Saturday, February 19, 2011

2/19/11—Feeling Abundant

Weekend Reading: Ace of Disks/Prosper from the White Light Tarot. Prosperity and abundance are as much a state of mind as they are a state of being. Feel abundant, think abundant and you will be filled with abundance. So carry that feeling with you this weekend. Focus on the wealth and abundance you have in your life and not what you're lacking. See how that can create more abundance in your life.

Friday, February 18, 2011

2/18/11—Leaving Things Behind

Today's Draw: Death from the Mystical Dreamer. Second time this week, folks. It's time to leave something behind. It could be a belief, ideal, baggage, a job, whatever. Change is knocking at your door!
I did a reading today because, hey…there are 78 cards in a deck. The odds of getting the same one twice in a week are low. Especially when I use a different deck of cards every day. So the ether has something it wants you to know. Death is ...a cycle that runs from release to resurrection. In order to move forward, you have to let go of something. This card has significance to me, so take a good look and see how it might have significance for you. The cards are emphatic about this. Death could change your life.

And just in case you didn't read the other day, Death is not meant to imply physical death. Like it's not telling you you're going to die. It's about change, leaving things behind and moving into a new place.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

2/17/11—Inspiring Self and Others

Today's Draw: Two of Wands from the Cosmic Tribe. What creative force is burning inside of you? And how did it ignite? What is your inspiration for the things you create in your life? How does your creativity move others?
 
Traditionally the Two of Wands speaks of surveying the landscape and taking stock before taking action. But Stevee Postman presents a very different take. I wish I could reprint his entire entry for this card, because it was very evocative ...and insightful. But basically what he was saying is that the two wands are like magnets—at once opposing forces and complementary. And at the point they meet, they cause a creative reaction, producing a third thing, that in this suit is passion, fire, and creativity. This is the point where our bodies (action) and our psyche (inspiration) align...a point of power...a point of creating something new. And it requires a delicate balance to keep us in that place.

I'm privileged with the way I live my life. My career requires me to create daily. I'm self employed, which makes it even more "artsy"...haha. And although I have good days and bad days with that, I've never failed to cross those wands in the right place. Which means I can create without the fire consuming me. I can create and walk away from my creation. The creating fuels my life, but doesn't dictate it. I'm not owned by it. Instead I own it. At least in my current writing career. I know this all sounds braggy, but it's not. I'm not saying that makes me good at what I do, rather it makes it possible for me to do it day after day for 25 years without it killing me or exhausting me unduly.

I think I've always had a need within me to move others. In high school I was in every play and musical. I minored in Theater and also studied voice in college. The drive toward expression through performance was to move an audience. And for my career, that's exactly what I do in the most literal sense of the word. Advertising is all about moving an audience. And as I move forward with my writing, it will also be about moving an audience. I don't know why or where this need to inspire and incite came from, but it reaches every cell of my body.

And that's really what any sort of aesthetic creativity is about...moving others. Having an effect. Advertising is nice because it covers the whole range. Some ads simply want to incite action, yes, but how? Through emotion. Through inspiration. Whatever. Advertising, at one time or another, has provided me with every type of opportunity. I've written poetry, gotten philosophical, used humor, brought others to tears. It's a playground for creation and that's why I imagine I'll always have a love for it. So what's your story?

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

2/16/11—Acting Childish

Today's Draw: Dancer Princess from Tarot of the Sidhe. When was the last time you did something delightfully, deliciously childish? How long since you've created some kind of art, simply for the joy of the process, not caring if it was "good" by some standard of judgment? What can you do this week to revive the child inside?


The Dancer Princess embodies the spirit and imagination of a child. She dances for the joy of it, not to perfect a step. Her paintbrush has a power of its own, rather than being relegated to some predetermined image. And she remembers to se...e life through fresh eyes whenever she can. She is the embodiment of pure, spontaneous, innocent expression. And the sun shines on her wherever she goes.

To answer my own questions, I frequently act like a child, but don't recall the last time I achieved what this card is asking for. It's interesting because yesterday I did try to revive a spirit from younger adult days...when I was a bit less a creature of habit and comfort. I explored a new shopping center out in Maryland yesterday and just enjoyed shopping for surprises and exploring new turf. That's hardly anywhere near what this card embodies, but baby steps...haha. I feel like I've been locked inside seriousness for a long time. Well, seriousness for me. So I have to plan something for this weekend for a friend and will think on what I can do to make it a gigglefest.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

2/15/11—Finding the Silver Lining

Today's Draw: The Four of Cups from Daughters of the Moon. Are you feeling glum about something? Are you focusing more on what you don't have than what you do? What's got you down?
 
The Four of Cups is a card of sorrow and loss. In some decks it also signifies boredom. Cups traditionally speak of love and with Valentine's Day being yesterday I can see how some people might be feeling down. Perhaps your partner didn't s...atisfy your expectations. Or maybe they did and you realize that, even though you have everything you asked for, you're still not happy. Or maybe you're single and hoping you had someone.

Whatever the situation may be—and maybe it doesn't have to do with love...maybe you missed out on an opportunity you'd been hoping for, for example—there's something you're not seeing. One of the keys to the four of cups is that the person is lamenting the loss or tipping over of three cups. All the emotion is gone from those cups. But what they don't see is the full cup sitting behind them. Or beside them. Because they're too busy feeling sorry for themselves. But that fourth cup remained full when all the others tipped over. It holds something you can build upon...something more enduring that what those other three cups held.

So what might this mean to you? I started today's reading thinking "this doesn't apply to me", but it does. I think it represents my mourning over all the things I've felt I've had to give up in my journey to physical well being. And the fourth cup that I'm not looking at is the habits I've already changed and new practices I've integrated into my life. In fact today I'm going for my "healing day", which is only about a year old or so...a monthly practice where I take the day off, get an energy healing, spend some time with a friend and take myself out to lunch.

Therefore I challenge you—especially those who think this card doesn't apply to them—what is the four of cups for you?

Monday, February 14, 2011

2/14/11—Holding Hope

Today's Draw: The Star from the Shadowscapes. What light is guiding you right now? What brings you inspiration? What brings you hope?
 
The Star card is generally my favorite in a deck and the Shadowscapes doesn't disappoint. In a word, the Star is hope...that thing that inspires and draws us forward throughout our life. But we may have many stars to follow throughout the l...ayers of our life. More abstractly, the star can be service to your family or your career. It can be artistry or collaboration. Trust or even necessity. It's individual and person to each of us.

Right now my star should be self care and forward motion. There have been a lot of cloudy nights, however, and my star has not been seen as much as it should be. Most of the time I'm just focused on getting through the day and ticking items off my "to do" list. But the star's larger message, hope, plays a powerful role in my life. It's the one thing I never give up. How about you?

Bonus Valentine's Day Reading: Offer yourself to your partner without judgment or reservations today. Let go of any doubts or fears. For this one day be the lover you hope to be.