Friday, February 15, 2013

2/16/13-2/17/13—Spreading the Love

Weekend Reading: Six of Pentacles from the Art of Life Tarot. If you're feeling blue, lacking inspiration, afraid of the future. unhappy at home or concerned about the plight of the panda bear, nothing will make you feel better than doing something kind for someone else. We are all given an inexhaustible supply of wealth at birth. Our currency is our grace. And every time we "spend" our grace, grace flows back our way. Whether you hold a door open for someone on crutches, buy a homeless person a sandwich or just allow someone to be "right", go looking for things to spend your grace on this weekend. Heck, even just flashing a person a smile can spend ripples of goodwill through the universe. So make a game of it. Spread the love throughout your community and be prepared for love to spread back to you. 

Thursday, February 14, 2013

2/15/12—Reaching for Life's Brass Ring

Today's Draw: Moon in the House of Fish from the Vintage Lenormand by Jera Babylon Rootweaver and the Deck of Lenormand Houses by Me. So what else might be keeping you from making that change you're considering? Are you waiting for the money to make the change? Or is it possible that, if the change came first, the money would follow? 

Today's draw predicts that fame brings money. But because my Deck of 1000 Spreads is all over the bestseller list for the fortunetelling category, it's clear that reading is for me and not for you. 

*folds fortune neatly into a square and shoves it in her pocket as she delights in the deflated dreams of those around her*

Actually, what really happened with today's draw is that there is a tarot card called The Moon. It means confusion and sort of cloudy thoughts. Things aren't clear. So when I first saw today's draw and started thinking of it in the context of this week's theme of making changes, I was thinking we'd talk about how many changes are stalled because of the money factor...because of a lack of clear sight of where the money is going to come from for our changes. 

My bad. 

*locating the REAL fortune in my pocket to make sure it's still there and nobody lifted it while I was explaining myself*

*regaining dignity*

There are a lot of dreams and changes that don't require money to make it happen. But that's the #1 thing I hear people say they're waiting on. It's certainly the #1 thing I worry about when I think about leaving it all behind me, moving to Maine, living full-time as an author and traveling the country in an RV full of dogs to greet my adoring fans. 

The good thing is that I have some perspective on this, because 15 years ago I walked away from my job to become a freelancer and never had to worry about money in making that change. Now, I did have some savings as a backup. But from the first month as a freelancer, I was making more money than I did when I was employed. The money was irrelevant. The money followed closely behind my pursuit of my dream. 

The thing about waiting for the money is that it's just an excuse. Because it's a problem that rarely ever gets solved sufficiently enough to make us overcome our fears. So we stay in loveless marriages, remain in thankless jobs and continue with careers and lives that were someone else's dreams for us, rather than our own. 

One of the many pics I took of my bestseller rankings yesterday. 
It's not about the money. It seems like it is, but that's just what we tell ourselves to remain trapped by our fears. I know the economy is bad and not mending fast enough. But, bolstered by the positive energy of chasing a dream, we always find a way. You know if you want it enough, you will find a way. It may mean your lifestyle is not as cushy as the one you have now for a while. But you KNOW you will find a way. 

My personal belief is that change happens when the fear of keeping things the way they are becomes greater than the fear of changing. Maybe I'm fooling myself, but part of my issue is that I still find my day job compelling. Even after 25 years. When I leave, I'll be leaving something I love. So it would seem like my plan of attack has been to have feet in both worlds (like we talked about yesterday) and build up enough momentum to knock me entirely into the other world...haha. 

I worry I'm wasting too much time, though. *fingering fortune in my pocket and thinking deeply*

I think that, if we're using money as an excuse, we might do ourselves a favor by being honest. "I'm staying with him because I'm afraid I can't make it on my own." "I'm putting up with this job because I'm afraid I'm not competitive enough for the marketplace." "I'm living someone else's dream because I'm afraid I'm not worthy of my dream." Or "I'm inching toward my dreams because I'm afraid (and too lazy) to go balls to the wall and risk utter ruin."

If we started using REAL excuses, I think we'd hate admitting it so much that we'd shame ourselves into changing...haha. Or something like that. But I do think we need to be honest. At least with ourselves. Because then we could put the energy we waste on wondering about money toward dissecting our real fears and seeing that they're not good enough to keep us from reaching for life's brass ring. 

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

2/14/13—Making Your Move

Today's Draw: Two of Swords in the Crowning Influences position from the Mythic Tarot and the Deck of 1000 Spreads. Do you feel caught between a rock and a hard place? Do you know what you want, but seem to be paralyzed in moving toward it? How long do you think you can stand with one foot in your old life and one in your new?


Poor Orestes. Mom and Dad are having a fight and he's caught in the middle, refusing to pick a side. The Two of Swords speaks to a situation where you feel paralyzed. Maybe there's a reality you're refusing to face. Or stormy seas in your life you're choosing to ignore. Or a precarious balance or neutrality you're trying to hold. Whatever it is, there's usually some need to move forward, but a fear-based inability to do so. 

In the Crowing Influences position, it fits right into this week's theme of making changes and moving forward in our lives. The Crowing Influences position says that what's holding us back is the fact that we've got one foot in our old world and one foot in the new. 

Yesterday was all about making the decisions. And today is, too. This one foot in/one foot out thing is causing tension and anxiety within that is adding to our fear and uncertainty. In fact, a large portion of what we're experiencing as fear and anxiety may really just be the tension and anxiety of standing between two worlds. 

We can't stand like this forever. And no matter which direction we choose, it's scary. It's scary to stay the way we are. And it's scary to move into the unknown. But the difference between the two is that you know what the status quo holds. And you've chosen to step away from that toward an uncertain future that holds either something more beautiful or more horrific...haha. 

Are you trading your problems? Are you walking away too soon? Those are legitimate questions, but ones that also keep you stuck. 

Which possibility makes you feel larger? Which possibility calls out to you? Which possibility holds the most potential? Those are the questions to ask. 

I know a couple of people who are considering ending their marriages. One of the wisest things I've ever heard Dr. Phil say is that "you have to earn your way out of marriage." That means you can't leave before you know you've done everything you can to save it (unless you're being abused). And THAT means you have to do things like counseling and trying different ways to approach problems. You have to take responsibility for your 100% of the relationship and do what you can do to change the situation, even if your partner's 100% is not cooperating. I believe that a lot of marriages end prematurely. I look at people who have been together for 25 or 30 years and still love each other, and what I see is two people who stuck together through things that tore others apart. 

Marriages deserve that chance. Families deserve that chance. But when it comes to things like careers and where you live and the other details of life, you can spend a lifetime on the fence only to discover you've never lived. 

As many of you know, I had a brother who was seemingly healthy one day and less than six months later was dead of cancer. He died with two feet firmly planted in the midst of his family. He knew what he wanted and he went for it. You know what you want, too. So which foot will you move?

Alert! My sister, Janet, can stop reading at this point!!! ;)

Because I forgot to mention that the Mythic Tarot is the deck I learned on and it's a good deck for that. All the suits are wrapped up in a story from mythology and that makes it easy to learn the card meanings. See how the corner is ripped? This deck is like those old cotton sheets you have that look like crap, but feel good to the touch.

Also tarot nerds might be interested in the whole week I devoted to the Two of Swords, using a different interpretation every day for the Two of Swords from the Victorian Romantic. Students might also be interested, because I give insight into the different ways I look at the cards. View that week here http://thedailytarotdraw.blogspot.com/2012_09_09_archive.html

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

2/13/13—Making a Decision

Today's Draw: The Seeker (Fool) in the House of the Ring from the Gaian Tarot and the Deck of Lenormand Houses. Can't get started on a change you want to make? Or you start over and over again, only to fail? Want to know the secret of a new beginning?

This may be the first time I've ever used tarot just with my Deck of Lenormand Houses. If you don't know about my Deck of Lenormand Houses, you can purchase it on my blog. It's like the Deck of 1000 Spreads, but for Lenormand.

Anyway, yesterday we were talking about new starts and the advice was to know that it's ok to just start in a new direction because the universe is always guiding you. And today is about new beginnings, too.

For the better part of 26 years, I smoked two packs of cigarettes a day. I was cool with that for the first 15 years or so, but during the last decade of smoking I tried to quit on a regular basis. I don't think I ever lasted more than three weeks. For all the people out there who advise others to "just quit", I promise you, it's not that easy.

Consider that the average smoker introduces the drug into their system every 15-30 minutes for YEARS. In about ten minutes after you quit, your brain wants the drug. And it pesters you until you get it. You are chemically, emotionally and physically addicted. That's why they say it's one of the hardest drugs to quit. It took me 10 years of trying, many of which were honest efforts borne of genuine desire to quit. It took me all those 10 years to finally learn the one secret that would save me.

Making a decision. A commitment. A promise to never smoke again.

All the other times I had it in my head that, if something really bad happened, I could have a cigarette. Or after a few years, I might be in the clear. Or if I found out I was dying. There was always an "if" that I would use to comfort myself with. And it was absolutely the wrong way to go because the second you leave a door even cracked to your addiction, it will come busting through.

When I finally made a decision to never smoke again—under no circumstance—you know what happened? Quitting was easy. I had every option open to me when I had a craving, except one. I could never smoke again. It was the decision...the commitment that made the difference.

In the past, I had made decisions to "try to quit" or "to quit". But I had never made an absolute decision to never smoke again. Consider the difference. I made a decision to quit. Which I did. Then I started back up again. It wasn't absolute. I said I'd quit and I did. But I never said "forever". Or "never again".

So what does that have to do with the Fool in the House of the Ring? Well, Ring is all about commitment. And the Fool is about new beginnings. So making a commitment to one option and not allowing other options to muddy the waters is a great way to make a new beginning. Want to leave your miserable man, but keep going back for more? Make a commitment to never go back again. Want to start in a new career direction? Make a commitment to never consider any other option again...or make a commitment to never let a Sunday pass without sending out a resume. Want to lose weight? Make a commitment to never overeat again. Or to never spend a week on your sofa without exercising. Whatever change you're trying to make, there is something you can commit to that will begin to chip away at the old behavior.

I know people don't like "never", but once the offending behavior is no longer an option, it won't call to you. That's what I learned from quitting smoking 10 years ago. It's not the quitting that's the hard part. It's the making the decision. It took me 10 years of quitting to finally make the decision to never smoke again. And it seems to be taking me as long with overeating.

The reason the decision or commitment is powerful is because we tend to honor those things. For me, once I make a decision, it's made. Other decisions can be made in the future as you hone your focus, but the original decision usually still stands.

So somewhere in our lives, there's a place where we can make a decision to "never" (fill in the blank). And maybe it's a baby step, like I will never watch HoneyBooBoo ever again just because I'm bored. A decision like that is a gateway decision for dealing with TV addiction...haha.

So think about it. What new way of being do you want to bring into your life? Yesterday asked us to take that leap, knowing we'll be guided (which is also what the Fool tells us, coinkadinkally). And today asks us to make a commitment to this new direction and never looking back. What will you decide?

Monday, February 11, 2013

2/12/13—Walking a New Path

Today's Draw: Stars in the House of Stars in the Action position from Beth Seilonen's Vibrant Night Lenormand and my Deck of Lenormand Houses and Deck of 1000 Spreads. Do you feel a little lost on your path right now? Or is there a new path revealing itself that you're not sure how to navigate? Do you even know where you want to go? 

Today's draw is a vision in blue, isn't it? Obviously it wasn't planned to have Stars in the House of Stars. It just happened that way. Stars are about guidance and hope, clarity, wishes and inspiration. They can also light a new path. 

So the way I read Stars in the House of Stars in the position of Action...haha, what a mouthful!...is to just move forward knowing you'll be guided. This is good advice for me personally, because with the imminent release of my new deck (The Deck of 1000 Spreads, in case you somehow missed it ;) ), I'll be entering in a new phase of my life. And it's a phase that brings me some anxiety. 

See, these days my blog is getting more traffic, my deck is hotly anticipated, people are contacting me for interviews and it's only a matter of time before reviews—both good and bad—of my work will hit the scene. So with each passing day I'm more and more "out there." And for a person that has always done a really good job of hiding away, that's a scary thing. 

But there are two sides to me, which anyone who knows me personally will tell you. There's the hermit who's just short of having some kind of social phobia, yes. But there's also the chatty, animated teacher, the seemingly extroverted social companion and someone who relishes being the center of attention. 

The deep-thinking introverted side is the side that writes these blogs, often musing over difficult personal and spiritual insights. And the devil-may-care exhibitionist side is the side that posts them on the World Wide Web for everyone to see—in perpetuity. But most of my days are spent as the introvert. And, to her, this new path full of hope is kind of scary. Stars in the House of Stars in the position of Action says, "move forth confidently, little grasshopper, and the universe will guide you to your destination."

Very comforting to remember during times of hyperventilation...haha. And because so many of you are generous in sharing your "new paths" with me, I think this can provide comfort for you, too. There are those who are newly single and those who wish to be newly single. Those becoming a mom again and those leaving momhood for new horizons. And then there are the legions of those who really aren't sure where they're going, but just know they've got to go. 

There is never a time when God's/Goddess'/The Universe's hand is not gently at our back guiding us forth. And the higher power even gives us a guarantee—that we simply cannot make a mistake along our path...that everything that happens along the way will provide useful information for the path ahead. We often forget that when we're breathing into a paper sack or wandering through life in a fugue state. But it's always there. And today's it's poking us softly on the shoulder to remind us. 

Sunday, February 10, 2013

2/11/13—Loving Into Being

Today's Draw: Queen of Cups from the Tarot of the Tattoo Age in the Heart of the Matter position from the Deck of 1000 Spreads. Have you ever loved something before it even entered your life? Do you think it's possible to receive more love when you expect it, than when you don't? When is the right time to start loving someone? 

The Tarot of the Tattoo Age is a deck where each card is done by a different tattoo artist. The artists were given complete freedom to do what they wanted. As a result, a few of the cards make no sense to me...haha. It's as if a couple of the artists said "screw what this card is supposed to mean, I want to draw a rabbit!" But for the most part, the cards show nice and, in some cases, inspired interpretation of tarot. 

The Queen of Cups is a spiritual, loving, compassionate woman. This particular card is one of the inspired ones in the deck. I'm not sure if you can see it in this picture, but what she is pouring out of her cup is the cosmos itself, complete with planets and stars and the moon. It is from her "cup of love" that the cosmos is created. 

About 30 years ago, I had a dream that still sticks with me. In this dream, I learned the meaning of life. And it was a four letter word—love. 

So here the Queen sits, right on the line between night and day, creating the universe with her love, emotions and compassion. It's a wonderful thought, huh? That we create in a big way through just love alone. 

If you're not familiar with the Heart of the Matter position, it's what's at the crux of the situation...at the root of it all. So this is the perfect position for this card. But the funny thing is, it's also a pun. Love is what's at the heart of matter...of all that exists. 

Anyway, I was talking to a friend today about creating through love, so this combo is perfect. We were discussing the idea of developing feelings for someone before you even meet them. In other words, if you're a single person, open your heart to your future lover now. Write them poems. Think about them—not in a specific way, like imagining what they look like, but think about what they feel like in your heart...and what your heart feels like with them. 

In a way, it's like the connection a mother has with her fetus. Well, not exactly the same, but kind of. You love this little person before it's even a person. It's part of the generative process. And that love is felt by the other, even though they may not know you're thinking about them. 

When you think of it, we usually love based on past performance. So we're like Missourians—show me why and I'll give you love. But what about the notion of loving on faith, like the way you love God? That's what we're talking about. Loving on faith and trust that love will be returned. Loving with the absence of proof...just "knowing" that love is on the way. 

Of course, this process isn't limited to love. You can appreciate a job before you get one. Show gratitude for a life-changing opportunity before it presents. And feel the grace of forgiveness before it's even given. 

Adding this technique to your manifestation or wishing process can be powerful. I always teach that it's better to wish for a feeling than a thing, because it's really the feeling you want—the feeling of having more than enough money, the feeling of love, etc. If you wish for the thing, you may receive it without the feeling. But if you receive the feeling, how can you lose?

So what will you love into being this week?