12/28/12—Manifesting for the New Year

Today's Draw Classic*: Five of Pentacles from the Druidcraft Tarot. Do you suspect your thoughts may be defeating you? Do you generally come from a place of gratitude or lack? And would you rather have more money...or a greater feeling of wealth?

Tonight I'm putting together a New Year's manifestation ceremony that will take place during tomorrow's full moon. So when I stopped to pull a card for tonight's draw, I got the Five of Pentacles. Realizing the message I would give was the same as in this post from last February, I'm reprinting it with some revisions. In this week's theme, it's something to consider as we move forward into the New Year. 

The Five of Pentacles is usually a card of poverty or material loss of some sort...loss of a job, a poorly planned shopping spree or the effects of divorce. More often than not, however, when this card comes up in a reading it indicates a "poverty mindset." This woman wears beautiful, clean robes. She sports a richly bejeweled sash. Her hair is well kept, her skin pristine. She stands at the base of a budding tree. The sun shines brightly on rich, green hillside. In the background a hound is in hot pursuit of a hare. There is no poverty or material loss in this picture...except in her mind.

Poverty mindsets can happen to anyone. It doesn't matter how much you earn or how much you have saved. A poverty mindset is more about focusing on what you don't have than what you do have. And once it has you in its grips, it can literally limit any possibility you have of having more—more money, more love, more anything. Given the time and opportunity, one loss, perceived or otherwise, can act like a cancer in your life, penetrating every corner. You literally think your way into depression. And the more you focus on loss, the more you lose.

In metaphysics, it's called the Law of Attraction. It's a theory based on the belief that like attracts like. The spiritual piece to this belief is that, whatever you focus on, God or the universe will give you more of. So whatever energies you send out, will be returned to you. Therefore, if you think "I have more than everything I need," the universe will send you MORE "more than everything you need". If you think, "I don't have enough money", the universe will send you MORE "not enough money". After all, if it's what you're focusing on, it must be what you want.

Of course, much of it can be attributed to simple psychology. If you practice gratitude, you'll feel more abundant because you'll be focusing on what you have, instead of what you don't have. Conversely, if you focus on what you don't have, you'll feel more lack. Then whatever state you focus on is the one you'll carry out into the world and the one the world will respond to. Would you rather hire someone who feels like a loser or a winner? So even if you don't believe in the spiritual piece, the theory works regardless.

If you want to start putting this to work in your life, 1) begin by watching your thoughts and replacing the "negative" thoughts with positive ones. If you're not sure you're wording things correctly, put "I want more" in front of the thought. So if you want to exercise more and think "I need to exercise more", the universe will give you more reason to need to exercise. So a better way of saying it would be, at the very least, "I am exercising more" and, optimally, "I exercise the right amount for optimal physical and mental health." The important thing is to choose the statement you can most buy into and believe in.

Personally, I like to choose a thought that includes the word "feel"..."I feel healthy and fit", for example. Because, for me, it's not usually the "thing" that I want, but the feeling that comes along with it. And if you feel healthy and fit, you will protect that feeling by eating and doing the right things. As another example, having a million dollars in and of itself won't make you feel flush. If you win the money, it comes with tax issues and long-lost-cousins-finding-you issues. So asking for a million dollars when you really want to feel like you have more than enough money could actually work against you. Chances are, you want the feeling more than the money. So ask for the feeling and let the universe decide how to give it to you.

Then the next piece of this is 2) trust that it's going to happen. Don't obsess over your thought. State it once or twice a day, and then just trust that it will come to you. Then, 3) have gratitude for whatever comes. Sometimes interim steps have to happen before you can get what you want, so trust that whatever comes is in divine order and be grateful for it, even if it doesn't look like you thought it would. Finally, 4) move toward your goal, even if it means just planning at first. But set a plan, send out those resumes, go for that walk, whatever.

Like I said, it's a discipline, so if you try it for three days, then fall back into old habits, it's not the principles that didn't work. It's you. If you really want change, you'll take the steps necessary to make it happen. And if you take the steps necessary, you'll be showing the universe you're serious about this and you'll begin to see results.

*Adapted from a post made on 2/27/12.

8/16/12—Feeling Full

Today's Draw: Five of Coins from the Medieval Chihuahua Tarot by Tarot Lyn. Is there something you still need to receive or achieve before you can be happy? Is there something that you don't have nearly enough of? Or are all areas of your life perfectly funded?

OK. I need to get something off my chest. This deck of chihuahuas dressed up in Middle Age gear is the first all-dog, 78-card deck EVER in tarot history. To my knowledge. There is a major arcana deck of all dogs. And there will be another 78-card deck coming out soon. But ever since tarot was invented in, like, the 15th century, there has never been a dog deck. There have been rat decks, bear decks, gummi bear decks, rabbits, dolphins, dragons, ferrets...you name it. And cats! Cats in fancy costumes, cats who practice magick, medieval cats, anthropomorphic cats, white cats, cats being cats, cats taking a nap, cats taking a crap...you can't swing a pendulum without hitting a cat deck in the tarot world. But no dog deck. Until now. 

*caressing my sweet Medieval Chihuahua deck* 

And, as a bonus, all the proceeds of this deck go toward chihuahua rescue. So you're not only getting a dog deck and a piece of history, you're helping adorable pocket-sized pups. 

Anywho, so there I was mourning the lack of dog decks for YEARS, doing everything in my power to get a dog deck created, and yet I had a couple of hundred other really cool decks I was neglecting—and, quite frankly, disrespecting—because none of them were dog decks. Sure, I had decks I loved and all of that, but none of them were DOG decks!

And that's the lesson the chihuahuas bring us on Day Four of Self Care Week...the dangers of the poverty mindset. The Five of Coins is a card that signifies loss and poverty. But I tend to read it more as a poverty mentality—a focus on what you don't have, rather than a focus on what you do. 

See, as long as you're lacking, you're never "complete". You still have work to do. There's something missing from your idea of perfection. And you're probably not fully grateful for all the gifts in your midst. And if you're into manifestation and the energies you put out into the universe, then you're also blocking or delaying the flow of the very thing you want into your life. The only benefit of focusing on lack is....oh, right, THERE IS NO BENEFIT!!!!

So today's lesson in self care is to let yourself be enough, simply as you are. Have enough with whatever you already have. And do enough with what you're already doing. 

Sure, you want to always have ambition. And we all need our basic needs of food, shelter and water covered. But how different would life be if you stopped *wanting*? If everything that came to you was gravy...a blessing...from this moment on? How would that change the way you viewed your life? How would it change the way you feel about you?

I'll bet if every one of us looked hard enough at our lives, there's something we're mourning the lack of—money, love, respect, youthful beauty, peace, order, chocolate...it could be anything. It almost seems like, if you were to have it all, then life wouldn't be as fun. But imagine, instead, how fun getting showered with unexpected miracles could be! 

To someone less fortunate, you look like you've got it all. Don't you deserve to allow yourself to feel that way?

4/13/12—Canceling the Pity Party

Today's Draw: The Five of Pearls (Pentacles) from the Fishy Tarot by Beth Seilonen. Is there something—love, money, appreciation, etc.—you seem to be in short supply of these days? Do you feel cheated by life because of it? Where is the flow of abundance being blocked in your life?

You all probably know Beth Seilonen as the big-time, fancy tarot artist that released Tarot Leaves a few months back and is now in great demand to produce ever more elaborate and complex decks. But it wasn't that long ago that she was chained up in a New England basement, slaving over her color printer, laminater and corner rounder, producing small-run, limited-edition, "boutique" decks to feed the insatiable tarot-making beast inside her. She's incredibly prolific. She never runs out of ideas for new decks. I have no idea how many decks (mostly majors-only) she has created over the years. I wouldn't be surprised if it were 100. It's gotta be at least 50. All of them are sold in limited edition releases of maybe 10 to 150 decks, so if you have one of her decks, you're one of the very few in the world that does.

The Fishy Tarot is one of those decks, offered in a limited run of 125. It's one of just a few 78-card decks she's made. It comes wrapped in silk in a hand-illustrated box. I remember the first time I looked at the deck I thought the cards were pretty simple. But it isn't until you sit down and really look at what she's done that you see how deceptive that thought is. This Five of Pearls is the perfect illustration of that.

Just look at this pathetic little fish. There he is all glum at the bottom of the ocean, hanging out all by himself, while above him there's practically a conga line of joy and action, not to mention a fresh stash of pearls. But he's convinced himself that the high life upon the rock is not for him. For some reason, he doesn't deserve...isn't worthy of...or has somehow been cast aside by....the world of happiness and plenty. While everyone else is dining on plentiful seaweed tonight, he's doomed to eat sand. And like it. 

This is the card of what I like to call "the poverty mentality". It's a mindset that, at its core, is based on the belief that there is a limited amount of resources in the universe. The resources in question might be money, love, friendship, ideas...anything of personal or social value. It's a sort of mini story that runs through the Pentacles in the tarot. Basically you work hard to build something in the Ace through Three of Pentacles. Then in the Four, you start thinking, "what if I lose it?" So you hold on too tight. 

Then the fear overtakes you in the Five. Whether real or imagined, you feel left out of the abundance of the universe. And, quite frankly, you're no fun to be around. So you and society become separated, deepening your doldrums. At this point, you no longer believe the universe holds infinite abundance and there is plenty for everyone to be taken care of. You are one of the "have nots". And, because you believe this, you pinch off the outflow of resources, thereby disconnecting the flow of abundance in your life. The universe, seeing you've closed off the flow of abundance, tries its best to supply you with what you need, but it's like a clogged artery...the flow can't go through. You feel even less abundant. You become less abundant. And even though you might still have everything you need, you certainly don't see it that way. All you see is that you've been handed the short end of the stick. And it smells like butt. 

This is the poverty mentality. It has nothing to do with reality. And it's not even about money. The fish in this card looks like he feels like he has no friends. But they're up there, happy to welcome him in. In fact, it seems to me like one fish is looking for him and the other two fish are talking about how they haven't seen him around lately. The poverty mentality is all in the mind. And the longer it stays in the mind, the more you focus on lack. And the more you focus on lack, the more the universe thinks you're into receiving lack. And the more lack you get. 

The way out is in the Six of Pentacles. It's to re-open the flow of abundance by allowing resources to flow out of you. To give to others the very thing you think you lack. When you realize you have enough to give to others, you see you're not really lacking like you thought. Then you begin to see how infinitely the universe funds you...how infinitely the universe funds everyone. When you have that mindset, the flow increases in your life. You begin to see how rich you are. And by the time you reach the 10 of Pentacles, lack is a distant memory and you have the stability and security you've always wanted. 

It really is all in your head. There is no lack of resources in the universe. Did Beth Seilonen say, after creating her 37th deck, "I've run out of ideas and ways to interpret the tarot?" No! She keeps creating and finding layer after layer of nuance, because THERE IS NO LACK. The only lack is in your ability to believe you're worthy of receiving what you want or need. The only lack is in your connection to the cosmic flow of abundance—a connection entirely within your power to create. The universe doesn't even ask you to work hard to get what you want. It just asks that you stop believing and acting as if there's a lack. Regardless of what you're lacking. And we're all lacking something. 

So take a look at where the flow is working in your life and see if it isn't true...you have what you need because you give and are open to receiving and have healthy beliefs around the cycle of abundance in that particular area. Now take a look at where abundance isn't flowing and see where the flow of abundance is breaking down. Then fix it, fercryinoutloud! Yeesh!

3/6/12—Letting Your Energy Flow

Today's Draw: The Four of Pentacles from the Steampunk Tarot by Barbara Moore and Aly Fell. What energy have you inadvertently cut the flow of in your life? What parts of yourself do you cling too tightly to, lest anyone ever see them? And how awesome am I that I already have a deck that's not even slated to be released until May?!?!

One of the world's tarot's goddesses is a woman named Barbara Moore. A quick glance at Amazon lists more than a dozen titles—from books to decks—bearing her name. Beyond that, she's the tarot acquisitions editor for Llewellyn, so whatever she doesn't create herself, she's instrumental in bringing to the world. And then there's at least one deck I know of she authored under a pen name. If you're a tarot reader and don't know who she is, check your bookshelves. 

So how AWESOME must I be to have, in my greedy little hands, her most recent and hotly anticipated deck and book—The Steampunk Tarot?!! This one is all Barbara. She directed the art and wrote book. If I'm not the only person outside her who has the complete kit, I'm one of the very few. I'm not even a reviewer! And she signed my book, too! Gah! No, wait....double gah!

Four of Swords, with a macabre twist.

*catching my breath, letting heartbeat return to normal* 

I would be remiss with all this fawning over the great Ms. Moore if I didn't mention that Babs is also a friend of mine and this was a very sweet and generous offering for my birthday week (the big day is Saturday). For a tarot person, it's like being friends with Oprah. :D

Anyway....

The Four of Pentacles is a card about holding on too tight to resources. The card shows a mechanical contraption that grabs and locks away every coin. A penny saved is a penny earned. Or is it? In the book, Barbara points out that too strict a diet with your resources stops the flow of energy. If that buck stops here and stays here, then how does the flow continue in the universe? Holding on too tightly can cause stagnation. And stagnation leads to rot.

We all want to feel safe and secure. Nobody's suggesting you don't save money. But holding on too tightly does two things: it sets up an energy of not having enough. If you focus on lack, the universe gives more of a feeling of lack. And it also cuts the flow of energy from moving through you to others, then back around to you again. You may accumulate more money. But what is your spirit losing in the process when you're counting every cent?

We've talked about poverty mentality just recently, so I'll move away from the whole money aspect and broaden the conversation to love, creativity, friendship and even God. Anything you hold on to too tightly, cuts off a flow and causes stagnation. We all know when we hold on too tightly to another person, they slip away. We've seen this.

The High Priestess

But the same is true about our ideas and ideals. Locking things inside of the curio cabinets within doesn't make them safer or stronger. They're more vulnerable because there's so much import placed around them...and so much energy of worry and fear of loss. While their hold over you strengthens, they weaken you if they never have the chance to come out and play and be tested in the real world. Even our beliefs need to come out for fresh air now and again to see if they're still viable. 

The parts of ourselves that we lock away from others—whether out of greed, spite or shame—are lost potential. They're areas ripe for growth and healing. And they don't just help us grow and heal when we trot them out, they help others, too. Plus they have the added benefit of facilitating intimacy and depth in relationships. 

Six of Swords

What happens when we routinely lock these things inside is that we become an automaton, like the clever bank in the card. Our monsters thrive in the dark, growing larger in our perception and increase their control over our lives, limiting our full expression. We like to stare and point at the Hoarders we see on the TV show. But it's no less soul sucking when we hoard the valuables within. It's just less visible. Those that appear most perfect are often the ones with the most toxic issues—and genuine gifts—locked within.

I think I've shared this analogy before, but I'll share it again. Picture everything outside you and everything within as a wet bar of soap in the shower. What happens when you hold on too tightly? What happens when you don't hold on tight enough? In both cases, the soap will slip from your hands. The key is to find that range of strength where your grasp is firm, yet fluid enough to keep the soap moving and doing its job.

2/27/12—Feeling Flush

Today's Draw: Five of Pentacles from the Druidcraft Tarot. Do you suspect your thoughts may be defeating you? Do you generally come from a place of gratitude or lack? And would you rather have more money...or a greater feeling of wealth?

This is usually a card of poverty or material loss of some sort...loss of a job, a poorly planned shopping spree or the effects of divorce. Loss is part of the cycle of the building up and breaking down of things. It's usually a temporary state.

More often than not, however, when this card comes up in a reading it indicates a poverty mindset. This woman wears beautiful, clean robes. She sports a richly bejeweled sash. Her hair is well kept, her skin pristine. She stands at the base of a budding tree. The sun shines brightly on rich, green hillside. In the background a hound is in hot pursuit of a hare. There is no poverty or material loss in this picture...except in her mind.

Poverty mindsets can happen to anyone. It doesn't matter how much you earn or how much you have saved. A poverty mindset is more about focusing on what you don't have than what you do have. It causes you to dwell on thoughts of living in a tent on the edge of town. And once it has you in its grips, it can literally limit any possibility you have of having more.

If you extend the poverty mindset further, it can also include feeling like you don't have any friends or enough love. Given the time and opportunity, one loss, perceived or otherwise, will act like a cancer in your life, penetrating every corner. You literally think your way into depression. And the more you focus on loss, the more you lose.

In metaphysics, it's called the Law of Attraction. It's a theory based on the belief that like attracts like. The spiritual piece to this belief is that, whatever you focus on, God or the universe will give you more of. So whatever energies you send out, will be returned to you. Therefore, if you think "I have more than everything I need," the universe will send you MORE "more than everything you need". If you think, "I don't have enough money", the universe will send you MORE "not enough money". After all, if it's what you're focusing on, it must be what you want.

Of course, much of it can be attributed to simple psychology. If you practice gratitude, you'll feel more abundant because you'll be focusing on what you have, instead of what you don't have. Conversely, if you focus on what you don't have, you'll feel more lack. Then whatever state you focus on is the one you'll carry out into the world and the one the world will respond to. Would you rather hire someone who feels like a loser or a winner? So even if you don't believe in the spiritual piece, the theory works.

If you want to start putting this to work in your life, 1) begin by watching your thoughts and replacing the "negative" thoughts with positive ones. If you're not sure you're wording things correctly, put "I want more" in front of the thought. So if you want to exercise more and think "I need to exercise more", the universe will give you more reason to need to exercise. So a better way of saying it would be, at the very least, "I am exercising more" and, optimally, "I exercise the right amount for optimal physical and mental health." The important thing is to choose the statement you can most buy into and believe in.

Personally, I like to choose a thought that includes the word "feel"..."I feel healthy and fit", for example. Because, for me, it's not usually the "thing" that I want, but the feeling that comes along with it. And if you feel healthy and fit, you will protect that feeling by eating and doing the right things. For example, having a million dollars won't solve your "feeling like you don't have enough" issues and it comes with its own set of tax issues and long-lost-cousins-finding-you issues. But once you have the genuine FEELING of having more than enough, your worries are gone. And if you feel like you have more than enough, you probably do.

Then the next piece of this is 2) trust that it's going to happen. Don't obsess over your thought. State it once or twice a day, and then just trust that it will come to you. Then, 3) have gratitude for whatever comes. Daily gratitude for all you've received in your life—and learning to see the gifts you have—is important. Finally, 4) move toward your goal, even if it means just planning at first. But set a plan, send out those resumes, go for that walk, whatever.

Like I said, it's a discipline, so if you try it for three days, then fall back into old habits, it's not the principles that didn't work. It's you. If you really want change, you'll take the steps necessary to make it happen. And if you take the steps necessary, you'll be showing the universe you're serious about this and you'll begin to see results.