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Gwen Jones4 min

Behind The Deck: Sophie Bashford’s Goddesses, Gods and Guardians Oracle Deck

Kindred Spirit sat down with Sophie Bashford, best selling Hay House author of You Are a Goddess: Working with the Sacred Feminine to Awaken, Heal & Transform, for a Behind the Deck feature.. Can you introduce yourself to the readers of Kindred Spirit? Hello, I’m Sophie Bashford and I’m a professional intuitive channel. My life path was characterised by the loss of my mother in early childhood, and later in life a healing crisis catapulted me into a profound spiritual awakening. Through intense life changes and years of self-development, I unlocked my intuitive abilities and cellular memory of the sacred feminine. Now, I support people all over the world to awaken their soul memories of the Goddess through my Intuitive Practice, Healing Tent Retreats and Moon Temple Membership.    What was the inspiration behind the Goddesses, Gods and Guardians Oracle deck?  Ever since my book You Are a Goddess was published in 2018, I’d been dreaming of creating a beautiful, modern Goddess oracle deck. I love tarot and oracle cards, and these divination tools have supercharged my own healing journey. I felt passionate about creating a deck that would bring Goddess guidance into people’s everyday lives.    As I developed my vision for the cards though, my intuition spoke to me. I felt that a wider range of deities and spiritual guides were ‘asking’ to be included: the ancient Gods wanted to get their powerful divine masculine wisdom out to people, and the magical Guardians wanted to add their sprinkling of cosmic and earth-based healing energies.    We all have feminine, masculine and cosmic energies within us. The archetypal and universal qualities that the goddesses, gods and guardians embody live inside us all. By combining the sacred feminine, masculine and magical realms into one oracle deck, I show how these energies all work together to illuminate our spiritual and personal growth paths.    A core part of my vision was for the divine figures to reflect humanity in all its variations and uniqueness. I wanted people to be able to see themselves reflected within these cards, so you’ll meet spiritual mentors from a range of worldly traditions and cultures, and across the gender spectrum.    How did you begin your journey into connecting with the Sacred Feminine Energy?   My journey into connecting with the goddess really began when I reached an emotional impasse in my mid-twenties. Since losing my mother in early childhood, I’d never dealt with my grief. I felt as if I’d lost my way in life, and after having my first baby aged 26, I found myself up against a brick wall of suppressed emotions. I had no other option but to enter intensive therapy.    But what happened next was entirely unexpected: the therapy sessions didn’t only clear my backlog of emotional weight. The emotional healing process kick-started a massive clearing of my spiritual feminine energy channels   I found myself strongly drawn to exploring my intuitive abilities, through connecting first with the tarot (my Mum had owned a tarot deck) and then moving onto oracle cards. I trained as an energy healer, massage therapist and counsellor.    To cut a long story short, I immersed myself in meditation, psychic development, energy work and continued emotional healing. My intuitive-feminine gifts exploded and I rediscovered my ability to channel spiritual guides. I started offering private intuitive consultations and led a small weekly women’s circle at home.    The energy that came through from my sacred feminine guides was awe-inspiring, and I could feel it transforming me at a soul level as I brought the energy through for others. As I embraced the power of the sacred feminine to heal myself, I discovered my true Calling in the world.        Could you tell us about your first experience with a Goddess?   The first goddess to communicate with me psychically was Queen Isis, of Ancient Egypt and the Mediterranean. But, it wasn’t like an apparition appearing in front of me in a blaze of light, telling me exactly what was going to happen in my life! It was much more incremental and subtle than that.    I’d be meditating or practising with oracle cards, and I’d feel the presence of Isis. The sensation was too strong to ignore. I’d see this mighty goddess as a huge force of golden and white light. She’d offer her Ankh light-symbol to me, seeming to press it into my Heart centre. The intuitive messages I received from Isis were always about rising into my sacred purpose. She always told me that she’d always be watching over me, and it would take a long time for this to unfold. I had to be very patient and build it step by step. She also helped me to heal my mother wound. Sometimes, Isis would come through to me via another channel or teacher, to give a message.     I also can’t not mention the Hindu goddess Kali Ma here. As I described in You Are a Goddess, my experience with Kali set the scene for my entire spiritual mission. Kali’s energy tore through my life like a hurricane, seeming to dismantle it piece by piece until I was totally stripped back. I met with Kali many times in deep meditation and when channelling messages for other people. She confronted me with my deepest fears about standing in my sacred feminine power. It was a transformational experience that changed me forever.      How can your oracle deck help individuals connect with the sacred feminine, masculine and magical energies?   Through working with my cards, you can deepen your relationship with the divine feminine, masculine and magical realms. You’ll get inspiration and support from a wide range of powerful divine teachers.  Each card describes the key theme of each goddess, god or guardian – their core soul lesson – and what this could mean for you and your life at this time.  You’ll learn about each figure’s sacred origins and how to work actively with their energy and messages. This can help you to: 
  • awaken your intuition
  • heal limiting patterns
  • better understand your emotions 
  • and discover your soul’s true purpose on Earth. 
Working with the cards can unlock spiritual gifts that your soul has carried over many incarnations. The cards you choose may also hint at the locations in which you’ve had important past lives. This information can be used to empower and guide your present path.  Each card offers a special invocation that can be repeated to align you with the goddess, god or guardian’s energy.   You’ll learn how sacred feminine, masculine and magical wisdom can offer you both spiritual and practical guidance for any life situation you’re in.  About the author:

Sophie Bashford is a professional channel and much-loved expert on Goddesses. She supports people all over the world to awaken their soul memories of the Goddess through her workshops and retreats.

www.sophiebashford.com

Instagram: @thesophiebashford Facebook: @sophiebashfordintuitive  www.hdwilsonart.com Instagram: @hillarydwilsonart