Daily Draw - Two of Pentacles Death and Three of Swords

I see a continuation here of yesterday's reading. This time, the Two of Pentacles actually does show a mirror. And this time, the reflection seen in the mirror matches the person standing before it. This shows progress!

The Death card has been coming up a bit for me in readings for myself lately. Just last night it came up in a reading I did with the Archeon Tarot. I like the bizarre Death card in this deck. I like how the shadow of the figures appears in the shape of a scythe. I see in this card a woman shedding her past life and who she formerly identified herself as. This can be a difficult change to go through. It's interesting to me that of the two figures in the card, it's the skeleton who is carrying the person. It's the one who has already gone through this process of death who has the strength to carry the other. This tells me that although this change I want to see in my life might be an uncomfortable process, it will leave me stronger for it in the end.

The girl in the Three of Swords is stabbing herself in the chest, drawing blood. This clearly says to me that any pain I am experiencing is completely self-inflicted. Any discomfort in my life is my own doing. I am the only one responsible for the happiness in my life.

It looks like all this self-reflection (2 Pents) I have been doing lately is revealing painful truths (3 Swords), but it will bring about a shedding of a life that I have outgrown (Death). I am coming to an end of sorts, and I can feel that this will ultimately be a good thing for me. Growing pains in my 30's. Who woulda thought?

Deck: Tarot of the Sweet Twilight by Lo Scarabeo

Daily Draw - The Magician, Knight of Chalices and Three of Pentacles

The Magician... again! I drew him at the beginning of the week with this deck in this reading. He's been coming up a lot for me lately. The magic in the air is quite potent right now.

The Knight of Chalices in this deck just is heart wrenching. It's a powerful card. The LWB has a beautiful passage about it: "There is something brave and beautiful about rushing headlong into love, about giving all of yourself with your whole heart. Brave and beautiful, but not without its risks." The dejected knight in this cup just breaks my heart. I can see that he arrived to bear his soul and put his whole heart on the line. And he was met with rejection. The horse is looking at me... directly into my eyes as if to say, "Won't you give him a chance?" The horse knows his owner well. He knows the beauty of his heart. He knows his love is true. and stands by him. The knight is trying to pull the horse along, but the horse stands firm, asking for another chance... and this card is like a pause in time, leaving you in suspense... will that chance be given to the knight? How does this card end?

I felt this huge wave of emotion come over me when I saw this card. It made me want to be truly, madly, deeply in love. Even though I really don't want that. I have no desire to be in a relationship at this point in time... but this card made me feel otherwise for a few moments, bittersweet as it is. After those few initial moments, I realized that this card is speaking of my faded passion in general. I want to be madly in love with life. But that deep romance with life itself has been lost somewhere along the way. Rather than living every day with awe, I'm merely going about the motions for the most part. There is a spark missing.

The Three of Pentacles is one of the cards in this deck that I didn't really "get" upon first inspection because I tried to attach the RWS meaning to it. I have found that there are several cards in this deck that you just can't really do that with, and this is one of them. So I tossed RWS away and read the card. Though my mind "knows" this is supposed to be two girls, what I saw was one girl looking in a mirror to see her younger self. The girl on the right is older, tired, jaded, weather-worn. The girl in the "mirror" is youthful, energetic, motivated, vibrant and funky. She still believes anything is possible.

This made me ask myself, "Who do you see when you look in the mirror?" Sometimes I do see that young spirit, but more often these days, I see the more withered soul. But I know that's not how it has to remain. I can regain my vibrancy. I am the Magician. I can do anything. I don't have to continue relating with the tired girl in the Three of Pentacles. When I look in the mirror, I can see what I want to see, rather than what I expect to see by default. I look at the Knight of Cups and ask myself where I have lost my heart along the way. The horse wants me to get it back. The young girl in the mirror does too. And so does the Magician, and when I embrace his spirit within me, I can do anything.

Last night I found an alpha meditation download to listen to. I was actually able to listen to it for the full 30 minutes, uninterrupted, and without falling asleep! And within a minute of finishing, I saw an immediate manifestation occur that I have been waiting on for awhile. I'm going to commit to doing the meditation every day for 21 days, minimum. I want to see what I can create in those three weeks, and how much of my inner, true, vibrant self and passion for life I am able to regain.

These cards really took my breath away today with the hard-hitting truth, yet sage wisdom they imparted.

Deck: Tarot of the Sweet Twilight by Lo Scarabeo

Daily Draw - Judgement, The Hanged Man and Seven of Pentacles

These cards are very musical. In the Judgement card I see a little stone angel (lower left corner) with her conductor's wand while the center angel floats above the graveyard, blowing her trumpet. In the Seven of Pentacles there is a groovy band playing various instruments. I heard the phrase "practice makes perfect". This card reminded me of street musicians, which I had just been reading about online.

In the Hanged Man, there is one figure patiently hanging, studying and catching butterflies in her time off. The man, however, still tethered to the trees, has been there too long. He's bursting at the seams to be set free. He looks up at the Judgement angel, hearing the call of freedom. He's ready to join the band playing in the Seven of Pentacles. Ready for a fresh start after being out of commission for so long.

This is me! I am hearing the call of freedom, and yearn to bust out of the ties that bind me to where I've been for so long. I don't quite feel fully myself where I am right now. And that's something that definitely needs to change very soon.

Deck: Tarot of the Sweet Twilight by Lo Scarabeo

Daily Draw - The Tower, Two of Swords and The Hermit

The Tower is back! And it has perfect timing. Two days ago in this reading, The Tower came up to tell me that I was physically ready for stretching my psychic muscles. So, here is is again, and just a few hours after I had this dream last night:

A package arrived at the house. It wasn't addressed to anyone, and it wasn't marked from anyone. So I opened it. It was a newspaper from 1969. On the front page was a photo of the team who won the World Series. (You know, when they win, how the players all run to the field and hop all over each other? It was a photo of that.) It was the New York Mets, winning the 1969 World Series.

When I woke up, I thought how crazy it would be if the Mets even played in the '69 World Series. So I looked it up online. Not only did they play in the World Series that year, but they did indeed win it!! Now, I couldn't tell you who won any World Series, not even last year's, let alone one that happened before I was even born. I couldn't tell you this information if my life depended on it, aside from taking one hell of a lucky guess.

This information is completely irrelevant to my life, so I don't know why I'm dreaming of sports. I guess it's just a random bit of trivia that was used because it was easily verifiable. So I could know instantly that it was true, and then identify that it was my psychic gears working. So that's the Tower card today. That lightning bolt of psychic information.

The first thing I did, after verifying the World Series info, was to write down my whole dream. Then when I drew my cards for the day, I see the Hermit doing the same thing.... writing. I think it's a good idea for me to start a journal specifically for documenting my psychic experiences.

The Two of Swords and Hermit are both alone with no one else around. The girl in the Two of Swords is blindfolded. Because I am a full time, homeschooling mom, my kids are with me 24/7. I don't have any quiet time to myself during the day. So any focused spiritual work that I want to do has to be done at night after the kids are asleep. Only problem is, by that time, I'm tired too! So, as the girl in the card, it's usually when my eyes are closed that I have most of my psychic experiences... in my dreams. Whenever I try to meditate at night, I always fall asleep. And waking up even earlier than the kids do in the morning is just not something I'm willing to consider!

That's just the way it's going to have to be for now. I'll have to do what I can in the limited alone-time I have available, and keep a journal. But today I am going to think about ways that I can practice my intuitive skills without needing absolute silence. I mean, this is my life. It's noisy. And if I'm feeling called to open myself more within the psychic realm, then there have to be ways I can do it that fit in with my lifestyle, right? Right!

This trio of cards also reminds me of another dream I had last night, also involving New York. I dreamt that I was scooped up in a giant stone hand and lifted to a high tower with a few other people. From our high point of view, we watched the city get wiped out by something like a flood. Within a few seconds, we were the only survivors. The city streets were empty. A couple seconds later, there were firetrucks and ambulances that came from somewhere else. But there were no people left on the streets to rescue. The Tower card shows me sitting up somewhere high, with very little company, witnessing the destruction below. The Two of Swords depicts this as being something unpleasant to look at, while the girl sits safely elevated above the flood waters. The Hermit describes the solitude that the devastation left behind.

...And strangely enough, I had a third dream also set in NY last night.

Deck: Tarot of the Sweet Twilight by Lo Scarabeo

Daily Draw - King of Chalices, The Emperor and The Chariot

I drew these cards today after going on an outing with my kids and my dad. Don't know why the cards always seem to reiterate my boring outings with my dad. Guess maybe that's the extent of my excitement today.

Lots of male energy in these cards. The Emperor is my least favorite card in this deck. It physically bothers my eyes to look at. I think it would have been easier on the eyes if the straight line wasn't drawn down the middle. Anyway, the Emperor can serve as a father figure. In this case, he has two sides to him, which makes sense in my situation. My dad is usually either in a bad mood, or a happy one. There's not much middle ground.

Today he was in good spirits, he had his emotions under control, a la King of Chalices. And he did the driving today, so that's him in the Chariot card. Funny, because the Chariot driver has a snake wrapped around him, and my dad owns many snakes.

So these cards merely illustrate the mundane today, as they sometimes do.

Sorry, still rainy here, hard to take good photographs in this weather, and I'm a mess with the flash. So I wanted to mention that the fellow in the background of the Emperor card (on the right)... well, his head is nothing but a big eyeball. I love that for some reason. I love quirky and bizarre things like that. Things you don't expect. Maybe something small will happen today, coming from my dad, that I'm not expecting...

Deck: Tarot of the Sweet Twilight by Lo Scarabeo

Reading with the Tarot of the Sweet Twilight

I just received the Tarot of the Sweet Twilight, a new release by Lo Scarabeo. I'll be using it for my daily draws this week. (You can click on the image to get a closer look at the cards, but it's a blurry photo... it's a rainy day here today, so not much natural light..)

This morning I wanted to start with a spread, kind of a "Where Am I?" general spread. I drew four cards to represent my current physical, mental, emotional and spiritual status.

1. My current physical state The Tower
I have to say, I studied and studied this card from every angle and couldn't figure out what it meant for me physically. I set it aside to come back to later. I didn't get it until I got to the last (Spiritual) card. Now I see this card more clearly. I see the girl in the tree with her teddy bear, watching the catastrophe of the tower from a distance. Her hand is up as though she is about to clap. She is emotionally detached from the fire and lightning. She is watching it happen, yet she isn't overwhelmed or upset. I suppose I am at a point now, where I have the capacity to physically feel other people's emotions, but I also have the ability to keep it disconnected from my own feelings. I mean, I have always been able to do this to a certain degree. I'm not one to attach other people's woes to my own emotional reservoir. But in order to grow more psychic, the degree of emotional intake will be vamped up quite a bit. This card shows me that I am physically ready for it. (This will make more sense when you read down to the end and see where it's coming from with the last position.)

2. My current mental state The Magician
Yup! Manifesting. This is what has been monopolizing my mind lately. How can I create what I want in the easiest and quickest way possible? How to best create the reality I want to experience? I am no stranger to the awesome power of the Magician. I have created amazing things in the past. I have done what other people call "impossible". So my mind is in serious Magician gear right now, ready to do it again!

3. My current emotional state Temperance
It's funny, Temperance came up for me last week in a reading, as my greatest strength. So I guess I'm pretty strong emotionally right now. I have the right balance going on there. That's always a good thing! And I also said in that reading that Temperance was one of the most boring cards for me in tarot. I have to say that I think the Sweet Twilight version of Temperance is my all-time favorite version. I love it!

Note: In that same reading, the Magician came up as "what my Temperance strength will bring me". So here they are, together again. My strong emotional state (Temperance) will bring me what I need to mentally accomplish what I want with the Magician.

4. My current spiritual state Nine of Swords
Uh. I wasn't expecting this. But okay. Last night I had a most disturbing dream. It was so horrendous that I don't even want to reiterate it. I woke up with mixed feelings... so relieved that it was only a dream, while at the same time still disturbed, wondering how I could ever even dream such a thing. I think I have mentioned here that I have been having some precognitive dreams lately. Every year or so, I get a string of dreams that all come true for about a week or two. Then it goes away. It's strange, but I always enjoy it. It happened to me last week, then I had two really negative dreams. These are things that I suppose I could check with the news (which I never watch or read) and see if they came true, but I really don't want to.

I think back to the experience I had last month when Michael Jackson died. I'm wondering if this card indicates that I am becoming more empathic. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I don't know that I'm willing to take on the weight of the world and all its sadness. But there is a reason why these things are coming to me now. I definitely have to give this one a lot of careful thought. I know that by being empathic, especially as a reader, you can go into greater depth, and hopefully be more helpful. But I also know that it can drain a person if she is not carefully protected.

I recall doing a series of Angel readings awhile back and I felt completely drained after each reading. It was something that I had never experienced before, or since. On the one hand, it felt really good to be so in touch... but on the other hand, I didn't like the way it left me feeling so emotionally drained and lethargic afterwards.

I know that I do want to eventually become a psychic reader. I just have so much going on right now, I don't think it's the ideal time to begin exploring it. Maybe my psyche believes otherwise, as I am apparently opening more to some channel or another. I do have a book somewhere that talks about ways to disconnect your own emotions from those that you receive from others. I will have to dig that book out and look more seriously into it.

I noticed that I drew all Major Arcana cards, except in the Spiritual position. So this is the place where I am weakest right now, the one that is lacking definition and needs my attention. I look at this card, the Nine of Swords, and this girl is crying, pleading with someone, anyone, to help her. I have the natural instinct to reach out and help her. Maybe this really is a calling that I have, and if so, then I really need to meditate on it and see where I need to (and can) go from here. Perhaps the Magician is saying that I have the ability to do it, Temperance says I am emotionally stable enough to do so, and the Tower says I am physically ready (as well as serving as a big "A ha!" lightning bolt moment where I realize all of this).

Deck: Tarot of the Sweet Twilight by Lo Scarabeo

Giving and Receiving Blockage Spread

I made up this spread last night. It is designed to show you where you have blockages in your giving and receiving energies. A balanced flow in this area is important when trying to manifest or attract things that you want.

This spread gives you insight into where your energies are blocked and what you can do about it.

Giving and Receiving Blockage Spread

Giving...........Receiving
5--1/3--9.......6--2/4--10
----7----...........----8----

1. Your current comfort level with giving.
2. Your current comfort level with receiving.
3. (Crosses Card 1) What blocks/inhibits you from giving freely.
4. (Crosses card 2) What blocks/inhibits you from receiving freely.
5. How your past has played into this giving blockage.
6. How your past has played into this receiving blockage.
7. How to overcome this blockage (re: Card 3) to enable you to give more freely.
8. How to overcome this blockage (re: Card 4) to enable you to receive more freely.
9. Where the advice of Card 7 will take you if you follow through with it. (Your Giving Future)
10. Where the advice of Card 8 will take you if you follow through with it. (Your Receiving Future)

I laid the cards out in the order as described above. Then I read the two piles separately. I read the Giving pile first, then moved on to the Receiving pile. It found it to be a very honest account, and it gave me solid advice that I can act on, so that my energies in these areas can flow better.

Keep in mind the wording of the positions of cards 9/10. This is the outcome you will receive IF you follow through with the advice. Most likely, if you continue on the way you have been, making no changes, you will remain where you are now, carrying the blockages (cards 1/3 and 2/4).

Tips:
If you have a positive card show up in the 3/4 position (the block), and all the other cards are super sunny, then you might not have a block in this area. However, if you feel that you do have a block, or if the surrounding cards indicate that you do, then you would read this positive card for its negative attributes. (Yes, you can find an up side and a down side to every card.)

If your outcome card is negative, then you may find yourself still blocked in the future, which would indicate a need to be more vigilant about overcoming the issue.

I hope this spread proves helpful for others besides myself!

(Card image shown above is the Six of Pentacles from the Paulina Tarot)

Daily Draw - Death, Four of Wands and The Wheel

I had planned to work with another deck this weekend, but the Animal Lords were calling to me today for one more daily draw. It felt like they had more to say, as though they had a message for me before I put them away.

I saw surprised to see Death and The Wheel come up together, as those are my two cards for this year. The Wheel is my 2009 card, and Death is my card from Oct. '08 - Oct. '09. (See how the cards are calculated here.) So I've continually thought, in the back of my mind, that this is a year of transformation and good fortune for me. The winds of change are blowing.

The Four of Wands brings to mind things like home, celebration, freedom, well-being, good fortune. This gives me an idea of what the Death and Wheel themes will revolve around for me this year. It looks like there will be major transformation, and shedding of my old life. Unexpected good fortune will help to welcome a big achievement regarding my home base.

It's funny that the Wheel is illustrated with a butterfly, as that is the creature that I usually relate to the transformation of the Death card. So it's neat that the butterfly played into the reading.

I also mentioned yesterday when the two 10's came up that they correlated with the Wheel of Fortune card. And it wasn't until later in the afternoon that I realized that I had been wearing my Wheel of Fortune tarot pendant around my neck all day!

I'm glad I listened to my intuition when I felt called by this deck this morning for one more reading. It turned out to be a relevant confirmation of the theme surrounding me at this point in my life. Out with the old, in with the new. It almost feels like New Year's for me today!

Deck: Tarot of the Animal Lords by Lo Scarabeo

Daily Draw - Seven Card Pileup

(Click on card images to enlarge if you'd like to get a closer look!)

Today as I cut the cards, I was pulling away and another small pile of cards dropped from my hands. (It reminded me of a dream I had a couple nights ago about a massive car pile-up.) So I grabbed my original three cards, then took the top three from the pile that dropped from my hands. And I was drawn to also look at the bottom card, and who should be there but my buddy the Knight of Wands!

The first three I cut to were the Seven of Wands, Knave of Pentacles and Queen of Pentacles.

The three from the pile that dropped were the Ten of Chalices, Two of Pentacles and Ten of Pentacles. This set reminded me of the two times this week that I drew the two 8's, as they were also separated by a middle card.

The Knight of Wands lying underneath the whole pileup of cars today serves as the foundation, telling me that all of this is relating to my desire to move. (I almost wish I could move already just so the cards can think of something else to talk about for a change!)

I saw the first set of cards as my "Need to Do" list:

The Seven of Wands is a shocking card in this deck. I would NOT want to be facing that frilled lizard! Yikes! That's a big "Back Off!!!" if I ever saw one! This is what I need to be doing to my doubts and fears that have been creeping up, big time!

The Knave of Pentacles cat is busy studying. He's researching, oblivious to the world around him. I need to do more research into the area I'd like to move to. This has tapered off a bit, and I really need to be doing research a little bit every single day so that I stay absorbed and excited about it. This card really rings true for me today.

The Queen of Pentacles antelope says I need to have a stable financial situation before moving. This is also true, and it's what I have been struggling with... that's where the doubts, fears and anxieties play in, which I need to seriously ward off like the frilled lizard.


The second set of cards looked like the "How To" list for the previous three needs:

Ten of Chalices (Answering my need to fend of my fears - Seven of Wands): Look at this happy penguin couple guarding their egg. It's a beautiful day and there is a rainbow in the sky above them. All is happy with this family. When dealing with my doubts and fears, I need to look at the family I have created. Look at how much I have accomplished and how blessed we are. Whenever I feel doubt, I need to remember what miraculous things I have been able to create for my family in the past. When I do that, I am my own best source of inspiration!

Two of Pentacles (Answering my need to research more regularly): The seal in this card is jumping rope on top of a ball. He's having a grand old time! I need to research more FUN things that we can do when we get to our new destination. This seal is doing two things at once, so I need to look for family activities that both my kids and I can all enjoy together. This will keep my excitement level up.

Ten of Pentacles (Answering my need to have financial stability before moving): Well, yeah... having money! Okay... Actually the first thing that I thought of when I saw this card was an inheritance, which this card can sometimes mean. And I have been getting "windfall" messages a lot lately. Of course, things can happen quite unexpectedly, but I don't see how an inheritance is possible. I don't have a long-lost wealthy relatives on his deathbed. Perhaps my parents will win the lotto (I don't play myself) and I'll get a piece of it. One can hope! Someone's got to win, I suppose it's just as likely that it will be someone in my family as anyone else. The two Tens falling together correlate with the Wheel of Fortune card (which also happens to be my 2009 card), so hey, maybe a windfall really is in the cards for me!

In any case, two Tens falling together definitely indicate coming full circle. The end of a cycle. And it's the two pleasant Tens that came up, so I can only expect that this means I will have some really good sense of accomplishment here soon.

This is the second time the Ten of Pentacles has come up for me with this deck this week. It also showed up at the beginning of the week in this reading. I think I'll meditate on this card tonight. Last night I did a card mediation with the Hermit from yesterday's draw. I closed my eyes and became the Hermit. I held his lantern and entered the cave. From there, I had a conversation with my higher self. When entering the cave, I had intended on asking questions and receiving answers, but as it happened, when I got there, I was instead asked questions which I had to answer. It was going swimmingly until I fell asleep. That's the trouble with visualization for me. I inevitably get all narcoleptic and fall asleep before I can finish! I may have to invent Red Bull Meditation or something, just to stay awake long enough!

Deck: Tarot of the Animal Lords

Daily Draw - Eight of Chalices, The Hermit and Eight of Pentacles

Three fellas in green today, just like at the beginning of the week. And as I did two days ago, I drew two Eights again. Only this time it's the other two 8's! Seems they all wanted in this week! So strange that twice this week I drew two Eights in a single draw. I guess the energies surrounding me right now have a big 8 vibration going on. Lots of change and rejuvenation and movement in the air. I also relate the color green to growth and vitality, so that's fitting also.

Today I drew the Eight of Chalices (also drawn with this deck at the beginning of the week with this reading), The Hermit and Eight of Pentacles. The animals in the first two cards (Yak and Black Bear) are basically wearing the same outfit and shoes. They have similar utility belts and both carry walking sticks. The chimpanzee in the third card sports a bit of a more updated look of the same kind. Instead of a walking stick, he holds a recorder to his mouth, practicing his music.

The Eight of Chalices and Hermit, being so similarly outfitted, suggested that I read them together, as one. In order to move forward, I need to first travel within for any answers that I may have. The Hermit's cave is dark, as his lantern lights the way. The questions that I have don't have glaringly obvious answers. They are hidden in the dark, and can only be found by searching within, in a quiet state of mind. This is something I will have to make time for. Hopefully tonight.

The Eight of Pentacles is practicing his craft, not allowing the monkey on his head to distract him from his purpose. This reminds me of the many things that distract me on a daily basis. In fact, my youngest daughter's nickname is "Monkey" and she can often be found attempting to climb on top of my head, quite like the monkey in this card! So this Eight of Pents chimp is telling me to stay focused on my goal, no matter what. Don't let a day go by without practicing what I love to do, and reaching for my goals... no matter how distracted I may be by my little monkey (and my two others!)

Taking time to meditate and soul-search like the Hermit is something that I don't make time for enough. I really should be doing it every night after my kids have gone to sleep. So these cards were a good reminder for me today. There will never be a time while my kids are young that I have tons of spare time, so like the chimpanzee, I need to make the time despite the distractions, so that I can properly make the steps forward that I want (as depicted by the Eight of Chalices which I see a lot of these days!).

Deck: Tarot of the Animal Lords by Lo Scarabeo

Daily Draw - The Moon, Three of Wands and Seven of Chalices

It's funny, when I drew these cards this morning, my kids were watching Hercules. So there was a pegasus on TV as I pulled the Seven of Chalices featuring the same creature. And now as I am typing this up, they are watching Alice in Wonderland, featuring a dodo* (also shown in the Seven of Chalices!) Pretty neat, since those two animals aren't ones you typically see every day!

The Moon and Seven of Chalices speak to me about dreams. The Moon representing dreams I have at night while I am sleeping, and the Seven of Chalices indicating daydreams and fantasies. The cat in the Moon card is about to step off the edge of the staircase into thin air, while the pegasus also leaps over a cliff in the air, aiming for the opposite edge. The cat looks as if he is in a trance, unaware of what he is doing, and he has one foot on (or in front of) the moon itself, which would totally make sense in a dream!

The raccoon, meanwhile, in the Three of Wands, is slightly more grounded than the other two, though he is still moving down river. There is still movement. He looks to me like a liaison between the unconscious night time dreams and the conscious daydreams. The two are coming together now to meet somewhere in the middle and that's bound to be interesting! I see that each of the characters holds a staff in the form of a walking stick, an oar and whatever it is the dodo on the pegasus needs his for. The cat holds his in his right hand, the dodo holds his in his left, and the raccoon brings the two together by holding his oar in both hands. I see a pegasus feather in the racoon's cap as he steers his boat toward the cat.

I have been having frequent precognitive dreams lately, so all this makes perfect sense to me. There's really nothing more concrete I have to say about these cards other than what I just wrote. It's all rather dreamy and intangible. But I get it. It's an accurate assessment of where I'm at right now, with all the swirly-whirly-ness of the mystical happenings in my life at the moment.

*Update: This evening my daughter asked me to read to them from a book that I had started reading at bedtime over a week ago. I had forgotten that I had started it, so it had laid unread for several days. (It's The Willoughbys by Lois Lowry). I began reading the chapter and was amazed that the word "dodo" appeared in one of the passages! And then again on the next page! (A boy was calling his sister a dodo.) It's amazing to me that no one had mentioned the book for several days, until today... so the dodo could make its third (and fourth!) appearance of the day!

Deck: Tarot of the Animal Lords by Lo Scarabeo

Solar Eclipse, Lenormand, and Foxes Galore!

Today, as there was a solar eclipse, I was looking at some eclipse pictures online. They reminded me of the Ring card in my Judith Bartschi Lenormand deck. That card has always looked more to me like an eclipse than a ring. So I got out the deck and did a three-card draw with it.

I have to preface this reading by explaining a dream I had last night about foxes. I was in someone's house, and they opened a door to let in all their foxes. Several adult foxes and many, many, too many to count, young foxes. I was like "What the F is going on?!?!?" I was quite alarmed as they started running toward the door we were standing at. The owner of the house assured me that they were perfectly safe. The foxes lived in the house. So they all ran in, and dispersed throughout the house. Then, the dream turned weird, as my dreams tend to do. But that was the gist of the fox part.

Okay, so I pulled out my Lenormand deck this afternoon and drew...



Fox, Ring and Mountain. I was quite surprised! The first thing that stood out was the Ring card, since that card's resemblance to the solar eclipse was the reason I got out this deck in the first place. So that was really neat. Then I noticed the Fox and remembered my dream.

Since I was definitely getting messages from foxes today, I thought I'd check to see if the Fox card is featured in the Animal-Wise Tarot book. (I don't use the tarot deck much, so I couldn't remember if there was a Fox card.) There was indeed, and it plays the role of the Magician. At that moment, I remembered this reading from two days ago, with the Tarot of the Animal Lords where I pulled a fox card, also as the Magician! What's with all the foxes?!?

In the Lenormand, the fox is sometimes thought of as someone deceitful, sneaky or manipulative. However, that is how some people also view the Magician tarot card, though I am not one of them. There are other tarot cards that show me those sides of people, and I have a different, more positive viewpoint of the Magician. I see him as being someone with the ability to manipulate, but in a good way. He can create his own reality, and possesses all the skills and know-how to make things how he wants them to be. So with all the Magician foxes surrounding me this week, this is how I'm looking at the Lenormand fox today.

So I read up about the fox in the Animal-Wise book. It summarized this animal's presence with "blessings and magic afoot". Here's an excerpt (the bold wording is my emphasis):

The fox embodies the magic of the world, revered at some time by every society in which it was found. It is a keeper of magic, healing, and the gifts of shapeshifting and invisibility.

The fox is active at night, but is more visible at dawn and dusk, living at the edges of forests and open fields - in the mystical border areas. These "Tween Times and Places" are sacred in that they are natural doorways between worlds - the magical and the human. The fox is guide and guardian into new magical realms, reflecting new magic and new realms coming to life for you.

At this, I recalled how in my dream, I was standing in a doorway through which the foxes were entering! That was an exciting synchronicity for me! So there is new magic coming into my life. And "active at night" and "dawn" correlated to the time when I was dreaming... it was probably just before dawn that I had this dream.

The book goes on to talk about invisibility, camouflage, and the need to keep your plans a secret until they have manifested, and that this will help avoid potential obstacles. This was my Lenormand reading in a nutshell. The advice is to take on the traits of the fox. Make my intentions invisible, as so clearly represented by the eclipse in the Ring card (love that)! That way I will avoid the obstacles of the Mountain card.

The Animal-Wise book also says that the fox indicates a time of heightened psychic awareness. And the ending passage is wonderful:

Through the energy of fox, we learn that we have the ability to shapeshift our lives along any line we desire. Opportunities for such shapeshiftings will present themselves soon. When Fox arrives, we are about to be led through an adventure of magic and spirit that will leave us blessed and forever changed.

I love that last line! Yesterday I got another fortune cookie that talked of opportunity:

Opportunity will soon knock.
When it does, answer the door!

I always get the "opportunity" fortune cookies! (Here's the one from last month.) And... one of my Tea Leaf cards this week (Carrot) was also about opportunity.

This has been an intense day for synchronicity, and writing it all out while trying to make sense of it all has given me a bit of a headache. I wanted to write it down though, so I wouldn't forget, and I can come back to it tomorrow. It's overwhelming, but it all definitely feels like a good thing! I wholeheartedly welcome new magic into my life!

Deck: Judith Bartschi Lenormand

Above solar eclipse image found here.

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Amazing Update: This happened a few minutes after I originally published this post:


Oh My God... See this drawing to the left?!?

I was just putting away the Animal-Wise book, when I noticed that there was a little piece of paper in one of the pages that I had previously used as a bookmark. I took it out and when I saw what was drawn on it, I could not believe it. I was in shock. It was a drawing of an eclipse that my son had drawn probably two years ago. I have not seen it since then. But today, of all days, during a solar eclipse... my dream, my reading, led me to this book and this drawing.

I think he was drawing a lunar eclipse here, but still... an eclipse! Synchronicity is outdoing itself today. I'm officially amazed!!


Another update:

I just asked my son about this image, wondering why the moon was colored red. He said it's a total lunar eclipse, when the moon turns red. He remembers that we tried to see it that night, but were unable to because it was too cloudy. What a great memory he has, I had forgotten about that until he said that.

Daily Draw - Eight of Wands, King of Swords and Eight of Swords

Today I drew the Eight of Wands, King of Swords and Eight of Swords. I saw the bird in the first card swooping down on the King, upsetting the scales in his hand (shaking up the status quo), and causing his sword to plunge into the spider web of the next card, setting the mouse free. Just in the nick of time.

The King sits erect and strong, as the two Eights correlate with the Major Arcana Strength card. Eights also indicate taking necessary action. There is a feeling here of courageous, strong and swift movement... getting out of a sticky situation and entering freedom. And doing it quickly.

I see freedom and flight in every card here. The birds flying in the background (and the obvious one in the foreground) of the first card, the butterfly in the King of Swords card, and the matching butterfly in the upper corner of the third card (labeling it a Swords card).

The bird in the Eight of Wands also reminded me of the Bird-Flying card I drew for this week's Tea Leaf reading which predicted that news was headed my way.

These cards were very uplifting for me this morning. It reminded me, of course, of the move that I want to make. Last night I did a reading about my progress, as my excitement had begun to wean a bit. I got a very clear message that right now the move is in the ethers, in the stage between thought and manifestation. I was advised of the importance of keeping up my momentum, as it is very critical at this stage to keep the energy flowing in the direction I want things to go. (My Paulina Tarot told me all of this very clearly, in no uncertain terms!)

So in my daily draw today, I see definite movement happening, as a result of my returning to my excitement and keeping the momentum going!

Deck: Tarot of the Animal Lords by Lo Scarabeo

Daily Draw - The Devil, Six of Chalices and Ten of Wands

This morning I drew the Devil, Six of Chalices and Ten of Wands. I'll tell you what I saw in these cards. My main focus was on the camel in the center. I noticed the carpet he is sitting on, along with the vase beside him. It reminded me of the genie's lamp and magic carpet. He's wearing glasses and his wise manner made me think of a professor. The watch hanging from his garment tied it all together. Suddenly I saw him as a time traveler. This professor has managed a way to travel on his magic carpet and travel back in time.

He is facing the Devil. He has gone back in time (marked by the difference of the phases of the moon in both cards), and is disguised as a frog (still in green) as he revisits his past when he was a devilish goat-man. This part of his past is a time when he was doing all sorts of things that were really bad for him. I immediately thought of drugs. The camel in the center card is smoking a pipe, which made me think of those old commercial ads with Joe Camel, so I am getting an addiction-vibe here.

Looking at the camel's hump, I wonder what he is carrying around. I look to the card on the right and see him, again disguised, at some other point in time. Again, he is wearing his trademark green, and as a moose he carries the same walking stick that he holds as a camel. There is a hard road he is walking, and it is a difficult and heavy journey. The load the moose carries on his back has stayed with him as a camel, becoming a part of who his is.

My impression, looking at these cards, is of a very smart person, who has had a past with addiction, and the road out of it has been difficult. It seems to me as though he is reflecting on the whole thing, perhaps wondering if it's worth the effort of being sober.

Once I had all that (which took a lot longer to type out than it did to develop in my mind), I realized who these cards were referring to. There is someone from my past who I lost contact with for a long while. During that time, he turned to drugs. This was shocking to me, because he is so intelligent. It just didn't make sense to me. Now that he is clean, he is studying to become a professor, just like I saw in the camel!

He wrote to me a few days ago, so I will have to make time to write back to him today. I don't have any idea what it feels like to be addicted to drugs, or to have to live without it once having been addicted... so I can't relate to his personal journey. But I can be a friend. I really hope that these cards are simply a message for me to reach out to him today, and not that he is contemplating a backslide. I hope that he finds meaning in his life, enough so that he finds sufficient happiness in being sober that will outweight the escapism of drugs.

Deck: Tarot of the Animal Lords by Lo Scarabeo

Strength Reading with the Animal Lords

This week I'll be using the Tarot of the Animal Lords for my daily draws. I wanted to use it today in a spread that I've never used before. I was feeling kinda eh this morning, and when I saw this spread on strength, I knew it was just what I needed. This spread is from the book Power Tarot.

Strength Spread

1) Your greatest strength
2) How you can enhance this strength
3) How you can apply it to a relationship, project or event
4) What this strength brings you

(Click on images below to enlarge)

1. My greatest strength
Temperance
I actually laughed out loud when this card came up. This has always been one of the tarot cards that just feels blah to me. So for it to come up as my greatest strength surprised and amused me.

This card shows a flamingo woman pouring water from one jug into another. She seems to be at her work with a serene, calm and patient manner. (The bird at her feet is also displaying patience as she sits on her eggs.) I have to say that the first thing I thought of when I saw her was the Florida Lottery, whose logo is a pink flamingo. So, in regards to finances, I guess my greatest strength is being able to maintain my composure during hard times. I am adaptable to change, and can make do with what I have. I tend not to freak out in situations where other people would be losing their minds. I never really think about it much, but now I can see how this is a strength of mine.

Maybe the reason the Temperance card never seems like that much of a big deal to me is because it just comes naturally to me, so it doesn't stand out at all.

So... this strength is something that I never really take the time to acknowledge. I just take it for granted.


2. How I can enhance this strength
Ten of Pentacles
Ah! See, I knew that flamingo made me think of finances for some reason! Here we have some more birds. A mother with her young. It looks to me like she is going to the market (or berry picking), with the basket draped over her arm. She stands tall and confident, secure in her surroundings. She is a model for her children to look up to. She is teaching them how to become successful adults.

This card shows me what I can do to enhance my strength of composure. I need to realize that I have three children who look to me to show them how it's possible to achieve one's heart's desires. I, myself, am still working on it. Every time I make the impossible happen, they see that. They realize that nothing is out of their reach. The Ten of Pentacles is sometimes about a legacy that you leave behind. I need to realize and appreciate the positive impact my strength of temperance has on my kids and the good things it is teaching them. Being aware of this will help to enhance this strength that I take for granted.


3. How I can apply it to a project
Eight of Chalices
The Eight of Cups has been coming up for me a lot lately, in my readings about moving. Here we have a yak. (Had to look that one up in the LWB!) He stands on a path which looks as if it just appeared out of nowhere. He is at the very beginning of this new journey, his back turned to the world he knows. The skulls he has placed as ornaments on his walking stick made me think that he has come out safely from situations that have killed others. He keeps the skulls as a reminder of his inner strength.

It is my desire to move to a place where I have never been before (something that I have done many times in the past). It will be a fresh new start for me, and this is just the beginning. I will need my I-don't-freak-out strength in order to make progress in the right direction. I'll need to be adaptable, which is something I am luckily comfortable with. Like the yak, I have been through things in life that would have made others shrivel into skeletons... yet I remain strong and positive, looking forward to the future!


4. What this strength brings me
The Magician
Ah, the wily fox. Master of illusion or skilled creator of reality? Is there really that much of a difference? He has his onlookers mesmerized by what he can do. Being composed and adaptable during unstable times allows me to create positive outcomes to uncertain situations. I can manipulate events by not allowing bad situations to get the best of me or overcome me. When I maintain my inner peace and harmony, I can steer the course of events in a positive direction. By living and breathing Temperance, I have the natural creative ability of the Magician. Both Temperance and the Magician are masters of alchemy... as apparently am I!


This was a good spread... it definitely opened my eyes and made me feel stronger!

Deck: Tarot of the Animal Lords by Lo Scarabeo

Tea Leaf Fortune Cards - Weekly Reading

Update on last week's reading:

Basket: Recognition. Reward for merit.
Box: You will receive a gift.
Needle & Thread: A sincere wish will be granted.

These cards ended up being about my youngest daughter. She has been attempting to reach a certain goal for awhile now, and this week she has made such great leaps forward that she has almost completely accomplished her goal! I had promised her a reward (Basket) when she reached her goal, and she will soon receive it (Box). The Needle & Thread card refers to her great wish finally being granted! These cards were right on, though as often happens, it worked out in an unexpected manner.

This week's reading (click on image to enlarge):



Carrot: Opportunity or windfall.
Unicorn: Use your intuition to make beneficial changes.
Bird-Flying: News is on the way.

Another windfall card! My Tea Leaf cards two weeks ago promised a windfall also (with a different card). (Come on, Universe... throw a nice cash windfall my way, would ya?) Maybe the Bird-Flying card indicates my receiving news of a windfall happening to someone I know. Wouldn't that just figure? The Unicorn urges me to use my intuition to make beneficial changes.

Looking to the book for further details...

Carrot: Lucky is the querist who chooses this card. (That would be ME!) It represents an opportunity or windfall that will be given to you with little or no effort on your part. (I like that!)

Unicorn: This symbol advises you to put your psychic powers to work.

Bird-Flying: This symbol indicates that the querist will soon be receiving news or a package or a letter. (Whether the news is good or bad is to be found out by the surrounding cards. Falling with the windfall card, I'd say it's good news.)

I'm expecting several packages in the mail next week, so maybe everything will arrive all at once. That would be a windfall. But that's rather anti-climactic. Maybe I will use my Unicorn mind power to conjure up a more exciting outcome to these cards this week!

Deck: Tea Leaf Fortune Cards

Hand Painted Tarot Necklaces!

Tarot and necklaces... two of my favorite things. When they come together in an artsy way, I'm one happy camper! I am the proud owner of not one, but two gorgeous, hand-painted tarot necklaces created by the lovely Hannah of Hannah Handpainted. I had to write a post about them and share them with y'all because I just love, love, love them!

When I received the pendants, the first thing I thought was that the photos I had seen online did not do them justice (as will be the case with this post, as opposed to how they really look in person). The coloring of the paint is so vibrant, they literally radiate beauty! Her attention to detail is amazing.

The pendants are hand painted on cuts of wood (approximately 1" x 1 3/4") that Hannah's husband cuts out for her. They are finished with a thin layer of sealant to protect the image, but it retains the feeling of a painting. There isn't that shiny, plastic-y varnish on it, so it has more of an authentic and precious feel to it.

The tarot necklaces are a great conversation piece, as every time I wear one, I receive glowing compliments. I wear the Ace of Cups pendant when I'm in a joyful, loving mood. And I bring out the Ace of Swords necklace on days when I feel like I need more clarity, strength, or personal power. They're wonderful little amulets to help remind you of your desired focus.

Hannah creates a variety of different products such as necklaces, pins, hair clips, mirrors, paintings and various home decor items. You name it, she paints it! And she makes custom pieces! She's transitioning to her own website, but in the meantime you can browse sample artwork and products on her blog, and from there you can contact her for a custom order. Have a favorite tarot card that you'd love to wear as a pendant? Hannah will be happy to create a one-of-a-kind piece just for you! Since each item is hand-painted, no two will be the same, so you get a unique design that no one else will own!

And on a personal note, you'll be hard pressed to find better customer service anywhere! Hannah is so friendly and sweet and committed to customer satisfaction. She's a beautiful person, and an utter joy to know! Please give her a visit and support her artistic passion! You can also check out some of her gorgeous ready-made (non-tarot) pendants available for sale online at Hip Mountain Mama!


(The two close-up photographs of the pendants are property of Hannah Handpainted. Please respect her rights by not using her images without permission. Thanks!)