Tarot Strategies for Life Change

Happy Thanksgiving and The 5 of Cups?

Happy Turkey day to all. In the US, Americans celebrate Turkey Day. That is American people, not the turkeys so much, although President Obama did pardon two turkeys yesterday. The plight of the latter is a subject for a different day.

Nonetheless, the tradition is that people gather together with their families and friends to feast in a dinner that includes such stalwarts as turkey and stuffing, maybe some nice root veggies such as yams or sweet potatoes, etc.

The idea is to give thanks for that which you have.

The card that in my humble opinion best sums up the spirit of the holiday is the RWS 5 of Cups. I fully understand if you find this an odd choice. After all, the figure depicted in the 5 of Cups looks very despondent, to say the least.

In my experience when doing readings, clients find the image disturbing.

 

The figure looks despondent as he gazes down in three overturned cups. He is facing the left--the past. His focus is on an experience that has already happened. One infers disappointment or worse.

What is outside his gaze are the two cups left standing behind him. The Thanksgiving association is with them--that he is not totally alone or without resources.

But being like most people, and, yes, I am guilty of this as much as anyone, the 5 of Cups figure dwells on what is wrong, not what is right. That is human nature and quite understandable, especially if you are faced with a difficult challenge or loss. 

Nonetheless, even in the worst of times, there is something, no matter how small, that is going your way. Giving that your attention, or even a glancing acknowledgment is one way to counterbalance the negativity or fear you may be experiencing.

As an astrologer I have noticed that many challenging transits will be accompanied by a lighter transit, say, from Jupiter or Venus. It is the Universe's way of saying that no matter how tough it gets, there is always a reason for hope.

Law of attraction folks will tell you that gratitude for the small, and often large, things that are going with you during especially during times of stress and challenge is an excellent way to lighten your energy and bring balance to help you remain centered.

Happy Thanksgiving.

 

Can you read Tarot cards for yourself?

Recently, I was asked the question, 'can you read cards for yourself?'

The answer? Absolutely.

In fact I do it all the time. Sometimes I want to get a quick impression from the cards about someone or something that has caught my attention. For example, if I were choosing who, among three contractors, I would be best using, I might pick a separate card to represent each one. 

I would also do my normal due diligence such as checking for insurance and licenses, contacting the State to see if complaints were filed, so on and so forth. 

But using Tarot cards is one way of inviting intuition to give its opinion. 

Often, it is difficult to hear the voice of intuition through the background static of 'shoulds' and emotion. Tarot is a great tool to cut through it. 

Pulling a card of the day is a fantastic way to align yourself with the day's energies, give yourself a heads up for possible surprise, as well as get to know your Tarot deck. You can observe the pattern of cards of the day over time. Are there certain cards that keep popping up? Is there a suit that you are not seeing? This is information that can help you understand internal processes you are experiencing.

But Tarot is not infallible. If you are very caught up in the outcome or you are very emotionally attached to the situation at hand that you can easily miss the message.

True story. 

Approximately 20 years ago I worked for a company that was experiencing a change in ownership. New management was coming in. My hope was that they would perform some much needed house cleaning.

I did a spread and The Tower came up in a prominent position. At the time I was coming from a place of restlessness and fear and I did not want to see the message of upheaval brought by The Tower's appearance.

In this case, I had gotten other warnings--a medium described brooms sweeping clean, but in a careless and haphazard way. 

I was experiencing very strong outer planet transits at the time, but it wasn't until I saw that the then upcoming new moon was very closely conjoining the Pluto in my birth chart that it started to dawn that the brooms might be after me.

And two weeks later, a couple days after the full moon, I was handed a pink slip.

I should also point out that I did what many others do when they don't like the cards they see in an emotionally charged situation--I repeated the reading by asking the very same question. 

Experienced card readers will tell you that asking the same question over and over again gets you gibberish. It is as if the cards feel disrespected and react by refusing to comment.

The moral of the story is that reading your own cards can be very helpful, but, emotionally, you have to be able to accept the cards' advice.

It is when you are incapable of detachment about your own situation that it is particularly valuable to seek out a reader to give you needed objectivity and a sounding board.

Tarot - A Practical Tool for Everyday Life

One way to save yourself a lot of grief just by running things by your Tarot cards.

There is no need to make a big production. Often you can find out what you need by picking a card or two, or, in my case, generally three.

I'll usually assign the first card to represent me, the second card to represent the other party and the third to represent the matter at-hand. 

The results are pretty amazing and quite eye-opening. 

Sometimes the spread will reconfirm my impression. Like a friend telling me, "that's what you thought you saw and you really did see it." And sometimes I will get a heads up. 

Oftentimes, the images are very clear and so literal that it takes my breath away.

Like the time I was searching for someone to help me move stuff sitting way too long in a storage locker. When I saw the upright Magician as his card, I knew the move would go smoothly. And it did. And I learned he had other skills that can come in handy (The Magician is versatile and manifests what he sets his mind to do).

Sometimes when I need to hire someone to do some work around the house and I am considering several candidates, I'll pull a Tarot card for each. The results can be revealing. You probably would not want to hire, let us say, a reversed Page of Wands if you are looking for someone dependable with a lot of experience. 

Your Page of Wands fellow might be strong, but probably young or inexperienced with a quick temper. 

Clearly you will do your normal due diligence such as checking references. But the Tarot cards can guide you on questions to ask and help you hone in on likely candidates.

I have used the Tarot cards to help me with decisions such as whether or not to take a pricy course. If The Devil card comes up, you may want to take a second look to make sure you are not falling for a good sales pitch. The Devil can lure you in by seducing you, like the proverbial salesman that is so good that he sells ice to eskimos.

Sometimes a card's meaning is not always clear in the context of your question. In that case, write the question and the names of the cards and their positions and file it away. The meaning may come to you as a flash when you are thinking about something else. Or as the situation develops the card's meaning will reveal itself.

Honor Your Body, Honor Your Spirit

Some of us who are spiritual seekers dwell on the otherworldly. But if you are here reading this blog post, you, like me, are firmly planted on the Earth plane. And that means we have to take care of all of the physical requirements our bodies require. 

So if you want to honor your spirit, an excellent way to begin is to honor your physical body. 

I was thinking about that when I was completing my daily walk. There is an abundance of literature exhorting us to exercise regularly. That spending as little as 30 minutes a day in a brisk walk 4 or 5 times a week can have a huge impact in preventing the onsite of diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. 

And since I am not getting any younger, and walking 30 minutes a day isn't going to kill me, I decided to give the regimen a try. 

At times, it is difficult to squeeze 30 minutes out of the daylight hours, but I've come to look forward these daily walks. 

Normally I walk late in the afternoon or early evening, but knowing that rain was coming, I decided to get my walk out of the way in the morning.

Aside from the timing, today's walk was like many others. It gives me a chance to explore the neighborhood. You see many more things on foot than you do from the windshield of a car, especially when you are driving.

So, I noticed the sign on the window of a local thrift shop saying that they will come to pick up donated items--an increasingly rare service in these parts. And I watch the progress of the new Walgreen's that is being built.

I observe the landscaping and the flowers of my neighbors whose houses are built similar to mine. I see neighbors with their kids on their stoops and patios. And I watch out for kids who ride their bikes on sidewalks designed for pedestrians.

This downtime, so to speak, is also a time to allow thoughts percolate. I let my mind wander, unforced. Often a stray thought comes up which contains the seeds to the solution of a problem.

And when I return, I feel more energetic, balanced, and connected. 

De-Cluttering Continued

The Pluto/Saturn Gods smiled as my professional organizer worked with me to clean out the garage.

You couldn't walk from front to back without climbing over things. And there was all kinds of stuff in there. Two old pay phones circa 1980 when my Dad and my younger brother went into a less than successful venture trying to generate some income by installing pay phones in various locations. And then there was old medical equipment that had to have been at least 15 years old. Old school photos of relatives who died before I was born and whose names were not known to me.

Truth be told, I had grown up in that house and the garage was always full.

There were treasures, too. Such as an aluminum cookware set in excellent condition. And then items with some value, but which I didn't need. Those made it to the GoodWill location later that afternoon.

We divided the items into three sections. Section one were the keepers. Section two were the throw away items. And Section 3 was where we put items to be donated. 

The pile of trash bags grew and grew. Finally we had sorted through everything. We moved everything out and, for the first time that I ever remember, the garage was truly empty. 

I felt joyous and light to be free of the burden of all of this stuff.

The metal closet that blocked the garage opening, was moved to the very back. It would have a second life as a storage container for my art supplies. A small number of items lined the side. These were items that would be dragged out on trash pick up day.

But for the first time, the garage could take on its primary function--as a place to park the car.

Scorpio and Clutter Continued

It felt good to sign the contract with my personal organizer. It felt like a big step. Now I could go back and blog and tweet about it while patting myself on the back.

I managed to pick away at some items in time for weekly trash pickup. But nothing substantial. Still every paper that is shredded and every item that makes it out the door is a step in the right direction.

Tomorrow I face reality. My organizer is coming and we are going to attack the garage. To echo my inability to run away, the moon is traveling through no-nonsense Capricorn while the Sun continues its journey through Scorpio. The combination echoes the Saturn/Pluto square now in force.

To be continued.

Autumn Equinox and the Time for Action

This is a time of year for new beginnings. Jews just celebrated their new year and a few short days ago the Autumn Equinox took place, a time of balance when there is exactly 12 hours of daylight and 12 hours of darkness. That is the point when the Sun is directly over the Equator and enters the cardinal sign of Libra. 

Cardinal signs are signs of action. Summer is over and, at least in the temperate zones, the climate conditions are changing quickly.

And if that is not enough, Mercury just completed its retrograde period. The message from the heavens is clear--it is time for taking action and moving forward.

But the Sun is in the cardinal sign of Libra--action is best accomplished with the cooperation of others. And that necessitates balancing their wishes and needs with yours. There has to be a balance between the two, just as the Sun, balanced on the Equator at the time of the Equinox evenly divides the period of daylight and darkness. 

But with the cooperation of others you benefit from adding their talents and resources to yours.

So what kind of action are you taking in your own life? And how?

Mother Nature Rules!

Why do we feel we always have to show constant progress? That we are supposed to be on 24/7? 

When we try to function under an expectation of a constantly forward linear movement, we are working against the rhythm of Mother Nature.

And, like it or not, Mother Nature has the last say.

Mother Nature's rhythm is ebb and flow. Ocean tides ebb and flow. The cycle of the seasons is one of the ebb and flow of the hours of daylight producing changes in temperature and atmospheric conditions. The Earth revolves around its axis and we experience the cycle of day and night. The members of the animal kingdom, yes, even us humans, have  a daily sleep/wake cycle. Plants have periods of growth and periods of dormancy.

The very processes that mark the existence of life such as the beating of a heart and breathing in and out are examples of ebb and flow.

When we try to fight ebb and flow by substituting unremitting, linear rhythms, our efforts eventually lose steam. Note that despite the mightiest efforts to the contrary, the economy and the stock market are marked by cyclic movement.

Rather than trying to fight Mother Nature, I suggest working with her rhythms. In other words, build in downtime in your overall planning.

Your Emotional Guidance System, Tarot Cards, and 18 year-olds

Last night I read Tarot cards for graduating seniors at a local High School. It was a typical graduation event; lots of students lined up eagerly awaiting a turn, allowable time per reading becoming more compressed as the night wore on so I wouldn't have to turn away anyone already in line.

The issues were typical of graduating seniors about to embark on their new post-high school lives. What did college and their futures hold? In a few cases, it was an upcoming stint in the Marines that beckoned. 

But a typical and exceedingly popular topic was "relationships." In some cases, the student was in an active relationship, in others, the student was going through a dry spell. 

But I recall a piece of advice I had offered to one young woman inquiring about her future with her partner. She had a lot of ambivalence and she was looking for guidance. 

The three cards she pulled were the Queen of Cups reversed, the 9 of Pentacles upright and the Knight of Swords reversed. Her emotional energy fueled the relationship and afforded it with whatever stability it had, but she was getting nothing back. As a result she was feeling drained. 

I asked what she was feeling when she was with her partner. And how did she feel afterwards and how did she feel when she anticipated the next contact? Did she feel comfortable or did she feel guarded? Did she feel tight or did she feel at ease? 

I advised her that people who truly care about you look out for your interests and are interested in your well-being. You won't worry about what you say or how you look because you are accepted.

Young adults on the cusp of high school graduation have had limited life experience and they feel the pull of hormones. They are still figuring out who they are and where their place is in the world. These factors make it difficult to look at a relationship objectively. 

And then there is social pressure from peers, and sometimes family, to be part of a pair.

Such a person is to be excused if he or she can't hear themselves think. But 18 year-olds are hardly the only people to have such difficulty.

Taking note of your body's reactions and your emotions will cut through the noise. In the Abraham-Hicks material this is called paying attention to your emotional guidance system."

When you feel trust and acceptance your body responds by being relaxed, comfortable, at ease. You feel contented, happy. But if you find yourself feeling angry and on-edge, you are reacting to poor and disrespectful treatment even if it is cloaked in sweet words. If you close down, tense up, start to feel guarded... pay attention. Your emotional guidance system is giving you a warning.

Setting your Intention

Are you looking for a quick and easy way to improve the success rate of your goals and objectives? Begin your day by setting an intention.

What is it that you hope to accomplish? What mindset or attitude do you want to carry?

Once you decide on your intention, it is enough to simply state it to yourself. But you can increase its power by writing it down and sharing it with a partner who will hold you accountable. 

How does it work? Simple. You are programming your mind. By this simple act, you attain clarity and focus towards the upcoming events of the day. 

For example, if your intention is to complete a particular task, you are less likely to get sidetracked by distractions. If your intention is to remain calm in a tense situation, you are more likely to do so. 

But don't limit yourself to setting your intention at the beginning of the day. You can set your intention any time you begin an action. For example, when I read Tarot for others, I, and many other readers, like to set an intention that the information that comes through will be for my subject's highest good.

Setting your intention and taking action on it, even a very small action, gives you powerful reinforcement.

Two factors will help to make your intention effective. First, you have to believe it is attainable. If you really don't believe your intention is possible your mind will reject it. And it is not necessary for you to know HOW it will happen.

In fact, you DO want to let go of the outcome. Our minds, including our subconscious, work on many levels. Frequently desired results come about in unexpected ways.

In the same way you begin to see lots of cars on the road of the same make and model as yours when you purchase a new car, when you set your intention, your mind becomes primed to take notice of conditions and people that will help you attain your objective.

Will you always be successful? Of course not. But you've just taken a big step in the right direction with that one simple action.

So start the day by setting an intention. You will be pleased with the results.