Tarot Strategies for Life Change

Lying Fallow

When smart farmers farm the land, they don't plant the same crops on the same plot year in and year out. Periodically, the allow the land to lie fallow. 

Lying fallow allows the land to take a breath and time for nature to do reparative work. 

A friend of mine who is holding down two jobs and planning the seeds of a new business described how she became sick and was forced to take a couple days off. 

She described how good it felt to rest. Then thoughts began to float into her consciousness. Her intuition had the quiet and the space to make itself heard. 

Given her schedule and the necessity to bring in a sufficient income to pay her bills, she probably would not have taken the time-out any other way.

But finding a way to build in periodic rest and relaxation will ultimately make you more productive and more in tune with your intuition.

This explains a lot.

We are spiritual beings having a human experience.--Theo

The 10 of Wands and Tax time

An interesting exercise is to get the intuitive juices running is to pull a Tarot card at the beginning of the day or the beginning of a large task (thanks to Mary Greer for the idea). 

This past weekend I knuckled down to do that annual unpleasant chore, compiling the paperwork for my accountant so he could do my taxes. Before I started, I pulled a Tarot card to see how the day would go. 

Appropriately the Ten of Wands came up reflecting the large but doable burden of catching up on neglected bookkeeping, pulling papers and documents together, and checking entries in my accounting software for completeness and accuracy.

I've largely completed it the task and it feels as if a large burden has been lifted.

Astrology and the 29th Degree

Today the Sun moves through the 29th degree of Pisces, the very last degree of the sign. In the mainstream, we call this day the last day of winter. Tomorrow the Sun will enter Aries. And when it does its apparent path will place it exactly over the Equator, and for a brief moment day and night will be exactly equal in length.

But today, it is still at 29 degrees of Pisces. Anytime a planet is at the last degrees of a sign, it is time for something to be brought to completion. 

So what needs to be completed today? What is winding down, asks for attention to some niggling detail so it can be "put to bed?" By clearing your space, literally or figuratively, you open to the new season about to come roaring in.

Intuition at Work

During sleep my active mind quiets so my intuition is free to solve problems. The product of its work are the thoughts floating around just as I awaken. One must grab onto them immediately. Once you start moving around or get distracted, the thoughts disappear. 

Suggestion? Keep a notepad and pen by your bedside. 

Another suggestion? You can prime the pump the night before by thinking or writing about the subject to which you want to direct your efforts.

Law of Attraction

My first reaction upon hearing about Law of Attraction was that is seemed naive. After all, if by "shifting your focus" you could attract riches into your life... well, what does it say about the poor souls going bankrupt because their poor health insurance offered insufficient protection against high medical bills. Who, in their right mind, wishes catastrophic illness upon himself and who wishes going to the poorhouse in the process.

In my mind, to suggest that one "attracts" this kind of catastrophe is cruel.

And yet, there is some truth to Law of Attraction. In my own experience I have found that when I am focused on a goal and see it as real and achievable, I generally do.

More thoughts on this later.

Artful Meditation

Last week when I attended the Philadelphia Flower Show, I watched a couple botanical artists carefully render flowers with water color and colored pencil. They were promoting the work of local botanical artists whose work was displayed nearby. 

It got me to reminiscing about art classes taken years ago. Oftentimes in my prior life in Corporate America, I'd take drawing classes at the Arts Students League. The organizational politics of the workplace often left me feeling as tense as a violin string. Yet, the act of focusing and drawing put me in an alternative space. 

It was rare that I didn't leave class without a contented smile. It was clear that the botanical artists at the Flower Show experienced the same effect. 

Call it another technique of mindfulness meditation.

Sun Conjunct Uranus

Today the Sun conjoins Uranus. This is an annual astrological event--the Sun will conjoin every planet at least once a year. But given Tuesday's full moon pulling in the Saturn/Uranus opposition, it is a week for things to be stirred up.

Often I like to begin the day by pulling a Tarot card. At the end of the day it is interesting to see how the day's events are reflected in the card's symbolism. 

This is an excellent way to work with and "own" the cards. My thanks to Mary Greer for the idea.

Today's card is the Knight of Swords reversed (upside-down). It would lead me to expect a fast-paced day, perhaps running around trying to do a lot and accomplishing little. Perhaps there will be many interruptions--the Knight of Swords does not have a long attention span. 

To be continued...

I love the Tarot cards.

I love the Tarot cards. Being an artist I appreciate their beauty and find that they stand on their own as works of art. I appreciate many decks as works of art, but I still like the old standard Rider Waite--actually Universal Waite to work with. It was built on a firm metaphysical foundation.

I think it is important to "own" the cards. It is too easy to just rely on book meanings. But I find that when reading for people and for myself that the symbols speak in many ways, but always in a way that is appropriate to the querent and to the issue at hand.