11/5/11-11/6/11—Fighting for Position

Weekend Reading: Five of Wands from the Crystal Visions Tarot. If you're caught up in a conflict with someone else, consider, this weekend, what you're really fighting for. The two lions in this card are like my dogs when they "fight". They gnash their teeth and make horrific growly noises and they look like they're fighting. But they don't even make contact with each other. They're really just establishing where each stands in the pack. That's what's going on with both the lions and the men in this card. It's not about harming or killing, it's about staking claim to a position in the fight. Who's the alpha? And who's not? So before you enter into fisticuffs this weekend, consider what you're really fighting for. And it goes the other way...consider why the other party is fighting you. Then consider whether it's worth the fight.

11/4/11—Laying Down Your Swords

Today's Draw: The Six of Swords from the Crystal Visions Tarot. Have you been struggling with something or someone for a long time now? Are you ready to just give up the fight? How can you approach the challenge differently?

The Six of Swords is about transition and moving on. It usually shows a man and woman in a boat with six swords stuck in the bottom, plugging up holes. Their backs are to us and they're on their way to a destination we see in the distance, presumably a better place. 

While this particular card communicates that as well, it also communicates something else to me. It says that it's time to lay down your swords and walk away. I love how she's walking toward that break in the clouds and following the course of the birds/nature.

Many times we push up against situations in our lives without realizing it. We fight and fight and get nowhere. We try and try and make little progress. We ask and ask and never receive. And we don't realize how tensed up around the situation we've become. 

Ironically, in the process, we often forget what we're fighting for. More ironically, we lose our taste for what we're fighting for and continue to fight anyway, hoping for something/anything/a response. The fight stops being about whatever we wanted in the first place and becomes about fighting for a point or a principle. Or some kind of ego issue. Sometimes we just keep on fighting or pushing or forcing because we've already invested so much into the initiative. And sometimes we're just going on automatic. 

Whether we're talking about a relationship or a goal or a dream or a lifelong struggle, when you're fighting against the current, it's because you're not going with the flow. So simple and yet something we forget time and again: when you're fighting against the current, you're not going with the flow. 

That doesn't mean that what you want to happen will never happen. And it also doesn't mean that your goals *should* be effortless to achieve. It just means it's Time. To. Stop. Stop and take a breather. Think of other options. Because this tack ain't working. 

Like I said before, we often find ourselves doing this after we've been doing it for weeks/months/years unconsciously. So actually ask yourself if you feel yourself doing this in your life. And if you quickly decide "no", then you may not be looking deeply enough. Sometimes it's hard to spot. Of course, sometimes you're totally in the flow in your life so maybe there's nothing there. I know I've got a lot of things flowing perfectly right now, but there are a couple of things that I've been struggling against within myself for eons and I hadn't thought about those things in these terms until just now. It's time to take a new tack. Or just let go.

11/3/11—Embracing our Crazy Butterfly

Today's Draw: The Princess of Swords from the Tarot of the Silicon Dawn. Do you ever wonder if you're just a little too whacked out for this world? Do you ever worry that maybe something's just a little "off" or a little "broken" inside you? How would life be different if you could completely let go of self-criticism and self-doubt?

This particular Princess of Swords is a hot mess. She's ungrounded. A mix of contradictions. Riding an emotional rollercoaster. A little lost. But somehow it all works for her. This is who she is. And, as the book says, she's still so much more than she even realizes. 

I'm someone who has a pretty strong energy about me. And that energy is almost always positive and supportive and kind. Because of this, people sometimes make assumptions that I'm really easy going about things and won't mind if they're lax on their end of our relationship, whether it's a business or personal one. That's a bad assumption to make. Like the Princess of Swords, my blade cuts both ways. 

There's a saying "do not mistake my kindness for weakness." That's a perfect saying for me. I won't pitch a fit or go out in a blaze of fire. I'll just calmly state why it's not working out for me and quietly walk away. Thanks to Oprah, when people show me who they are, I believe them. The few times I've made exceptions, I've regretted it.

So how does this relate to the mess of contradictions that is the Princess of Swords? Well, because we all have contradicting natures. I can be—and am—a genuinely warm and supportive person. But take advantage of that and you don't get the best of me anymore. 

But the thing is, sometimes these contradictions cause us to question or diminish our own value. We wonder why we can't always be Super-Good Tierney and what must be broken when we're Snappish Tierney or Hormonally Deranged Tierney (For the record, I'm not normally the snappish type, I don't think. But hormonally deranged? *ahem* No comment.) 

Sure, maybe there are FREAKS out there who are terribly consistent in everything they do, walking through life with no contradictions (at least not any they'll let out of the closet). And then there are people who do have emotional and/or psychological issues that need tending. But the bulk of us rest uncomfortably in a middle ground where we're oddly all over the place, following a logic that only makes sense to us. And here's what the Princess of Swords has to say about that: It's OK. You and your weird mix of contradictions and eccentricities are as exotic and unique and beautiful as the flower in her hair or the mark of the butterfly on her cheeks. 

How would life be different if we could just believe this about ourselves? If we could move through each day knowing we're good just the way we are? Just imagine...things like passive-aggression and misunderstandings and taking things personally would just fade into the woodwork!

I'm not going to stand before you and tell you I'm there...haha. There is much about myself I still have to come to peace with. But what I can do is take a vacation from insecurity, self-criticism and doubt on Thursday, November 3rd. And if that doesn't work out, I can try again on Friday, November 4th. Because as the book so eloquently tells us about the Princess of Swords (and, of course, ourselves), "Poor crazy butterfly. She's the only thing that holds herself back from flying."

11/2/11—Leaving an Offering for Pele

Today's Draw: Six of Lava Stones (Pentacles) from HazelMoon's Hawaiian Tarot. Still worried about money despite my excellent post on manifestation two days ago? Having a hard time releasing your money fears? Or is time the thing of most value in your life these days? Ever considered making an offering to "The Gods"?

Today we get another card that has to do with our relationship to money. The Six of Pentacles is about the cycle of giving and receiving. A couple of days ago we talked about how the simple act of feeling flush can attract more prosperity into our lives and how the fear you won't have enough will just breed more fear and more "not having enough". 

This card is about the same thing, but from a different angle. This card is about keeping money in circulation...the giving and receiving of both time and money. So for those of you who feel you don't have enough time, the same principles apply. If you don't think you have enough, you won't. If you resent what you give, it supports a belief of not having enough. But if your belief is that you have enough and some to spare—and act that way—then you'll have enough some to spare. Simply put, as Mike Dooley puts it (google him), thoughts become things.

The book for this deck explains the picture is of the Hale Ma'u Ma'u crater on Mount Kilauea on the Big Island. Hawaiian legend says the Goddess Pele lives in this crater, so it's a sacred place. You can visit there, be cleansed in the steam vents and leave an offering for Pele.  

The other day I mentioned that, when I feel fear about money, I'll do certain things. I'll take myself out for dinner and leave a large tip. One time I picked up the tab at a nearby table, completely anonymously. I didn't even hang out to see their reaction. Not that long ago, I gave $10 to a woman who was begging on the street because it was the smallest bill I had. She was very grateful. It was probably the biggest contribution she'd gotten that day. And I cried all the way home because there I was, worried about money, when the smallest bill I had was $10 and she was begging on the street. 

I call it tithing to the universe. You can call it leaving an offering for Pele. I make a practice of it, doing it even when I'm feeling flush. One of my favorite things is to pay for one or two of the cars behind me when I visit Skyline Drive, which is a scenic roadway through Shenandoah National Park. Breathtaking views. Personally, I like to be anonymous and not receive anything in return except the enjoyment I get from doing it. The act is not just a message to the universe that I have more than enough, but, like the steam from Pele's vents, can be very cleansing, washing the fear away and replacing it with more productive thoughts.

Although I've placed a lot of attention on ridding money fears, this is a good practice to consider if you're feeling pretty stable and happy with your money situation, too. And what I'm talking about is beyond the automatic checks you write each year to charities. All that's good, don't get me wrong. But spontaneous acts increase the emotion and energy, giving your offering an extra punch, imo. Besides, they're fun and really good for knocking out sudden incidents of fear. 

Of course you should never give away money you can't feel comfortable giving and if you can't pay your bills this month, maybe save your offering for another time...or give some clothes to charity. But many of us who are worried about money can manage to part with $5 or $10 or $20 without feeling it. And when you share it with someone less fortunate than you, both of you feel more flush. Which is like getting a bonus Pele steam-vent spa cleansing for free. So, what can you do to make someone else smile today?

11/1/11—Peeking Through the Veil

Today's Draw: The Elder of Fire (King of Wands) from the Gaian Tarot. Is there someone on the other side you'd like to communicate with? Do you believe you can? Do you think there's anything to the notion that the veil is thinner at this time of year?

We've had this exact same card before. This is the shaman, the witch, conjurer. She uses her mature, developed command of fire to bring transformation. She is intimately conversant with the other world. 

In the pagan religions November 1 brings Samhain, a harvest festival. The most potent time of this yearly celebration is believed to be on Halloween night. Samhain marks the end of the light half of the year and the beginning of the dark half. While it is the end of one cycle, it is the beginning of another and carries the potent energy of beginnings. Some believe in the silence of the dark at this time of year, you're better able to hear whispers from the other world—whispers that bring messages and the seeds of change. 

The Elder of Fire challenges us to explore the secrets of the dark—the spirits and mysteries that exist on this earth, unseen, alongside us. Her ceremonies and rituals shift her consciousness into the other side of our world. She reminds us that we are capable of great creation, transformation and communion with the unseen. 

They say this is the time of year when the veil is the thinnest. I always think of my mother at this time of year, because her birthday was a few days ago. I feel I've been visited by my father many times, but I've never really felt my mother around. There was nothing left unsaid between us. Maybe that's why. But my sister has felt her often. 

Sometimes it's little disconcerting when we can't feel the energy a loved one who's passed. But I believe they can see and hear us, even if we can't say and hear them. So tonight and tomorrow night I'm going to just talk to her, whether she's there or not. And maybe in the dark, I'll hear some whispers in return.

10/31/11—Manifesting Prosperity

Today's Draw: The Nine of Pumpkins (Pentacles) from the Halloween Tarot. How do you feel about your relationship with money these days? Do you feel rich or poor? And is it possible your feelings might have more power to shape your reality than you imagine?

The Nine of Pentacles is a card of prosperity. But it's not a showy prosperity, it's more of a quiet comfort when it comes to money. It's dignified and refined. The lady in this picture has few worries. And without those worries her mind is free to seek knowledge and the other stimuli of life.

A lot of people, myself included now and again, have money worries these days. And Halloween can teach us a lot about the art of manifesting money (or anything else for that matter). The reason I say this is because we all buy lots of candy and give it away freely. That's the way of Halloween. We don't mourn every fun-size candy bar that crosses our threshold. We're more focused on the costumes the kids are wearing, the weariness of the parents or whatever. We give freely, because it's what we do. In fact, I think giving on Halloween carries less turmoil for people than giving at Christmas does. 

And what that means for manifesting is this—when you hold on tightly to money or material things, you're telling the universe money is in short supply. And when you focus on money being in short supply, the universe gives you more money in short supply. Because, in the universe, whatever you focus on is what you get more of. It's a simple principle. Think you're too fat? You'll get more "too fat". Think you need to quit smoking? You'll get more need to quit smoking. Think you don't have enough money? You'll get more "not enough money".

Halloween gives us a day to feel flush and able to be generous. When we focus on giving, we'll get more to give. When we focus on having enough, we get more enough to have. And when we focus on having enough to give, we get more "enough" to give. Whenever I start to feel "poor", I take myself out to dinner and leave a smile-making tip for the waiter. I act like I am infinitely funded by the universe. And so I am. 

So when you're giving out candy to the kids Monday night, feel like you have more than enough to give. And remember that feeling and take it into the next day and the next. The secret to manifesting money is not to focus on the "need", but to focus on the lack of need. Crazy, huh? Feel fully funded and you will be. Whether or not you have money has less to do with how much you spend than you think. Of course, if you want the money to respect you, you have to respect it. But it's more about how you feel and think about money than it is about how you spend it. 

And if you think that's a bunch of hooey, then consider this: you can be poor and feel rich. Or you can be poor and feel poor. The choice is yours. Feelings are choices. So if feeling poor hasn't done anything for you lately, try feeling rich. If feeling rich doesn't bring you more riches, then you can go back to feeling poor again. If you want. But at least you'll have tried something different to break you out of your funk.