contemplative practice which you can use anytime, anywhere. And practices like contemplation and meditation have been shown to help athletes in reducing stress and anxiety, in strengthening concentration, in developing deeper focus, in dealing with pain, in controlling emotions and in boosting the immune system! This isn’t just talk – it’s proven to be a valuable addition to the training regimens of sports teams and sports legends for years.
