As the calendar turns and a new month unfolds, I invite you to join me in one of my most cherished creative rituals—my monthly energy reading using The Art of Life Inspiration Deck. I created this deck during the pandemic, not only as an anchor for myself, but as a gift to others navigating uncertainty with grace, color, and soul.
Whether you’re a tarot lover, horoscope reader, a fan of Lee Harris energy updates, or someone drawn to the mystical beauty of intentional living, this reading is for you.
In a world that often pulls us outward, I believe in pausing to turn inward—to reconnect with intuition, creativity, and the divine guidance always whispering within. That’s what this monthly ritual is about.
In this August 2025 Energy Update, I’ve drawn six cards from my deck to offer insights, encouragement, and loving nudges from the universe. These cards speak in color, symbol, and soul-language, helping us navigate this month’s energetic themes.
Without giving too much away (you’ll want to watch the video!), here are a few themes that emerged:
Each message is infused with the frequencies of peace, love, and purpose—the same energies I channel into my artwork, my coaching, and my life.
This deck is not just a tool—it’s a living work of art. Every card features my own intuitive paintings paired with heartfelt messages I received while in deep creative flow. I created it during a time when the world felt heavy, and I needed a way to remember the light.
As a visionary artist, I believe in the power of color, energy, and intention to shift us out of fear and into sovereign joy. These cards are a reflection of that belief.
I’d love for you to watch the video, tune in, and reflect on what resonates for you. Feel free to light a candle, brew a cup of tea, and treat this as sacred time.
If a message speaks to your heart, let me know. I always love hearing how Spirit weaves its way into your life.
With joy and infinite possibility,
Cassandra
The Joyful Artist
www.thejoyfulartist.co.nz
Turn Sh*t Into Sunshine
Life throws curveballs—often when you least expect them. Cyclones destroy towns, fires devour homes, kindhearted partners face betrayal, and conflicts rage across the globe. In this chaotic world, it’s inevitable: sh*t happens.
But what if you could turn life’s messiest moments into fuel for growth, joy, and resilience?
Bestselling author, award-winning artist, and creativity expert Cassandra Gaisford (BCA, Dip Psych) offers a revolutionary approach to overcoming life’s challenges. Combining practical strategies with her personal journey and professional expertise as a holistic therapist and self-empowerment coach, Cassandra reveals the secrets to:
This book is your guide to living a joyful, purposeful life—even when everything feels like it’s falling apart.
Perfect for fans of self-help, personal growth, and creative healing, Make Joy From Sht* empowers you to rewrite your story, make peace with the past, and find happiness in the most unexpected places.
Don’t let life’s challenges hold you back. Start creating joy from sh*t today.
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AMAZON CA: https://www.amazon.ca/dp/B0DCLRVJDJ
AMAZON UK: https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B0DCLRVJDJ
AMAZON AU: https://www.amazon.com.au/dp/B0DCLRVJDJ
Book One of The Playbook Series
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A true story of awakening, betrayal, and fierce feminine power.
She trusted him.
He betrayed her.
Now she’s rewriting the rules—one truth at a time.
For every woman who’s ever been gaslit, silenced, manipulated, or made to feel like she was too much—this is your story.
In The Princess, bestselling author Cassandra Gaisford transforms personal trauma into powerful truth. When a charming man exploited her trust, weaponized kindness, and threatened to take her home, she was forced to awaken the warrior within. Through heartbreak, manipulation, and near ruin, she discovered the ancient power of naming the game—and rising above it.
Rooted in myth, personal memoir, and Machiavellian strategy, The Princess is the first book in The Playbook Series—a bold, liberating guide for reclaiming your power in a world full of smiling liars and false kings.
You’ll learn:
✔️ How to spot emotional manipulation and gaslighting tactics
✔️ Why “nice girls” get targeted—and how to stop being one
✔️ How to reclaim your truth, your power, and your peace
✔️ That fierce joy is your birthright, not a luxury
“Once you see the playbook, you stop being a pawn.”
Whether you’ve experienced narcissistic abuse, betrayal in business or love, or simply want to stop being taken advantage of—The Princess is your call to arms.
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Hey everyone, it’s Cassandra the Joyful Artist. I thought I would share for you another energy update for the month of August using my cards from the Art of Life inspiration deck created by me during COVID years when we were marinated in fear and I wanted to show up with empowering messages of love, love, love.
And not much has changed in the world there’s still a lot of fear but interestingly I pulled these cards off camera.
This one’s a big one. Make Joy From Shit. It’s also the title of my book. Available from all good bookstores: when we show up for what we love, love, love, we can make magic from it. And that’s a really important thing. The most important thing you can do is stay in the high vibrations of joy, peace, and love.
So an example of making joy from shit. I mean, it’s even as simple as compost, isn’t it? Taking all your scraps and making something beautiful from that. The card actually, the painting on the card was inspired by something I hate. I used to hate graffiti, and there was a comment in an art book I was reading about trying to make your ugly art and so I chose the color gray because I didn’t like the color gray at the time, but I found beauty in gray, and using the scrolls of artists like Cy Twombly.
So that’s how I made some joy from it. So that’s card one for the month of August. Think about it as you listen to this reading. How does that resonate for you?
The next card is Cherish Silence, which I love, love, love. Find moments of softness, stillness and silence. The astrologer Pam Gregory talks about finding silent moments. Stillness appointments with yourself. And the painting on the card was one which I called She Smiles Softly and is hanging in a local beauty spa at the moment.
So perhaps you need to find some time where you can carve out some quiet time for yourself. I know when I was a working mother, I found it very, very difficult to find some space just for me. That’s why I’m a big fan of meditation now, just getting that little 20 minutes of sacred silence. Cherishing time with yourself or scheduling it or putting a sign on the door or negotiating with people that you just need some time for yourself-it can help you defrag and connect more with your wisdom.
The next card, personal favourite, is give happiness and joy to others. And the fact is, when you give happiness and joy to others, it’s really uplifting for you too. It’s what is known in counselling as ‘the helper’s high.’ And the painting is very apt.
It’s a beautiful beeswax painting that I did many moons ago and a lovely lady purchased it and she called it her happy painting. And that’s why I love um art and writing books and sharing my heart with others because I know that it does uplift myself and it uplifts others too, and you might think about it.
Like the other day I made some cookies because my partner loves cookies. It can be just little things like he bought me some flowers. So think about little things you can do for others or even for yourself.
The next card in the spread for August is Divine Grace. This is a lovely one, Divine Grace. This card is actually a painting that a lady bought for her friend which was inspired by Grace Bay, which we were lucky enough to go to before all the Covid lockdowns, beautiful Grace Bay in the Caribbean.
And the card is Divine Grace. “Give up the struggle, move through life with effortless ease and beauty in your heart.’
Now you might say, ‘how can I do that? I’ve got so much going on, or there’s so many things that are just going wrong in my life’, or ‘there’s all these wars, or there’s just people being aggressive.’ And so you could say, well, actually, you know what, a bit like that beautiful book by Mel Robbins, Let Them.
Just let them. You go and do your thing, you stay in your lane, stop looking at all the news unless you do it through a Machiavellian lens. Something I share in my book, The Princess.
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Or as I write about in my new release which is called ‘The F#ck Them Principle’.
Sometimes you have to say ‘back the fuck off.’ As one well-known Hollywood star, Jamie Lee Curtis said, or as Helen Mirren said, ‘I wish I’d told more people to fuck off.’
And I don’t mean to be rude, but sometimes the divinity in that gracefulness is actually to speak your mind—to utter a profanity. You can say it politely. You can just say ‘talk to the hand’ and turn around and go your own way. It doesn’t mean you have to say it aggressively.
The main thing is just keep beauty and ease in your heart.
What is soft is strong.
So again in August, be thinking about this. So many people are hard. They meet hard energy with hard energy. So soften into your power like water does. Flow. Whatever is soft and yielding will overcome that which is hard and cannot yield. Do something soothing so you can yield and flow. That might be painting. It may be taking yourself on an artist state, going and doing something that is interesting. Maybe it’s going for a massage. Perhaps it’s just sitting like I am on soft carpet. Maybe I’ll introduce you to a couple of my new friends.
These are my funny little ones. I bought the other one, George, the other day; he looked so sad in the hardware shop that I brought him home for Miss Violet and Mr Orange.
It’s just a bit of fun, and what is soft is strong, reminds me of all those wonderful childhood stories like the Muppets, Shari Lewis, and Lamb Chops, and of course Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, and the other Disney characters. And I’m writing a book at the moment about a heroine who is a toy designer. (And a children’s book about George, my rescue toy!)
As Walt Disney once wrote, “I love Mickey Mouse more than any woman I’ve ever known.”
Loving Leisure. So many people are working too many hours, hustling all the time. Rest is God’s work, filling you with peace, unhurried ease, and free from restraints and care. Rest heals, empowers, and gives you strength. So, that’s loving leisure.
And that’s another lovely beeswax painting which sold to a collector here in the Bay of Islands. I love beeswax paintings.
This is the energy reading for the month of August using the Art of Life Inspiration deck. And let’s have another look here and think about how it might resonate with you.
Make joy from shit.
Cherish silence.
Give happiness and joy to others.
Divine grace give up the struggle.
What is soft is strong.
And loving Leisure.
So, I hope that resonated with you. As I mentioned, I use these cards all the time. It’s from the Art of Life Inspiration Deck. You can see it’s well loved. And it may be that the words on the cards speak to you, or perhaps it is the images because paintings are how spirit speaks to us, so it might be a color, it might be a flower, it might be a squiggle!
It might be you want to surround yourself with that color this month. Lots of pinks, aren’t there? Yeah, lots of pink energies. Anyway, welcome your comments. I’d love to know. Take a look at July’s reading and see how true that was for you. Leave a comment. And like, and subscribe if you would enjoy more videos like this. I’m on a mission to share beauty and upliftment with the world.
Watch the reading here:
Posted in: Blog
ABOUT CASSANDRA
I am an artist, storyteller, intuitive guide, mentor and Reiki master. All my creations are infused with positive energy , inspiration, and light. I believe in magic and the power of beauty, joy, love, purpose, and creativity to transform your life. My greatest joy is helping your realize your dreams. That makes my soul sing!
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