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So much has happened in the last few months. It is amazing how much it has thrown me off my grove! I have had to re-evaluate many things and make a lot of adjustments. I haven’t been to my site here in sometime and I thought today would be a perfect day to pull some […]
I will be working on an Isis Divination Board for a client today so I thought I’d cast some stones for myself this morning. Then I realized my stones were ALL THE WAY downstairs. My cards however, were right next to me! I pulled the Nine of Swords.
Well, there ya go, the card of nightmares. It’s still weird to me how these cards, pulled at random reflect what is going on in the moment. Yes, I’ve been stuck living in a nightmare. My anxiety levels are pretty high. I’ve been pretty tough on myself, trying to do too many things at once. I’ve been trying to make something happen to move us to where we need to be. Even though it is apparent that I don’t have control over it. Not over all of it anyway. I’m not an advocate of doing nothing. I think we all must do our part. But to expect that I have ultimate control over the situation and therefore ultimate responsibility is silly and harmful.
This card tells me that my suffering is really of my own making and it is not necessarily reflective of my true situation. I think it’s human nature to see the negative before the positive and that can be overwhelming. I need to remind myself that my attitude really is everything. How I approach my situation affects the outcome. We are all, at some point in our lives, faced with tough situations. The trick is to stay flexible, stay hopeful. And for me, I think I need to approach it like a game. There are strategies to be applied and maybe even some fun to be had, if I can remove my personal expectations and attachments. It’s time for an attitude change.
When you are in the grip of fear from a nightmare, it’s time to wake up, splash some cold water on your face and reassess your surroundings, your reality. Move forward with a new approach. Fear can be debilitating and right now, ain’t nobody got time for that!
The Isis Oracle Board can be found HERE.
The Isidore Tarot can be found HERE
I spent most of last night lying awake. The gerbils in my head were spinning those wheels nonstop. Usually when I am up all night “thinking”, my thoughts tend to be non productive, sometimes nonsensical. Last night I was hit with true inspiration. I was able to reverse engineer some sticky details in order to form a larger conceptual picture. I was able to make some connections and understand some metaphors in a new light. I was actually anxious for morning so I could get started on some things. Until of course, morning came, now I’m seriously dragging! But that’s not my point…
After a night of breakthroughs I pulled a card for myself, the Six of Wands. First of all, who doesn’t love a picture of a donkey riding a zebra? I admit, I do have several favorites in this deck and this card is right up there. Not only for the image but for the meaning as well.
This card is about success and triumph. Sometimes public recognition. Well, I don’t know about THAT, but I do feel triumphant this morning. I think often our expectations or definition of success can be so large and overwhelming that we fail to recognize all the little successes along the way. Say you’re on a diet and you resisted that doughnut in the break room at work. That’s a success! Don’t wait until you’ve dropped the entire 20lbs before you allow yourself to feel triumphant. Recognize that moment. I do something everyday to work toward my goal. Sometimes they are big things, sometimes they are little. But I discipline myself to do at least one thing, everyday. At the end of the day I sometimes have to remind myself that I should be proud of that accomplishment, sometimes I feel like I haven’t done enough. It’s an easy, self defeating trap to fall into. Changing our outlook to recognize the positive means we increase the positive in our life. One success leads to another and we continue, one foot in front of the other, until we reach our ultimate goal and triumphant success. This card says if we are not already there, we are certainly on our way. Keep going.
More about the Isidore Tarot.
In Celtic Mythology She was a daughter of the Tuatha De Danann. She rules over creativity, blacksmithing, home and hearth, war, poetry, healing, livestock, springtime. She was a powerful figure and force, then and now. She is fiery and strong and She asks you to be the same. Bridget, Brigid, or sometimes Brigit, is celebrated and honored during Candlemas or Imbolc in February of each year. She’s the Goddess that brings light after the dark winter. When she shows up, things begin to move, birth, flow, grow, begin.
When we feel lost in the dark of winter, literally or figuratively, Bridget is the one to light the fire that warms and guides us. She is passion and creativity, headstrong and determined. She is asking us to use our passion. Find creative solutions. Remain determined. Never give up hope, never give up the fight.
There is a sexual energy related to Bridget that is in play. It’s the power of creation. You are being asked to reach down into the primal source of who you are and from that, pull forth new ideas, new energy and a passion that will propel you forward to the next stage in your life.
It is understandable to feel fear, to feel nervous about all of the unknown. When the blacksmith’s hammer hits, sparks fly. Bridget is hitting the hammer hard now. The heat is frightening, the noise almost painful, the sparks mesmerizing. When the metal cools we are left with a strong and powerful tool.
You have been beaten and burned, forged in the flame and Bridget has asked much of you. But you are ready to emerge, stronger than you ever were and ready for the next adventure. This time you get to be the one to shape instead of being the one shaped. You have been created so that now you can go and create. You are being given the opportunity to do big and great things. You may not see it yet but you are emerging from the darkness of winter. Whatever time of year it may be on the calendar, for you it is Spring.
Art and excerpt are from The Goddess Coloring Book. Find it HERE
For my reading today, I pulled Sophia. My daughter’s name is Sophia. She’s been going through a tough time lately and has been on my mind. I guess this one’s for her!
Sophia is considered to be a goddess of wisdom in Hellenistic traditions. The name Sophia in Greek translates as wisdom. The wisdom Sophia gifts us takes place inside of ourselves. To work with Sophia means it is time to break through your illusions, your delusions and the lies you tell yourself.
This commitment is one that can result in pain as your ego falls away and your true self is revealed. The results are always worth it. The process is difficult.
Wisdom comes through experience. Don’t hold back. Do not choose to remain quiet because you fear humiliation if you speak. Do not choose to hide because you fear what people will think if you are seen. Things perceived as “bad” are lessons to be learned. They are opportunities for growth and change. Humiliation brings humility. Humility is the understanding that not everything is about us. Wisdom comes with the realization that there is something more, something bigger than what it is we see and the understanding of our role within that.
The image is a page from my Goddess Coloring Book that features all the Goddesses of the Surcadian Oracle along with a description of their energy and history.
After a long weekend of dealing with sick kids and little sleep. I am not exactly hitting the ground running today. Hoping that I am not coming down with something as well, it makes sense for me to pull Xochi Quetzal for my Goddess Reading. If I am to listen to my body wisdom, I think I had better get as much rest as possible today, not worry about what I “should” be doing and take care of me instead. Here’s what She has to say about it:
Xochi Quetzal is an Aztec goddess. She is a goddess of passion, excess, sex, beauty, fertility and earthly pleasures. She is known to protect mothers, especially during pregnancy and childbirth. She’s also a creative goddess inspiring art and crafts of the day, such as weaving.
In our society, we are often told that our bodies are bad. We are told that to evolve and become enlightened we must escape our earthly desires and our physical selves and become more spirit like. We forget that the tools we have to do this reside in our physical. Xochi Quetzal asks you not to separate the two but combine them. Go into yourself, feel your body. Check in with each cell, each breath, each smell, each urge. Feel them. Honor them. Experience them. Use all your senses to explore your bloody, snotty, smelly self! Begin to accept these parts of yourself that have amazing purpose and creative potential. This is not the time to hide. There is no time for shame. Know you are beautiful, in your body. Know you are wise, in your body. Know you are powerful, in your body. There are many things we can “know”, in our heads. Learning to “know” them in your body is a whole other level of wisdom.
From The Goddess Coloring Book, available soon.
First of all, I have to congratulate my dear friend Beth, for her Isidore Tarot deck will be featured in the Spring 2015 Issue of Somerset Digital! This deck definitely deserves a place in their Magazine. With that in mind I decided to pull a card to see what may be in store for today. I picked up my tin only to discover that one card was stuck to the bottom and had never made it in. I decided that must be my card! It was none other than the Empress hiding there.
Traditionally she represents, family, abundance, beauty, motherhood and fertility. For Beth, her fertile ideas and creations in regards to her art are growing. She creates beauty and produces many amazing works, not just this deck. Her babies, in this reading, would refer to her artistic creations. She should continue to nurture and “mother” those ideas and projects as they will produce joy and abundance in the near future.
But for me, I need to consider why this card was hiding? Why was it not only on the bottom but not even in the tin with the rest of the group? If my art is also “my baby” it seems to me that I am not being a very good mother. I am tending to it last of all. Sometimes it is so low on my list of “priorities” that it’s not even on the list. “My baby”, will no doubt shrivel and die if I don’t take better care of it.
This has clearly been the case this week. Monday I felt ill and did not do work at all, even though I have a deadline to meet. Yesterday I tried to do my design work in spite of feeling ill but then had constant interruptions and demands from others. Sometimes working at home is really tough. Today, my design is due. I’m maybe only half way done. And I’m not sure about what it is I’ve done so far. If I am to be very honest with myself, I must admit that this particular work is not a passion of mine. Technically, I can do it. Happily, I am getting paid for it. Creatively, my heart is not in it and that is why I allow distractions.
Clearly, the Empress is telling me I need to shift my focus.
In addition to my artsy stuffs, I have real flesh and blood children that are in need now too. I am feeling rather pulled. A great deal of attention should be paid to each of these things. If only it could be one at a time as opposed to ten. I haven’t figured out yet how to get it all done. There is always a great deal of nurturing to be done, the trick for me is to not forget to nurture myself too. One wouldn’t think it would be that difficult. Maybe it is a cultural expectation, maybe it is instinct, maybe it is my natural tendency but most likely all of the above. Whatever it is, it results in often putting me last, putting my art last. Maybe she was hiding under the tin because she was feeling buried by all the responsibilities.
The Empress today is a wake up call. Take care of yourself. See the beauty in life and the abundance that already exists around you. Focus on nurturing yourself and those things that feed you. Only by taking care of you will you be able to take care of others.
*If you would like a reading for yourself, please check out the various types I offer here.
I was thinking of my friend Beth today who created this beautiful Tarot Deck. I thought I would pull my Card for the Day, and well, I ended up pulling three. I guess I needed a bit more information!
In my head, my three card reading went a bit like this: Card 1: Where are you right now? (emotionally, situation-ally, etc) For that one I pulled the fwo of coins. Card 2: Whatcha gonna do about it? That ended up being the Priestess. And finally, Card 3: What will be the result? And there I have the four of swords.
The two of coins is all about balance. Something I do struggle with. The juggling metaphor is not lost on me. I think it is a curse of our society that we are expected to work so much. We work through our lunch ours, we don’t take vacations, we often hold down more than one job in order to survive. We are judged and looked at as being lazy if we do anything less. As someone who works for myself, I don’t follow the 40 hour a week, 9-5 schedule. Sometimes I think it is worse. I feel guilty if I relax. I work all hours of the day and night and weekends? What are those? Those social ideals that have been ingrained in me have taken a monstrous turn and I simply have way too many balls in the air. Balance is not just important it is vital. If we push and push and push, life has a way of forcing us to slow down, usually by way of illness. Seeing the two of coins today reminded me that I am pushing too hard, particularly in the financial realm. I am being short sighted. I may gain something quickly but long term I will lose because I will not have my health or the energy to grab that big opportunity that presents itself down the road. Time to pace myself.
The Priestess showing up told me a couple of different things. The first one being, you know what you have to do so you better get to doing it. The other thing was it reminded me of who I am. If I am a Priestess, then I need to act like one. I need to be strong, wise, knowledgeable. I need to express that confidence and attitude with grace. My Aunt used to say to me, “Think steak, even if you have to eat hamburger”. There is alot to be said about the energy of faith, confidence, “knowing”. Sometimes that act of assuming without a doubt that something will be a certain way, it will be that way. You work toward that goal with that knowledge but you don’t have to go at it like a crazy fool and deplete yourself in the process. Work smart, use your knowledge, use your experience, use your magic.
If I am to do this, what will be my outcome? The four of swords. Looks like I catch a break, yay me! Yes there are things I’ll still have to deal with. Life is like that, there always will be. But by putting them into perspective, prioritizing, working in a steady calm manner and KNOWING, it will result in success. It will result in the ability to focus, to complete projects and to afford some time to take a breather and bring some joy into life. It’s all about the balance.
Today I pulled the Ace of Coins! I must say I’m happy with this one. It does speak of potential, no sure things…but the potential for financial gain and success is still a good thing! New opportunities are about to knock on your door.
After some pretty tough times I’m happy to see that new opportunities may be opening up. But here’s the deal, opportunities are just the beginning. It’s what we do with them that counts.
If you are feeling unhealthy, tired, scattered, ill prepared or any other such things take care to correct that. If the ball is about to come into your court you need to be ready for it. Stay alert for signs, new friendships, new business, creative inspiration all of these things can open the door to a new opportunity.
Getting yourself out into the world is important too. You can’t make that connection that will bring you that windfall if you are hiding out at home. If you are invited to a party, go. If you are asked to volunteer, do it. Get yourself into a position to meet new people, gain inspiration, discover new ideas. Get ready to be able to meet that new opportunity head on. Know that it is coming and allow that thought to fill you with hope, particularly if you are coming out of a rough spot. Having a good attitude will make a difference.
The Ace of Coins; that big ‘ole hand is coming right out of nowhere ready to hand you that abundance. Be ready to take it!
Go get this amazing deck and pull a card for yourself! HERE Or click on the Readings link above and get a reading just for you!
You’ve fought the good fight. You’ve won many battles but the war is not quite over. Exhausted and possibly injured, you must reach deep down into the reserves you didn’t even know you had and find the strength for one last push. Your goal is closer than it has ever been. Don’t give up the fight. Even if you have to lean your back against the wall, it will give you the appearance of standing up tall. Put the smile on, even if you must grit your teeth to do it. It won’t be much longer now. On the one hand you know you shouldn’t care what people think, on the other hand you know that perception is everything and reality is what you make it. This card makes me think of the saying “fake it ’till you make it’. Sometimes we need to put on one last show and make it great, make it epic because this is the time when everyone is watching. How are you standing up to the pressure? Your actions now are the ones that will give you the push you need, make the connections you need to make, create the magic that needs to happen to reach that seemingly unreachable goal. DO NOT GIVE UP. You are that close. Push on, fight on. The last battle is looming, but it IS the last battle…. For now.
For more info on the Isidore Tarot
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