1/22/11—Being Silly

Weekend Reading from the Victorian Trade Card Tarot by Marcia McCord: Page of Cups. See life through the eyes of a child this weekend. Reach inside & reawaken your childlike sense of awe, playfulness, innocence and imagination. It's OK. You're an adult now...you're under your OWN roof. Take advantage of the day you always wished would come. Be as silly, sweet, awestruck, loud and bouncy as you want!

1/21/11—Accepting Others

Today's Draw: Ten of Cups from the Legacy of the Divine. Can you find an opportunity to show more tolerance and acceptance to those who are different from you today? Can you be more patient in your dealings with others? How might your life change if you embraced everyone unconditionally?

 

We've had the Ten of Cups before. It's pretty much one of the best, most coveted cards in the deck because it speaks of joy, love and togetherness. Traditionally it pictures a happy family with all the generations gathered in celebration. B...ut this particular card shows a Tabby cat curled up next to a Golden Retriever in front of a fire. Both are blissfully sleeping.

In the Metaphysical world, they speak of the concept of Oneness. And, in simple terms, that is that we are all one. That others serve as a reflection of ourselves. That which we hate and fear in others is that which we hate and fear in ourselves. But it's more than just that, it goes to all being an essential part of a single "organism". So abusing another might be akin to abusing your liver. Or spleen (the funniest organ name in the body, imo).

I guarantee that if you choose a stranger in a crowd today and say something nice to them, only with the intention of making them smile, expecting no thank you in return, you will feel better about yourself. If someone is rude to you and you respond kindly, not to be an ass, but to love unconditionally, you will feel better about yourself. There is no way to lose when you look through the eyes of unconditional love. People may not always know the proper and polite way to respond, but neither do you. And how cute is that? :) We are so much more alike than different. How can you reach out to another in love today? And how can reconsider an unfortunate exchange that happened in the past and see how you could have handled it better...and how it would have changed everything if you did? Please share any stories you may have of how this worked for you today.

1/20/11—Pursuing a Spiritual Mission

Today's Draw: Warrior Ten from Tarot of the Sidhe by Emily Carding. Are you actively engaged in a spiritual mission or pursuit? What is the spiritual purpose behind your goals and dreams? Is this something you've considered before or is spiritual stuff best save for Sundays?

 

First of all, I want to acknowledge that Emily's deck just came out and people are only just now receiving it. So congratulations to my FBF! She is also the woman who did that transparent deck that I used for my Christmas Weekend Reading vi...deo.

That said, Tarot of the Sidhe is a non-traditional deck and the Warrior Ten equates to the 10 of Wands. It shows a Sidhe, or spiritual being, bridging two cliffs with his arms. There is a light side of this card with a sun and dark side with a dark moon. Humans are on the right side, crossing to meet the higher spiritual beings that come from the side with starry skies and the moon. The card bears the words, "The Great Task" and it is accompanied by a poem:

Who thinks of the sacrifice as they cross?
Who weeps for knowledge of the bridge's loss?
He knows the task is worth the pain,
His suffering is for greater gain

So you can interpret this how you like. The people are crossing over to greet the world of spirit on "his" back. Some may consider that Jesus. Some might consider it the earth or universal forces...a fairy king or an angel. Whatever it is, it's a means by which we meet spirit, take on a higher purpose and pursue a personal journey of learning and service to our world. The part of "he knows the task is worth the pain" can also apply to us. Spiritual journey requires us to become more honest with ourselves, which can also bring pain. It requires patience and re-molding. We also have loss, but for a greater gain.

So what is that for you? I rarely come out and state this, but I do feel a calling to bring people closer to their spiritual pursuit. I really don't care what religion what religion you are, some things are universal. Reverence is universal. Self knowledge is universal. Prayer/meditation is universal. My message to people out there is that spirituality isn't written in a book, it's felt in the heart. And sometimes what's felt in the heart isn't something that everyone can agree upon, but it's how spirit and your god sing to you. And that's OK. It's really OK. I know so many people who have put religion aside and, with it, their faith and spirituality. You can have love and faith and grace in your life without dogma, if that's what feels right for you. You don't have to "follow the rules", because if you look around you, there are many sets of rules. They can't all be right. The only set that can be right is the one that comes from within and that's different for each person.

Anyway, this is why I do these posts. Well, I like doing these posts...haha. But also I want people to question themselves and get used to looking inside. We spend so much time looking outside of us for cues on how to be. It's time we put more effort into taking those cues from within. So this is what's behind these posts. It's what's behind the books I somehow never work on. It's what's behind my attraction to tarot. It permeates every part of my life, including my work life...more than my clients will ever know. My spirituality is not something that is not saved for certain times, it permeates every moment of my day. Certainly I'm not perfect or always balanced or anything like that. But my beliefs keep me constantly challenged to be better to myself and those around me. OK. I could go on and on. What's your story?

1/19/11—Creating Intimacy

Today's Draw: The Knight of Cups from the Magna Veritas. Do you have true intimacy with another? Can you make yourself fully vulnerable and raw to another? Or do you think that sort of truth is best kept to oneself?

 

There are many interesting aspects to this Knight of Wands. There is a banner on the card that reads "diligo victum totus adversum" or "love conquers all adversity". There is an iching hexagram, #61 or Kung Fu, which corresponds to putting ...emotion aside so inner truth may shine through. And there is a number, 34, which reduces to 7 (as does 61), which is a very spiritual number that also speaks of seeking the truth, but among other things, suggests intimacy might be a difficult path for the reader. And the knight himself is a warrior for love and truth.

So, to me, this particular card is all about laying oneself bare to another...being fully honest, even with your most vulnerable parts. Is this something you've achieved? Is this something you feel capable of achieving? Or do you tend to raise walls when someone reaches a certain point with you?

There are many long-term relationships that never reach this kind of intimacy. Some people never fully open themselves to another. What do you think about all of this? Should they? Or are there just some things that are meant for only yourself? And what kind of things might those be?

I will admit I've never had a truly intimate relationship. I've never coupled with the sorts of men who would a) reciprocate and b) be worthy of that sort of trust. Which is a sad thing to say, but it's true. It's why I remain single. Of course, I chose men like that for a reason. And I've changed significantly in my attitudes since then. The relationship I'm looking for now would be one of spiritual partnership and emotional intimacy. I feel like I keep running up against men who aren't capable of revealing their fears and innermost dreams...men who have shut down in one way or another, either because they've always been that way, have had a disappointing experience in the past or whatever. I know there's one out there who is right for me and worthy of my trust, I just haven't met him. But when I do, I'm ready to push past that point at which I've stopped in the past. So if I'm able to open up in my older years, certainly there's someone else out there who is willing to do the same thing.

1/18/11—Letting Go

Today's Draw: Two of Pentacles from the Herbal Tarot. What are you holding on to that is no longer needed? Perhaps a resentment, outdated belief, defensive attitude or even physical items that clutter your home? Why do you think you think you hold on? And what keeps you from releasing it?

 

For each card in the Herbal Tarot, there is a corresponding herb and the herb for this card is Yellow Dock. It is a laxative and blood tonic, used to bring the blood and waste system back into balance. So it speaks of balance and letting go... of the internal things that keep you from moving forward.

Interestingly, Barbara Moore blogged on the twos in the tarot today and her interpretation was that the twos signify a time of balance and stasis before a decision is made. You can choose one of two possibilities to move toward and once you choose one possibility, you also choose to release the other possibility.

I've been releasing a lot of things lately...feelings towards others, unproductive thoughts within myself, fruitless efforts. Yet I still hold on to a huge stack of magazines I haven't read...haha. And a roomful of crap that has been dogging me for years. I have plans to release all of this—a friend has set a date to come over and help me—but I honestly don't know why I hold on. It's not quite a Hoarders situation, but I'm sure the psychology is the same. It does hold me back in many ways and I think it's because I'm afraid of moving forward professionally and creatively. All of this "stuff" is in my office/craft space.

Anyway, think about this. For me, this card brings up some even more personal things. So share the things you're willing to share if you like, but don't stop considering there. I think we all have a lot of clutter and junk floating around up there.

1/17/11—Creating Strategy

Today's Draw: The Eight of Fire from the Tarot of the Four Elements. So you have a dream and/or goal, but have you formulated a strategy for how to get there? Or are you just winging it? Do you see how this goal fits into your bigger life plan? And are you willing to weather the bumps, miles and detours along the way to reaching your goal?

 

The 8 of Fire equates to the 8 of Wands, which is an interesting card. The traditional interpretation that I have in my mind of this card is speed or swiftness. But this deck interprets it as having a strategic plan. And many traditional in...terpretations might have it meaning some sort of pause in the story of our life...an opportunity to pause and reflect. Even more interesting is that all of these interpretations can work together to reveal some important advice in the pursuit of our goals.

Sometimes in the frenzy of "wanting" and looking for avenues to achieve our goals, we overwhelm ourselves with input and end up pursuing paths that may waste our time or send us in too many directions. So it's good to just pause for a moment, assess our goals, develop a single clear strategy and then follow it. This can simple act of pausing and reflecting can result in developing a more efficient and swift manner of achieving our goals. Having a clear vision of what we want to achieve and a reasonable of path of how to get there can also help the universe start to roll in the same direction as we're going, thereby laying our path before us in magical ways.

Thinking all this through while writing up this card description has given me insights into my own issues with meeting my goals. I have a clear destination in mind, but I haven't set a clear course of action on how to get there. The reason I haven't is because I believe that our job is to decide the "what" in our lives and the universe's job is to decide the "how". But I also believe that we have to take some clear steps in the direction of our goals to set the snowball of manifestation in motion. My *personal* issue, though, is that without a clear "how" in mind, I have trouble making those first steps.

I've been a freelance writer for 15 years and was a writer for 10 years prior to that. I don't have an issue with self motivation—as long as I have a deadline and a schedule (the how) to meet. But when considering writing a book....I don't have enough motivation when there's no deadline...there's no burning reason for me to draw a line between today and that point in the future when I submit a proposal...the rough path of how that sets the universe's snowball rolling. That said, I'm being a little hard on myself here, because while I haven't been writing my book, I've been building a foundation in other ways, seemingly inadvertently, but guided by the universe. I now know many published authors, for example. I've taken some workshops, etc. And both in my personal life and here online, I'm not shy about demonstrating my knowledge in certain areas. But today's card tells me that if I want to speed my path, I need to pause, consider my strategy, make any needed adjustments, and set out on the revised path. So food for thought. How about you?