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Brightest blessings,
Faye
Jun 29, 2011
Jun 13, 2011
Transforming Your Patterns
Functionally: difficult. Conceptualizing: easy. Paradox? Maybe. Our brain reverses concepts on the abstract level more easily than we change our habits of action. Momentum v. inertia.
War. Peace. Sex. Chastity. Pollution. Purity. Violence. Love. Abstinence. Indulgence. Life. Death. Order. Chaos. Vulnerability. Protection.
We cast the ideas behind these words as 'good' or 'bad' when the Truth stands out: everything has a place in everything. No thing has an inherrant good or bad to it: it is our own attachment to the outcome that imbues it with these qualities. That is not to say that 'good' and 'bad' don't exist; it simply means that good and bad are relative terms, existing in the context of the unique perspective of the observer.
When we see this Truth, we become free from dogma; tradition for its own sake, law and order for its own sake, become empty structures. We can appreciate the chaos that facilitates creation and be at peace with nature and ourselves.
Some people might think this implies an immorality, an excuse to behave in whatever way our bodies tell us. We do not give up our free will when we practice non-attachment. We do not give up our full enjoyment of any pleasurable experience. Morality and ethics are transformed from "What does my creed tell me to do?" into "What effect am I causing in the world around me?"
In essence, we can focus on what vibrations we are sending out. If our vibrations hurt those around us, we then have the power to change those vibrations, our actions, and the effect we are having on the world around us. We become fully empowered to create our own reality.
War. Peace. Sex. Chastity. Pollution. Purity. Violence. Love. Abstinence. Indulgence. Life. Death. Order. Chaos. Vulnerability. Protection.
We cast the ideas behind these words as 'good' or 'bad' when the Truth stands out: everything has a place in everything. No thing has an inherrant good or bad to it: it is our own attachment to the outcome that imbues it with these qualities. That is not to say that 'good' and 'bad' don't exist; it simply means that good and bad are relative terms, existing in the context of the unique perspective of the observer.
When we see this Truth, we become free from dogma; tradition for its own sake, law and order for its own sake, become empty structures. We can appreciate the chaos that facilitates creation and be at peace with nature and ourselves.
Some people might think this implies an immorality, an excuse to behave in whatever way our bodies tell us. We do not give up our free will when we practice non-attachment. We do not give up our full enjoyment of any pleasurable experience. Morality and ethics are transformed from "What does my creed tell me to do?" into "What effect am I causing in the world around me?"
In essence, we can focus on what vibrations we are sending out. If our vibrations hurt those around us, we then have the power to change those vibrations, our actions, and the effect we are having on the world around us. We become fully empowered to create our own reality.
In the process of stepping out of my past, defining myself as the Being-ness that I am, the past has tried to cling to me. Dreams of my late grandmother and her house have haunted me this past month. The house I grew up in, the common denominator of my young life as my family relocated, is not an altogether happy place in my mind. It's a place of waiting, being fenced in, exploring inner worlds as the only ones open to me. I dream of being trapped there, trying to escape only to find myself there again the next night or the night after. The Goddess, and speaking to me through dear friends and books, helped me to stop my struggle against these messages trying to come through. I needed to step back from my social circle, momentarily, to look inward. What was my past trying to tell me?
To me, personally, detaching from my past has meant a denial of that past. At times, I have wanted to erase everything about myself and start over. This simply is not possible. All the things "about me" are irrelevant whether or not I deny them or not, and denial is a continuation of my relationship with my past, and who I have thought of as "Who-I-Am" is really not me at all: just a collection of stories and statistics about me.
Many of us carry the marks of a hurtful family legacy by engaging in patterns of thought and behavior that uphold the pattern. An object in motion tends to stay in motion: thoughts and actions, too. If thoughts become things, I affirm every day to heal and forge something new.
Every morning I woke up from these haunting dreams, I would wake up to the reality of being some place else. I live in a place of my choosing, with objects I have chosen to surround me, for my health or detriment. I can choose to detach from this stuff, and appreciate those things that serve me - and in the end, everything serves my highest and best. Even difficult experiences (and sometimes especially) are valuable teachers.
As always, you are welcome to leave your thoughts here. Have you worked with non-attachment in your life?
As always, you are welcome to leave your thoughts here. Have you worked with non-attachment in your life?
Jun 7, 2011
Since taking up reading professionally two years ago this spring,
I found this article via T.E. MacArthur, creatrix of the Shamanka Oracle:
http://tarotpathways.com/?p=1853&cpage=1#comment-13399
I posted this comment:
I have struggled with the matter of how to respond with clients such as these, who either want a certain version of the Truth, or who want the Universe to make the changes while they sit back comfortably. Should I, like the Masai or Zulu, place a limit on how many times I will answer the same question? The funny thing is, the ones not willing to hear their difficult Truth will confront this within two readings, and not come back for a third. The few who stick with it I know are committed to opening the door, even if it takes a while for them to work up their courage. The answer that comes through for me when I ask this question is: as long as they genuinely seek the Truth, I can keep holding the light up for them to see more clearly, no matter how many times we look at the same landscape.
This is a struggle all readers and professional intuitives face at some time or another: the problem of being true to the message in the oracle.
I found this article via T.E. MacArthur, creatrix of the Shamanka Oracle:
http://tarotpathways.com/?p=1853&cpage=1#comment-13399
I posted this comment:
I have struggled with the matter of how to respond with clients such as these, who either want a certain version of the Truth, or who want the Universe to make the changes while they sit back comfortably. Should I, like the Masai or Zulu, place a limit on how many times I will answer the same question? The funny thing is, the ones not willing to hear their difficult Truth will confront this within two readings, and not come back for a third. The few who stick with it I know are committed to opening the door, even if it takes a while for them to work up their courage. The answer that comes through for me when I ask this question is: as long as they genuinely seek the Truth, I can keep holding the light up for them to see more clearly, no matter how many times we look at the same landscape.
This is a struggle all readers and professional intuitives face at some time or another: the problem of being true to the message in the oracle.
Jun 1, 2011
How Can I Love All the Children?
How can I love all the Children? Not just my family's children, or my friend's children, or even all human children, but all the children of the sequoia trees, children of the bees, children of the wolves; the children of every species: what does it mean, to love all the children?
This question (paraphrased from a passage in Starhawk's Spiral Dance) challenges us to love everything in existence, because every living thing is a child, springing from a divine seed, nurtured in a divine womb.
Love comes naturally to anyone who sustains a sense of connectedness with everything. We are most open as Children. Interdependence, the Web, Gaia, the Global ecosystem, call it what you will: science is finally discovering what the ancient ways have taught all along. Indeed, the principle itself must be kept as sacred if our species even hopes to keep living on this planet. There is no "Other," no "Enemy," except those who consciously work to keep others from Knowing. The Knowing begins with acts of Love. Love can only include everyone.
Love is limitless. Love is patient, kind. Love bends time, shakes down walls, and opens the Way. Love heals all wounds. Love begins with conscious awareness. We cannot love another without loving everything. We cannot love everything without loving ourselves. We are children, too, after all.
Love disengages from all violent behavior. There is no room for violence in Love. We will still feel angry, or sad, or pain, sometimes, but we will cease to fight our bodies and our emotions as they rise up in us and we will no longer identify ourselves with those emotions or sensations.
Incidentally, when I selected a card at random to represent the epitome of Love, Strength Reversed appeared. We have to release the control we exert on our everyday existence. If we harden our hearts, or try to close the door, Love won't give up until our ego is separated from our bodies. This can be a frightening experience, but only if we fight it. We can choose surrender to Love's perfection. Our individual strength fails in the face of Love.
Sometimes I have a hard time holding on to the hope carried on the wings of Love: that Love conquers all with irresistible power. I see the destruction of our Earth continuing all around me, despite my efforts to help the Earth heal. My efforts have consisted of recycling more, minimizing consumption of resources as much as I can while realistically maintaining pace with the world around me. I feel like I've dropped out of this consumeristic loop as much as I can while still engaging with society on this level. I have a used car that I try to drive as little as possible. I buy very few things new, that I consider essentials (like hiking shoes), or that I can't find used. Even with that, I have a lot of stuff and still consume more plastics than I really need to (packaging, mostly), so sometimes for days at a time I'm plagued with the mental image of looming mountains of trash.
Then I try to remind myself, our species is experiencing these things because our collective ego has chosen to evolve through this process. Sometimes, humanity must pass through the darkness of destruction to reach a state of ecstasy.
To Love all the Children, I choose to know that All Life is Sacred, from the pesky mosquitoes, to the majestic elephants. To Live out this knowledge, my goal is to reach sustained resources through renewable methods, with materials used and discarded by others. I light a sacred flame, that all our trash will someday be recovered in this way, made into something beautiful.
This question (paraphrased from a passage in Starhawk's Spiral Dance) challenges us to love everything in existence, because every living thing is a child, springing from a divine seed, nurtured in a divine womb.
Love comes naturally to anyone who sustains a sense of connectedness with everything. We are most open as Children. Interdependence, the Web, Gaia, the Global ecosystem, call it what you will: science is finally discovering what the ancient ways have taught all along. Indeed, the principle itself must be kept as sacred if our species even hopes to keep living on this planet. There is no "Other," no "Enemy," except those who consciously work to keep others from Knowing. The Knowing begins with acts of Love. Love can only include everyone.
Love is limitless. Love is patient, kind. Love bends time, shakes down walls, and opens the Way. Love heals all wounds. Love begins with conscious awareness. We cannot love another without loving everything. We cannot love everything without loving ourselves. We are children, too, after all.
Love disengages from all violent behavior. There is no room for violence in Love. We will still feel angry, or sad, or pain, sometimes, but we will cease to fight our bodies and our emotions as they rise up in us and we will no longer identify ourselves with those emotions or sensations.
Incidentally, when I selected a card at random to represent the epitome of Love, Strength Reversed appeared. We have to release the control we exert on our everyday existence. If we harden our hearts, or try to close the door, Love won't give up until our ego is separated from our bodies. This can be a frightening experience, but only if we fight it. We can choose surrender to Love's perfection. Our individual strength fails in the face of Love.
Sometimes I have a hard time holding on to the hope carried on the wings of Love: that Love conquers all with irresistible power. I see the destruction of our Earth continuing all around me, despite my efforts to help the Earth heal. My efforts have consisted of recycling more, minimizing consumption of resources as much as I can while realistically maintaining pace with the world around me. I feel like I've dropped out of this consumeristic loop as much as I can while still engaging with society on this level. I have a used car that I try to drive as little as possible. I buy very few things new, that I consider essentials (like hiking shoes), or that I can't find used. Even with that, I have a lot of stuff and still consume more plastics than I really need to (packaging, mostly), so sometimes for days at a time I'm plagued with the mental image of looming mountains of trash.
Then I try to remind myself, our species is experiencing these things because our collective ego has chosen to evolve through this process. Sometimes, humanity must pass through the darkness of destruction to reach a state of ecstasy.
To Love all the Children, I choose to know that All Life is Sacred, from the pesky mosquitoes, to the majestic elephants. To Live out this knowledge, my goal is to reach sustained resources through renewable methods, with materials used and discarded by others. I light a sacred flame, that all our trash will someday be recovered in this way, made into something beautiful.
May 30, 2011
Positive vs. Negative
In the past month I have been working more with positive thought patterns and how they change reality for the better. I will blog more about this later, but for now, I would like to update with this clip from an interview with Eckhart Tolle:
May 6, 2011
The Occasional Tarot Series: Reversed Queens (Taking the Power Back)
Feminism is not just a 150-year old legacy, or a bra-burning movement springing from the 1970s. The modern feminist movement has spread from industrialized countries throughout the world, as we have gained wider access to education. Empowered women can turn society on its head, and in consciously resisting the power of patriarchy, and ending the cycle of social exploitation by releasing any negative behavioral patterns we have learned from the old systems. Feminism is a part of the world waking up.
This article, and the three following it, will focus on each of the Queens in their reversed aspect. The Queens have been appearing Reversed in a lot of my own readings frequently, and I want to explore these aspects of their personalities further.
The Queens are four archetypal female aspects of each suit's element: air(swords), fire(wands), water(cups), earth(pentacles). When reversed, they reveal imbalanced energy, character flaws, weaknesses and vulnerabilities: basically, the shadow side of each card.
This article, and the three following it, will focus on each of the Queens in their reversed aspect. The Queens have been appearing Reversed in a lot of my own readings frequently, and I want to explore these aspects of their personalities further.
The Queens are four archetypal female aspects of each suit's element: air(swords), fire(wands), water(cups), earth(pentacles). When reversed, they reveal imbalanced energy, character flaws, weaknesses and vulnerabilities: basically, the shadow side of each card.
May 3, 2011
List of Free Online Tarot Generators and Databases
Over the years I have found use for automated tarot readings, when I didn't have easy access to a deck but could get to a PC. In my first steps on the Tarot journey, I wanted access to as many interpretations as I could find (I still find a fresh perspective can jog my intuitive abilities). Needless to say, your results may vary, but here's a list of sources for free readings and my previous experiences with them.
Online generators can be a helpful tool in learning divination, but I do not recommend relying on one or many online sources exclusively, since nothing really compares to working physically with the divination method.
I would love to hear about your experiences with these sites and any other online resources you have found helpful. Good luck!
Facade (http://facade.com) was the first site I ever found back in 2000 when I began reading Tarot, to give me discreet online readings from my parents house. This Site offers possibly a fairly comprehensive collection of divination tools available for free readings: Tarot, runes, I Ching, numerology, bibliomancy (divination through randomly selected passages of the Bible), stichiomancy (divination through randomly selected passages of books), and biorhythms. Their algorithms generate seemingly random readings, i.e., no normative repetition. This is the first source I found, early on in my experimentation with the Tarot, and I have been using their service with general success for almost as long as I've been working with the Tarot. The Seeker can choose from a dozen spreads and over a dozen decks. Be advised, the interpretations of the cards are not specific to each deck (with a few exceptions for the more non-traditional decks, such as the Haindl, H.P. Lovecraft, and William Blake Tarot decks). If you are a beginner, you might also want to look at the interpretations at Crystal-Clear Reflections (keep reading for further info/review on that site). The site lists interesting elemental correspondences for the Court Cards (for example, Queen of Wands is described as "The essence of fire behaving as water, such as a rainbow."
E-Tarocchi (http://www.e-tarocchi.com/) provides a slew of free oracle, horoscope and tarot readings, including "fortune teller" readings with regular playing cards.
Crystal Clear Reflections (http://www.crystal-reflections.com/tarot5/tarot5.htm) is somewhat difficult to navigate as a Web page, but if you run a Google search such as "Ace of Wands (R) crystal reflections" you will find philosophical depth and some questions to, erm, reflect on.
Albideuter.de http://www.albideuter.de/html/liebende.html is a great source for comparing art work from many decks. It is all in German, but if you're familiar with the Tarot format at all it's still relatively easy to navigate (and maybe a good tool for learning how to count in German). Also, Google chrome has a built-in translator, if you're just feeling lazy. ;)
Online generators can be a helpful tool in learning divination, but I do not recommend relying on one or many online sources exclusively, since nothing really compares to working physically with the divination method.
I would love to hear about your experiences with these sites and any other online resources you have found helpful. Good luck!
Facade (http://facade.com) was the first site I ever found back in 2000 when I began reading Tarot, to give me discreet online readings from my parents house. This Site offers possibly a fairly comprehensive collection of divination tools available for free readings: Tarot, runes, I Ching, numerology, bibliomancy (divination through randomly selected passages of the Bible), stichiomancy (divination through randomly selected passages of books), and biorhythms. Their algorithms generate seemingly random readings, i.e., no normative repetition. This is the first source I found, early on in my experimentation with the Tarot, and I have been using their service with general success for almost as long as I've been working with the Tarot. The Seeker can choose from a dozen spreads and over a dozen decks. Be advised, the interpretations of the cards are not specific to each deck (with a few exceptions for the more non-traditional decks, such as the Haindl, H.P. Lovecraft, and William Blake Tarot decks). If you are a beginner, you might also want to look at the interpretations at Crystal-Clear Reflections (keep reading for further info/review on that site). The site lists interesting elemental correspondences for the Court Cards (for example, Queen of Wands is described as "The essence of fire behaving as water, such as a rainbow."
E-Tarocchi (http://www.e-tarocchi.com/) provides a slew of free oracle, horoscope and tarot readings, including "fortune teller" readings with regular playing cards.
Crystal Clear Reflections (http://www.crystal-reflections.com/tarot5/tarot5.htm) is somewhat difficult to navigate as a Web page, but if you run a Google search such as "Ace of Wands (R) crystal reflections" you will find philosophical depth and some questions to, erm, reflect on.
Albideuter.de http://www.albideuter.de/html/liebende.html is a great source for comparing art work from many decks. It is all in German, but if you're familiar with the Tarot format at all it's still relatively easy to navigate (and maybe a good tool for learning how to count in German). Also, Google chrome has a built-in translator, if you're just feeling lazy. ;)
Apr 11, 2011
Healing through the Emotional Freedom Technique
I have been struggling with how much information I can share with my readers while ethically protecting others' privacy, but the truth has to come out somewhere, somehow. This particular website is indicative of a particular relationship, so I will say this web site could apply to any relationship, but was particularly relevant to my own healing. My discovery of this web site coincides with revelations about my own behavior that I wish to enact changes with. Add to this the fact that the woman who runs this site shares her name with a patron goddess of mine (Danu, a mother goddess, at that, though it's not clear what faith she holds), I'd say I'm working with some serious synchronicity.
http://www.daughtersofnarcissisticmothers.com/
You might ask, how does this tie in with my tarot practice? Well, in further understanding our relationships and the reasons behind our behavior in encounters with certain behaviors from another, we empower ourselves to make choices towards our highest and best, and open up opportunities to reveal better choices for the person whose behavior is triggering our own previously unconscious patterns.
My job is to recognize this synchronicity not only in my life, but help others examine the patterns in their own lives. I help people interpret signs in their own lives, as I study my own. In a way, we are all deciphering our inner cryptographic language.
Tapping is a method of gaining freedom of distressing, persistent and potentially harmful emotions. It is not denial of the emotions or their power, rather, it is an acceptance of the power and the emotions' lessons for us. I believe that tapping enables our bodies to physiologically process the emotions we seek to free ourselves of. In any case, I'm trying it, and I feel more at peace and am engaging more productively in my life already.
http://www.daughtersofnarcissisticmothers.com/
You might ask, how does this tie in with my tarot practice? Well, in further understanding our relationships and the reasons behind our behavior in encounters with certain behaviors from another, we empower ourselves to make choices towards our highest and best, and open up opportunities to reveal better choices for the person whose behavior is triggering our own previously unconscious patterns.
My job is to recognize this synchronicity not only in my life, but help others examine the patterns in their own lives. I help people interpret signs in their own lives, as I study my own. In a way, we are all deciphering our inner cryptographic language.
Tapping is a method of gaining freedom of distressing, persistent and potentially harmful emotions. It is not denial of the emotions or their power, rather, it is an acceptance of the power and the emotions' lessons for us. I believe that tapping enables our bodies to physiologically process the emotions we seek to free ourselves of. In any case, I'm trying it, and I feel more at peace and am engaging more productively in my life already.
Apr 10, 2011
Apr 3, 2011
Asking the Right Questions
In an intuitive reading of any sort, it is very important to ask the right questions.Apr 2, 2011
Principles of Tarot
"Do you believe in it?"
"How does it work?"
"Is it supernatural?"
I've heard these questions repeated through my journey with the Tarot. I would like to take this chance to explain a little about how I think tarot works. My theories are based on my own personal experiences (albeit combined with knowledge gathered from other authors and intuitive readers who use Tarot) and should not be taken for Absolute Truth - this information is subjective. You can only weigh it with your own inner scales to find if it resonates with you. I believe Tarot works the same way for anyone who reads, but I have noticed that our methods of describing that process are differentiated by the filters through which we process our experiences and are as diverse as our varied world views.
I welcome the skeptic who has an open and curious mind. I welcome the true believer whose past readings have been full of insight. I welcome the seeker who holds unasked questions.
I welcome the skeptic who has an open and curious mind. I welcome the true believer whose past readings have been full of insight. I welcome the seeker who holds unasked questions.
When I started reading cards, just over ten years ago, I was serving a very short stint (ten months) in the Army National Guard. When I was given my first deck, I memorized the placement of the cards in the Celtic Cross Spread, and read out of my Sacred Circle Tarot companion book more or less verbatim (the book has a narrative style that lends itself easily to this method), reading for as many different people as possible as well as myself as close to daily as I could. I sat in the lounge of the barracks with my deck, reading the cards for myself until someone requested a reading. I would explain that I was just starting out, and that I would heavily refer to the companion book. I had no problems reading for people this way. I encountered open minds paired with skepticism from people who sought readings from me. It turned out to be an excellent starting place for getting a feel for how 'accurate' my readings were. People I had read cards for would return with their friends, and I would spend hours practicing my newly found talent.
For me, the mechanics of divination are focused in the powers of the mind of both the seeker and the reader. Over time, I learned short rituals to perform before a reading, both on my own and with the seeker, to ensure that hearts and minds are open and to release any attachment to a particular outcome. I tailor the rituals to the seeker participates according to information I have and feelings I get about the seeker.
Releasing attachment to a particular outcome is a key element to an accurate reading. The attitude with which the seeker and reader approach the reading can effect the whole dynamic of the reading, including the outcome. It's important to select a reader who works to remain unattached to the reading's outcome. A reader's bias can cast a very different light on a reading (everyone is biased to a certain extent, thus the phrase 'works to remain').
The future changes all the time. We all create our futures through the choices we make every day. Predicting the future is like looking into the distance of a road someone else is traveling. The reader might see something that causes the traveler to turn another way and avoid the situation, or to run toward their destination, embracing it, and reaching it sooner than predicted because of their eagerness.
I don't have a short or easy answer to how Tarot works. The academic answer is that the Tarot is a system of archetypes depicted in imagery that contains layers of symbolism, allowing different aspects of an archetype to be communicated through the cards. The mystical answer is that we are all beings made of Light, and we are not the only beings in this realm that can manipulate that light and energy. That prospect scares some people, and this is where people get the idea of possession, or talking to demons, but the Tarot is a tool that can pick up the whole spectrum, not just one side or the other. Maybe this is my background as a visual artist, but I believe there is much to learn from both Light and Shadow.
For me, the mechanics of divination are focused in the powers of the mind of both the seeker and the reader. Over time, I learned short rituals to perform before a reading, both on my own and with the seeker, to ensure that hearts and minds are open and to release any attachment to a particular outcome. I tailor the rituals to the seeker participates according to information I have and feelings I get about the seeker.
Releasing attachment to a particular outcome is a key element to an accurate reading. The attitude with which the seeker and reader approach the reading can effect the whole dynamic of the reading, including the outcome. It's important to select a reader who works to remain unattached to the reading's outcome. A reader's bias can cast a very different light on a reading (everyone is biased to a certain extent, thus the phrase 'works to remain').
The future changes all the time. We all create our futures through the choices we make every day. Predicting the future is like looking into the distance of a road someone else is traveling. The reader might see something that causes the traveler to turn another way and avoid the situation, or to run toward their destination, embracing it, and reaching it sooner than predicted because of their eagerness.
I don't have a short or easy answer to how Tarot works. The academic answer is that the Tarot is a system of archetypes depicted in imagery that contains layers of symbolism, allowing different aspects of an archetype to be communicated through the cards. The mystical answer is that we are all beings made of Light, and we are not the only beings in this realm that can manipulate that light and energy. That prospect scares some people, and this is where people get the idea of possession, or talking to demons, but the Tarot is a tool that can pick up the whole spectrum, not just one side or the other. Maybe this is my background as a visual artist, but I believe there is much to learn from both Light and Shadow.
Mar 31, 2011
Mar 28, 2011
Judgement Reversed: The Card of the Epic Fail
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| image credit: failblog |
The first time it appeared in that set of three appearances, I described Judgement Reversed as 'the epic fail,' meaning the person whose energy I was looking at would probably not be able to fulfill an important promise he had made to my client. Judgment normally indicates the swift conclusion of a matter: sudden, sweeping success, if our karma is aligned properly (if not, we are called to reconsider our own judgments, opening a way for a total shift in perspective). The past suddenly confronts us so we can come to terms with all of it. In the context of my own reading, it pointed to facing my own fears of failure, and reminded me that a sense of failure is not the same thing as actual failure, and failing at something doesn't have to bum you out. Real failure is not learning the lesson the Universe is teaching you.
You can see by the photo I included, that failure, though sometimes devastating, can contain elements of humor. You can laugh with failure and still take it seriously. It is a great power, to look at failure and see a learning opportunity, a blessing in disguise. You can still feel sorrow over the loss; any emotions that come through in response to failure are legitimate and should be honored as the Voice of Truth speaking to us as a barometer of stress level.
If you have any questions about this, or any other article, please comment or email me. As always, brightest blessings to you.
You can see by the photo I included, that failure, though sometimes devastating, can contain elements of humor. You can laugh with failure and still take it seriously. It is a great power, to look at failure and see a learning opportunity, a blessing in disguise. You can still feel sorrow over the loss; any emotions that come through in response to failure are legitimate and should be honored as the Voice of Truth speaking to us as a barometer of stress level.
If you have any questions about this, or any other article, please comment or email me. As always, brightest blessings to you.
Mar 18, 2011
Astrology and the Tarot
Part of my ten years of studying the Tarot has been occupied with its relationship to the western zodiac. There are many symbols throughout the deck that correspond to the astrological signs. The Wheel of Fortune even reflects the wheel of the zodiac.
The Golden Dawn is one authority to consult for Tarot/Astrology correspondences. Here, I wish to look at what cards visually contain symbols of the zodiac. I will refer to the Rider Waite deck, since it is the most traditional deck that I work with.
The Wheel of the Zodiac:
The Fool The number of this card, 0, is reminiscent of the circle of the zodiac; the circles on the Fool's tunic are divided into twelve segments, also like the circle of the zodiac. The Golden Dawn drew a correspondence between this card and the planet Uranus because Uranus is "The eternal traveller (sic), ready for the lesson. Mind open and free, bounding into the unknown" (http://ifdawn.com/esa/fool.htm), and other sources link this card with the sign Aquarius because Uranus is the modern ruler of that sign.
The Wheel of Fortune (10) shows eight spokes instead of the zodiac's twelve, but since 8 and 12 share a factor of 4, the Wheel of Fortune echoes the zodiac's division into four elemental groups. The four beasts correspond with the four fixed signs of the zodiac. The World Card (21) also shows the heads of these four beasts and thus shares a correspondence to the zodiac as a whole.
resources:
http://www.astrologyweekly.com/astrology-articles/astrology-tarot.php
http://www.tarot-decks.com/astrological.html
http://www.billheidrick.com/works/tarottbl.htm
The Golden Dawn is one authority to consult for Tarot/Astrology correspondences. Here, I wish to look at what cards visually contain symbols of the zodiac. I will refer to the Rider Waite deck, since it is the most traditional deck that I work with.
The Wheel of the Zodiac:
The Fool The number of this card, 0, is reminiscent of the circle of the zodiac; the circles on the Fool's tunic are divided into twelve segments, also like the circle of the zodiac. The Golden Dawn drew a correspondence between this card and the planet Uranus because Uranus is "The eternal traveller (sic), ready for the lesson. Mind open and free, bounding into the unknown" (http://ifdawn.com/esa/fool.htm), and other sources link this card with the sign Aquarius because Uranus is the modern ruler of that sign.
The Wheel of Fortune (10) shows eight spokes instead of the zodiac's twelve, but since 8 and 12 share a factor of 4, the Wheel of Fortune echoes the zodiac's division into four elemental groups. The four beasts correspond with the four fixed signs of the zodiac. The World Card (21) also shows the heads of these four beasts and thus shares a correspondence to the zodiac as a whole.
resources:
http://www.astrologyweekly.com/astrology-articles/astrology-tarot.php
http://www.tarot-decks.com/astrological.html
http://www.billheidrick.com/works/tarottbl.htm
Feb 15, 2011
Facing Burnout?
It's possible that I'm pouring in so much energy toward being successful with my practice that I'm blocking the same energy that would bring me success.
I need to open up to my intuition but how? Finding that still small voice inside me that's connected to all wisdom, that whispers the answers to me. Meditation. Healing. Service.
When my intuition becomes blocked, and I feel limited in my access to wisdom, I know a great leap of growth is coming my way.
I need to open up to my intuition but how? Finding that still small voice inside me that's connected to all wisdom, that whispers the answers to me. Meditation. Healing. Service.
When my intuition becomes blocked, and I feel limited in my access to wisdom, I know a great leap of growth is coming my way.
Feb 14, 2011
Falling In Love
The first time I read the cards for my husband, he wasn't my husband yet. He had just begun to fall in love with me, and I was already putting up a fight against the notion that he could possibly be the one I would spend the rest of my life with. At that time, I reassured myself I would soon find and marry the man who I dreamed would bring out the best in me, but my dream did not align with the person falling for me before my eyes, with every word I spoke, as though I cast a spell on him. I will not count the ways he differed from my vision of the perfect husband, but I will say I kept myself from falling in love with him by faultfinding and simply closing my heart to him. He saw me for who I was and accepted me; a recognition fired between our souls, something people search for over decades and sometimes never open themselves up to at the same time. I kept telling myself he was just another guy who had fallen for me, and I was just his way of filling the hole in his spirit. No matter how many times I told myself that, it didn't feel right.
The first reading I gave him pointed to me as changing his life. I tried to say the cards referred to someone else, another Queen of Wands who would light the fire of achievement in him and help him reach his full potential in life, but not me. He knew I was bluffing. If I had been entirely honest to him and myself, I would have thrown down my emotional armor then and there to leap into his arms.
A year and a half after this reading, my subconscious mind finally sent me the clearest message; I dreamed about my husband three nights in a row.
He wasn't the first person I had a sense of presence with, but he is the first I ever dreamed about in that way. He's not going to be the last person I fall in love with, but he's the only person I have found so far that I can see myself growing old with. His love is the sweetest because we have continuous moments of recognizing our higher selves in each other, when our minds fall away and we bask in each other's presence. Our relationship only becomes stronger as we share this presence with other people and fall in love with the world around us.
Have you ever felt another person's true presence, where the chatterings of the mind fall away, and you look into each other's eyes and see the awareness within them, and you feel they are sensing the awareness within you?
image credit: http://www.leehansen.com/clipart/Holidays/Valentine/images/heart-o-hearts.gif
Feb 10, 2011
FYI: Ten Tips for Tarot Readers (Including myself)
This started as a list of things I would tell my ten years ago. Then I realized I had information that I was lucky to find out early on, or that I instinctively knew, but that I still want to share with other readers. This doesn't mean I follow these 100% of the time; they are ideals I strive for, but I am human, too. In a way this list has become 10 things I remind myself. Blessings to you for reading (and possibly commenting?).
1. Don't take it personally. People have a strong reaction to divination in general, and tarot specifically. Whether this strong reaction is positive or negative, keep a cool head, keep your emotions lovingly detached; remember you are just the messenger. Not everyone will appreciate your gifts appropriately. When your gifts are over-appreciated, don't start to think this makes you better than others: it doesn't. We all have different talents. Detach from the feelings of emotional pain, and remember everyone is on a learning path.
2. Avoid a sense of competition with other readers. Readers have varying styles and varying levels of experience. Don't be afraid to refer people to other readers in the area if you feel the seeker would be more compatible with them. If they decide not to read with you, refer to (1.)
3. Inform the seeker as much as possible about your reading style. Not every seeker will know to ask you, or even that it's okay to do so. Describe your style clearly and openly, (e.g., by saying "I am an intuitive tarot reader with both practical insight and claircognizance, a psychic gift.") explaining any terms the seeker may be unfamiliar with. There is nothing wrong with setting a fee, even if the fee starts small, or you trade with friends, or you insist on trading exclusively.
4. Always ask before you read for someone. If you can read people without your cards, work on shielding. Do not volunteer information you get in flashes of intuition. This can potentially scare or alienate people (see tip 8). If the person you would read for is not present, attempt to contact their spirit for permission. If you do not feel confident you have gotten an answer, try asking a question that has more to do with your relationship (or the seeker's relationship) to that person.
5. Embrace your gifts with loving gratitude. No one else is obligated to hold space for you where you appreciate all that you are. If you have someone who does, count yourself lucky. Show yourself loving gratitude by using your gifts, spending time with your cards, and taking care of yourself. Ground and center, open your crown chakra, and explore the world as you see it.
6. You are a Divine Being, and so is everyone else. No one life form is any more or less important than any other. Each one's experience and perspective are unique.
7. Read with compassion in your heart. Compassion will shine through you in your readings if it has a home in your heart. Cultivate compassion by practicing radical acceptance. This in turn will reinforce your intuition.
8. Try your best not to scare people. Fear may be a strong motivator for people to change, but feeding fear only adds to the negativity in the world. Your readings will be more productive if they positively encourage the seeker into action. Study counseling techniques and methods to gather knowledge on breaking 'bad news' and giving people gentle reality checks when the need arises.
9. Recharge with meditation. Meditate any time you are able. Create time to meditate. Find new ways to meditate. Meditation is broadly the practice of being at one with yourself. The more you practice this awareness, the closer you will get to being there all the time. The more self aware you are, the more easily you will be aware of others, and the more easily you can give your seekers accurate readings.
10. Give every reading as a Divine gift. This is not necessarily changed when a fee is associated with your readings; if you focus too much on the money, however, the reading is corrupted. If you are unable to enter a non-judging, clear-viewed mental and spiritual space for the reading, do not hesitate to reschedule the reading for another time.
1. Don't take it personally. People have a strong reaction to divination in general, and tarot specifically. Whether this strong reaction is positive or negative, keep a cool head, keep your emotions lovingly detached; remember you are just the messenger. Not everyone will appreciate your gifts appropriately. When your gifts are over-appreciated, don't start to think this makes you better than others: it doesn't. We all have different talents. Detach from the feelings of emotional pain, and remember everyone is on a learning path.
2. Avoid a sense of competition with other readers. Readers have varying styles and varying levels of experience. Don't be afraid to refer people to other readers in the area if you feel the seeker would be more compatible with them. If they decide not to read with you, refer to (1.)
3. Inform the seeker as much as possible about your reading style. Not every seeker will know to ask you, or even that it's okay to do so. Describe your style clearly and openly, (e.g., by saying "I am an intuitive tarot reader with both practical insight and claircognizance, a psychic gift.") explaining any terms the seeker may be unfamiliar with. There is nothing wrong with setting a fee, even if the fee starts small, or you trade with friends, or you insist on trading exclusively.
4. Always ask before you read for someone. If you can read people without your cards, work on shielding. Do not volunteer information you get in flashes of intuition. This can potentially scare or alienate people (see tip 8). If the person you would read for is not present, attempt to contact their spirit for permission. If you do not feel confident you have gotten an answer, try asking a question that has more to do with your relationship (or the seeker's relationship) to that person.
5. Embrace your gifts with loving gratitude. No one else is obligated to hold space for you where you appreciate all that you are. If you have someone who does, count yourself lucky. Show yourself loving gratitude by using your gifts, spending time with your cards, and taking care of yourself. Ground and center, open your crown chakra, and explore the world as you see it.
6. You are a Divine Being, and so is everyone else. No one life form is any more or less important than any other. Each one's experience and perspective are unique.
7. Read with compassion in your heart. Compassion will shine through you in your readings if it has a home in your heart. Cultivate compassion by practicing radical acceptance. This in turn will reinforce your intuition.
8. Try your best not to scare people. Fear may be a strong motivator for people to change, but feeding fear only adds to the negativity in the world. Your readings will be more productive if they positively encourage the seeker into action. Study counseling techniques and methods to gather knowledge on breaking 'bad news' and giving people gentle reality checks when the need arises.
9. Recharge with meditation. Meditate any time you are able. Create time to meditate. Find new ways to meditate. Meditation is broadly the practice of being at one with yourself. The more you practice this awareness, the closer you will get to being there all the time. The more self aware you are, the more easily you will be aware of others, and the more easily you can give your seekers accurate readings.
10. Give every reading as a Divine gift. This is not necessarily changed when a fee is associated with your readings; if you focus too much on the money, however, the reading is corrupted. If you are unable to enter a non-judging, clear-viewed mental and spiritual space for the reading, do not hesitate to reschedule the reading for another time.
Feb 9, 2011
An Example Reading.
One of the most helpful ways of checking in with my higher self has been to read on my strengths and challenges. I shall demonstrate here, with a reading to myself.
It's difficult to read for myself, and in the case of a very important question I will often call on friends to trade readings with because it's hard to remain objective when you're in the middle of the question at hand. However, looking at strengths and challenges is a good way to gain insight and assignments for improvement and meditation.
In this reading I will look specifically at the context of my work as a tarot reader.
Strengths: VI The Lovers.
This card embodies all the passion we could possibly generate reflected in and reciprocated from another person. In our innate and natural harmony, we contain the other, and therefore there is no real other, only other manifestations of divinity. Understanding suddenly manifests when we realize the 'other' is a reflection of the same divine energy that we ourselves belong to. Here relationships grow and heal, compassion springs forth, and paradise thrives. The more I seek to understand myself, the more I understand others. The more I seek to understand others, the more I understand myself. This sense of harmony bridges gaps and chasms. My strength is that I know this and can share this knowing with others.
I love my work. I love being able to hold a mirror up to people and show them that the answers are waiting within them, for them to discover. I love to open doors for people, so they may easily enter into a blessed awareness of the divine within.
Challenges: I The Magician Reversed
It's difficult to read for myself, and in the case of a very important question I will often call on friends to trade readings with because it's hard to remain objective when you're in the middle of the question at hand. However, looking at strengths and challenges is a good way to gain insight and assignments for improvement and meditation.
In this reading I will look specifically at the context of my work as a tarot reader.
Strengths: VI The Lovers.
This card embodies all the passion we could possibly generate reflected in and reciprocated from another person. In our innate and natural harmony, we contain the other, and therefore there is no real other, only other manifestations of divinity. Understanding suddenly manifests when we realize the 'other' is a reflection of the same divine energy that we ourselves belong to. Here relationships grow and heal, compassion springs forth, and paradise thrives. The more I seek to understand myself, the more I understand others. The more I seek to understand others, the more I understand myself. This sense of harmony bridges gaps and chasms. My strength is that I know this and can share this knowing with others.
I love my work. I love being able to hold a mirror up to people and show them that the answers are waiting within them, for them to discover. I love to open doors for people, so they may easily enter into a blessed awareness of the divine within.
Challenges: I The Magician Reversed
Feb 2, 2011
Love is in the Air
Here it is, the obligatory Valentine's Day-is-near entry. I much prefer celebrating Imbolc with some homemade cocoa and planting seedlings. But, to speak to the romance in the air, the first signs of spring are appearing, even here in the frozen tundra of Cache Valley, and you don't have to believe in some contrived, commercialized and emotionally complicated day to celebrate true romance in your life, whether you're in a relationship or looking for someone (or not!).
This gives me a chance to answer some love-related questions, which has become my latest specialty in a line of successive specialties, so I would like to hear them from you. I will give a free brief one-card reading to anyone who asks a romantic/love/relationship-related question via the comments space, until the end of February (subject to change depending on how fast they come in).
image credit http://spellworks.net/?p=159 - click image to enlarge.
Jan 26, 2011
The Occasional Card: The Hanged Man (Reversed)
Again, a reversal! This feels intentional. I'm working on an article on tarot principles where I'll explore the idea of awareness and intentionality in tarot cards further, but really, it's like my Higher Self wants to explore reversals before looking at the 'normal' meanings.
Astrobarry: Astrology for People Who Think explains the effects of momentous interplanetary drama climaxing in summer of 2010, from which we’re still feeling reverberations. We also recently experienced a full lunar eclipse that lined up with our winter solstice, shortly followed by a solar eclipse (http://i.huffpost.com/gadgets/slideshows/15651/slide_15651_218791_huge.jpg?1296073953257) partly visible in the Northern Hemisphere in early January. The frequent occurrence of reversals in divining for this blog may be connected to all that action. Remember, nothing exists in a vacuum; (to me at least) astrology is really all about how other planets' movements affect the earth, which affects us individually. Tarot is a tool that helps reflect our relationship with our surroundings, planets included, so I have found some astrological reading to be helpful (and seriously, Barry’s horoscopes are written in such a way, you will think he has a time machine that he can use to travel one week into the future and come back and tell you what your life will be like).
That said, I am a tarot reader, and only an amateur astrologist at best. I simply want to point out the larger context that these readings occur in, and not just astrologically. I aim for these articles to be a holistic explanation of the cards themselves, but I also feel compelled to refer to examples in current events.
Tuesday night, President Barrack Obama delivered his first State of the Union address. Nomi Prins calls it a "CEO like speech (you department heads sitting out there - you work together so America, Inc. can be the best it can be.)" in her dressing-down of Obama's lauding our government's so-called progress. I feel an undercurrent of impatience in our society, where polarization is overwhelming: people are either burying their heads deeper in the sand or mobilizing to create the real change. Which category do you find yourself in?
The Hanged Man reversed is forgetting or neglecting the reason for his sacrifice. He turns from a martyr into a puppet, strung up by social pressures and conventional expectations. His mystical search is distracted by considerations for what’s practical and rational. The Hanged Man Reversed falls in love with his Ego, relying on it for shelter from the unknown.
Have you forgotten your original goal? Have you been distracted by ongoing consumer-culture messages of what’s important, from seeking your Highest and Best? Remember, if you find yourself believing something you discover to be false, immediately find the truth that exists, and re-establish that in your mind by cultivating love.
(picture credit: XII, from the Minchiate Tarot)
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