1/15/11—Hearing Inner Wisdom

Weekend Reading: Hermit from Tarot of the Four Elements. Take time this weekend to turn off the noise around you and retreat into your own inner wisdom. This isn't something you can do while driving or cooking dinner or attending to other matters. Make it intentional, focused time on you, preferably in nature, under the stars. You inner wisdom wants to be heard, so make sure you take the time and space to listen.

1/14/11—Using Your Special Gifts

Today's Draw: The Queen of Wands from the Science Tarot. Each of us has specialized knowledge to share. What can you do to open minds to new and glorious things? How can you use your passions to inspire others? And is there someone whose passions have inspired you?

 

Today's Queen of Wands features Carl Sagan. He used his knowledge of astrophysics to open people to the wonder of "billions and billions of stars". My main dude, Neil deGrasse Tyson does the same with astrophysics these days as host of NOVA... Science Now and a prominent lecturer on the subject. (Here is Neil talking about Carl...brought me to tears http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=imS6H1JAkGY&feature=related) Together, these charismatic scientists have sparked the imaginations of many young people who will now enter the sciences and contribute to the future exploration and understanding of space.

The point is that we all have a passion inside of us that we can share with the world. I hope I'm doing that with these daily posts, for example. Perhaps some of you didn't understand what the tarot was all about prior to these posts. One day a few of you may even get your own deck! Fletcher takes pictures and does such a good job that he has inspired me to try to bring more art to my own. Dallyn talks about things like Orange Scented Salmon with Peppered CousCous and makes us all want to cook something new.

The point being that we all have the option and charisma to use our passions as a platform to touch and inspire others. We all have something to teach...if we're so moved. So take a look at what that is—maybe it's an interest in music or pop culture. One of my FBFs, Lucie, recently gave us all some perspective on this bird deaths thing and opened our minds to mass critter deaths all over the world that happen every day. We all have something to share and while you may think the job or hobby you practice is mundane, those of us with a thirst for knowledge may find it fascinating. And in sharing, we may see another side of you. Something to consider, whether you choose to share with your Facebook community, local schools, through volunteer opportunities, blogging or otherwise.

1/13/11—Finding Hope

Today's Draw: The Star from the Maroon. What are you hoping for? What are you looking forward to? What is driving you through your day...your week...your year?

 

As my deepest and most intimate tarot friends know, The Star is one of my favorite cards. It's also my personal year card (along with Strength). So it's a significant card for me.

The Star is about hope. It's that thing that guides us throu......gh life and keeps us properly oriented along our path. In one of my favorite Star cards, Pandora opens her box of all the world's ills, but hope also comes out of the box. And hope is all she focuses on. It's that one thing that can make even the worst situations fade in their significance. It's one of the strongest forces we were given to help us cope with life.

These days I'm hoping for days when I feel healthier and more fit...when I feel more in control of my physical-emotional connection. I've come so far, but have further to go, so I keep focusing on that star. But in the immediate...today...I'm hoping for my kick-ass euchure meetup tonight. Knowing that its coming is making today more tolerable.

1/12/11—Commanding our Lives

Today's Draw: The Magician from the Steampunk Tarot. Do you know how powerful you are in creating in your own life, your own reality? Do you use your material, emotional, creative, mental and spiritual resources fully in that creation? And do you feel you're living up to your true potential or is there still more you can do? What do you want to create today?

 

The Magician is one of the beloved cards in the tarot. He is the master of all possibilities, using all the elemental resources at his command fully. He tell us that anything is possible and it's really all just up to us to create it.

Perso...nally I believe most people walk through unaware of their power over it. And even those that are aware, tend to get caught up in mundane things and forget from time to time. The Magician asks us to fire all cylinders, to never forget. Because we only have this one opportunity to get it right.

I think I'm good at recognizing and using my resources. For me, the spiritual is entwined in every aspect of my life. But I am certainly not living up to my potential and often fear that I just don't have the energy to do so. But lately I've been trying to remind myself that energy creates more energy, so simply the act of doing gives me more energy with which to do.

If there were one message the Magician—and Tierney—would like to put out there, that is that you are capable of creating anything you desire in this world. OK, if you're a 50 year old man, you can't be quarterback for the Redskins and if you're paralyzed you can't run a marathon. But all of us are capable of so much more than we give ourselves credit for. And the universe has a really good matching system....for any energy you put toward your goal, the universe matches your efforts manyfold. So what do you want to create today?

1/11/11—Confronting Change

Today's Draw: The Tower from the Otherworld Tarot. What new way of life has started for you recently...or needs to start soon? Is there some change that you've resolved for the new year? Or has a change been imposed upon you by circumstance?

 

The Tower is one of those cards that make you cringe when you receive them in the tarot. I think we've actually drawn this card before. The image usually depicts a tower in some form of collapse with screaming people flying out the windows ...and flames lashing everywhere. Lovely.

This particular tower card comes with the words "new way of life" and that points out one of the main messages of the card—some ideal or element of your life has been built on a shaky foundation. So the tower (your ego, your project, your path) comes crashing down for the very purpose of you rebuilding again on firmer ground. So while it could be considered one of the most frightening cards to get in the deck, you can also look at it as one of the most valuable. It just means that a change is needed and the end result of the change will be well worth the pain of changing. You can see it as a pain in the arse or you can see it as an opportunity.

Personally, I can cite the ever-changing landscape of my diet. One of my first acts of the new year was to ask my nutritionist to put me back on my no- red meat, no-dairy, nothing white diet for a while. Which doesn't leave much left to eat than green crap, chicken and fish. But somehow inside my mind I know it's best for me now.

And then there's the restrictive diet I've gone on in my head as it pertains to relationships. Let it be known that I'm no longer available for anyone's guilt trips or personal shit. With each passing day I'm becoming more and more immune to any BS that has other people blaming me for their moods, tantrums or whatever. I still accept personal responsibility for those things I'm responsible for, but I'm not responsible your chemical imbalances, low self esteem or ego issues. So tell it to the hand.

That said, what changes are happening in your life, either voluntary or imposed? And what does the tower mean to you?

1/10/11—Finding Truth

Today's Draw: The Five of Poetry from the William Blake. Are struggling with inner doubts in your creative process? Does it seem like there are a lot of obstacles between you and your goals right now? What is the *truth* behind all of this?

 

The William Blake Tarot of the Creative Imagination is a non-traditional deck in many ways. The suits all correspond to creative processes...Painting, Science, Music and Poetry. And they don't necessarily track with the suits of a normal ta...rot deck. Being that this is from the poetry suit, it comes with a poem:

Thou art a man
God is no more
Thy own humanity
Learn to adore
For that is my
Spirit of Life
Awake arise to
Spiritual strife

This card covers all kinds of strife...inner demons, questions of conscience, disillusionment, power struggles. It calls us to remember that our spirit has separated from the heavenly plane and chosen to come to the earth plane. And being human means that we will have struggles and that they come to us to illuminate something within us. They are, or can be, a gift, if we choose to see them that way.

The question above, "what is the truth behind all this?" is actually a very deep question—and one we rarely ask. We tend to say "I'll never get a job", for example, when the truth is "I fear I'll never get a job". A lot of people are considering self employment right now and may be filling their heads with all sorts of fears. To them, I would say "what's the worst-case scenario? That you try, fail and have to get a job like the one you have now." So the reality behind the fears is really that you'll end up right where you are now, but with the experience and knowledge of what it takes to be self-employed under your belt.

See what I'm getting at? There is a truth behind the top-of-mind thoughts, struggles and fears that can be a far more productive thought for you to have. Get to that thought and see what opens up in your life as a result.