Saturday, April 16, 2011

4/16/11—Growing Organically

Weekend Reading: Gatemaker of Bells from the Ironwing. This weekend, consider that people grow and change at the rate of green growth. Sometimes that growth is imperceptible. Sometimes the growth comes so fast that, practically overnight, you wake up and see an entirely new creature before you. But never, at any moment, does the cycle of change rest. Or stop. And even imperceptible transformation in one area breeds new transformation elsewhere. So connect to this concept this weekend. And like a plant, feel the energy, cycles and nourishment of the earth and universe rise up through you and emanate from you.

Friday, April 15, 2011

4/15/11—Facing our Fears

Today's Draw: Five of Bows from the Wildwood Tarot by Mark Ryan, John Matthews and Will Worthington. What are you afraid of? Change? Rejection? Or, on this hallowed day, the Tax Man? And what are you going to do about it?

The Five of Bows pictures the Cerne Abbas Giant holding a bow that represents the will. The word on the card is Empowerment. He comes to tell us that only by facing and defeating our fears can we become truly empowered and resilient.

There is a law of physics that says simply observing a particle, changes the particle. And it's this principle that comes into play with today's card. We cannot change what we are not aware of. And simply by becoming aware, we begin to change that which we observe. Then by focusing our will, we can transform the fear. If you want to move forward with anything—your personal life, your career, a weight loss program, a project—you will have to push past your comfort zone. And if you find yourself pushing AGAINST your comfort zone, that's where you'll find a fear. 

You can leave the fulfillment of your destiny to chance. Or you can achieve it by choice. That is the embodiment of Empowerment. But to get there, you will encounter fears. If you pull back to the eagle's eye view of life, facing fears IS our destiny. Or at least one of them. There's not a person alive who doesn't encounter this multiple times in our lives. But it's the big ones, the ones that hold our dreams at arm's length, that we most need to address. The normally trite, "that which doesn't kill you makes you stronger" applies here. I mean, really, what's the worst that could happen? Some leaps are greater than others, but even if we "fail" (and there is no failure, only lessons) we still have choices. There is never just one possible consequence. Our fears tell us there is, but even if we lose it all, so to speak, there are plenty of ways to rebuild. The world doesn't end at "lose it all". "Lose it all" is not a permanent condition. But if you don't face your fears, you will likely be stuck with a more and more unsatisfactory status quo for your lack of effort. 

That said, today's fear IS the Tax Man for me...haha. As a self employed person, taxes are a bit more complicated. And as a disorganized business person as far as receipts go, it's even more complicated. And then, of course, there's the dreaded moment when I find out if I paid enough quarterlies to cover my bill or not. So I'm toying with the idea of an extension. I toyed with the same idea last year, but managed to file on time. So we'll see. I have the whole weekend to face my fears. Other fears that I normally have...fear of rejection and fear of change...I'm doing good on those these days. But it's a cycle, isn't it? Each new opportunity brings a new fear of failure. And if you learn to be bold and take your fears in stride, life will up the stakes. Because this is part of our human experience. This is what shows us how truly powerful we are.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

4/14/11—Combining Preparation with Opportunity

Today's Draw: The Archer (Major Arcana 7) from the Wildwood Tarot. Are you about to embark on a new adventure? Are you ready to let loose some new ideas or a creative vision? Are you prepared for the change ahead of you?

Yes, I'm bragging about having the Wildwood before pretty much everyone else in America. If you can't wait until June, order one from The Book Depository UK. Mine arrived in about a week.

The Archer is loosely related to the Chariot in traditional decks. But this isn't a traditional deck, so it gives a different bent to the meaning. To become a skilled archer like the one on the card takes years of preparation. The arrow represents our creativity and must be released in a controlled and steady manner. In a traditional deck, the animals drawing the chariot would represent the will, but in this deck, it's the bow. The wolfhounds are messengers of the archer's strength, and are safely and obediently contained. No, in this card, the only thing the Archer needs to control is the release of the arrow, a skill she's mastered over many years.

This card signals the dawn of a new adventure. It's a time for bold commitment. It asks us to take a moment to gather our tools and steady our state of mind. Then move forward with calm and precision. And, as the book states, let your soul take flight.

This couldn't have come at a more opportune time for me. Over the past few weeks I've committed to embarking on a more professional approach to tarot. Which means I'll be reading professionally in my spare time. And I've also started working on a pretty exciting project that I hope will one day be published. I've considered this before, but never seriously. However, recently, the thought has transformed in my mind. Now it feels "right". And talk about preparation! I've been reading for 25 years, I've led psychic development classes, I have a regular course of continued learning and I've recently launched a blog. None of this was done for the current purposes. It was all done from a passion for the practice. And all of a sudden, this direction makes sense. It's time. (I'm not abandoning my current career, however…haha. Just want to make that clear for clients and associates that may be reading along.)

So what about you? What's loaded in your bow? And has your time come…a time when you can approach it without fear?

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

4/13/11—Realigning Heart and Mind

Today's Draw: Ace of Air from the Gaian Tarot.  Are you tired of the status quo? Could you use something to shake you out of a rut? Have you stopped living from your heart, finding yourself saying, thinking or doing things automatically?


Joanna Powell Colbert's beautiful Ace of Air comes to us to remind us of our unlimited capacity for transformation. The butterfly is the symbol of transformation and the hawthorne branch it rests upon asks us to live from our hearts.

The rampage of daily life often puts us into certain habits. We find something that works, whether it's a thought, action, belief or hairdo. And then that's taken care of. And now we can deal with the barrage of the million other stimuli that come into our sphere on any given day.  And, frequently, we don't ever go back and reassess those habits. We've changed, but parts of our being have never been examined from the point of view of the new person. Heart and mind are no longer connected.

Growing up in a military family, we moved every two years. I went to five elementary schools, one junior high and three high schools. Being a smart, overweight kid with some eccentricities, it was hard to fit in. So it seemed like every time I would start to make friends, we'd move. That part sucked. But because I didn't fit in, there was a silver lining—every two years I got to reinvent myself. I got a fresh start. With each new school, the slate would be wiped clean and I could try a new part of myself on for size. As they say, though, youth is wasted on the young. I wasn't mature enough to make any real, situation-changing transformations. But the anticipation of that fact—that I could reinvent myself—gave me something to look forward to with each move.

Things became different as an adult, however. I used to be a meaner, less caring person. I used to occupy more of my time with distractions. And I used to be a non-spiritual atheist. At one time or another, these things didn't align with the truth of my heart any longer. They didn't inspire my soul. So I changed them over time.

Today's card comes to us to remind us to stop and take inventory again. What parts of your persona no longer fit the person? What ways of responding to stress, for example, are no longer in alignment with your heart and/or spiritual beliefs? We've all seen the person who brags about their relationship with God, turn right around, flip the bird and spout nastiness in traffic, for example. And hey, everyone has a bad day. I've done the same thing myself. But when we see that we're acting out of line with our beliefs…when we see that we're saying and doing things that we don't really believe…it's time to do the work of transformation. But before we can see this, we have to shift out of automatic and become conscious of what's in our heart and the way we're being. So walk in consciousness today and for the rest of this week, if you can. And remember that we were born to change. It's time for us all to go in for a tune-up and let our soul take flight.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

4/12/11—Fighting Ourselves

Today's Draw: Ten of Swords from the Norse Tarot. Are you riled up, ready to fight? Are you justified in your anger? Or is it even anger at all? And is it a battle worth fighting?

Traditionally, the Ten of Swords is a card of utter defeat. But not in the Norse Tarot. It's just not the Viking way. Our hero is well armed to do battle. And you get the sense that, even if he's up against alarming odds, he could possibly win. But is it a battle worth fighting?

Almost all of my anger is actually hurt. It happens when someone has rubbed up against one of my fears…fear of abandonment, fear of not being accepted. It's one thing to fight from a secure position. Fighting from a place of security is more often debate and doesn't require an arsenal.

But fighting from a position of insecurity…well, who or what are you really fighting? And what spoils rain down on you if you win? I'd venture to say most of our battles are with ourselves. We lash out at a supermarket checker who has to look up the code for broccoli because we're annoyed at the way we've planned our day. We yell at our partner for coming home late because we feel abandoned and need more attention. In essence, we're trying to heal a broken leg by walking on it. And, often, the fight just puts more distance between us and what we're trying to achieve and receive.

I've been feeling a little riled myself lately. But it's totally coming from my own hurts, ego and insecurities. The object of my ire was free to make the choice that "angered" me in the first place. And now they are acting like a victim, which makes me even more "angry". But my desire to lash out is coming from my own victim mentality. Nobody likes to admit to that, but it's often the truth. The thing that pisses us off most about others is often, in some way, true about ourselves. So because I know that all I'm feeling is REALLY an issue with myself, I'm not lashing out. And won't. When I talk to this person next, it will come from a place of love and/or neutrality.

And that's the kicker, isn't it? How often do we approach ourselves with the same love and understanding we give to others? Until we really understand what is beneath our compulsion to fight with another, we're just spinning in space, having fight after fight until we finally "get it". So ask yourself what you're really fighting. And if that means you lay down your swords and open up your tears, do it. Then show yourself some of the love and compassion you show others. The best way to defeat the negative forces in your life is to heal yourself.

Monday, April 11, 2011

4/11/11—Accepting Endings


Today's Draw: Eight of Water from Tarot de Paris. Is there a personal or professional relationship you're disenchanted with? Is it time to for you let go? And if you're choosing to hold on, why?

The eights find us at a time of maturity…a time we have to take responsibility and make grown-up decisions. In the Eight of Water, it's time for inner reflection on the relationships in our lives. In our youth, we may have been more able to ride the waves of unstable relationships. But as an adult we know that as long as we continue pouring our energy into broken dynamics, we are unable to create new, healthier ones.

Each of the eight cups represents the memories of dreams lost and dreams come true. And as long as each is filled and tended in your heart, then is no room for new dreams to fill the cups. You know when something isn't working. You know when cycles are just going to repeat themselves over and over. You know when a relationship no longer represents the person you've become or want to become.

This is a sad time. The man in the card is reflected in the waters of his emotion. And he is turned away from the disappointments and still trying to focus on the good. But he knows the truth. The good is not enough. And the disappointments are still there, looming in the background. And this may have been enough for him at one point, but that person no longer exists inside him.

A recent relationship with a special person really opened my eyes to a number of things and now I'm no longer the person I was before we met. The culmination of all our past relationships came along with us for the ride, as did our different personalities and different lifestyles. And it just didn't work out. The good parts were fabulous. But the other crap was just crap. As an adult, I'm no longer able to blind myself to the whole reality of this dynamic. I want a stable, fulfilling love relationship and can't have that as long as I hold on to this one.

Whether it's a love relationship, friendship or business relationship, you know when things aren't working. Every relationship has its difficulties. But you know when the scales are tipped too far into the unhealthy region…when you're bending too far to accommodate a person. Nobody drifts into our lives and leaves us unchanged. People come for a season, a reason and, in rare cases, a lifetime. Consider the relationships in your life and see where you stand.