Birth Cards Archives < Arwen, Professional Joy Seeker

Books, Cards + Tattoos

Books, Cards + Tattoos…

So today’s card is a book. I know, right? That’s kind of cheating, isn’t it? Well not really since I never promised you a card garden.

EAR WORM

Yes, yes. I am in a silly mood. Part of that is because I taught a class today (Sunday) which always revs me up. I love teaching.

We were working with Bonnie Cehovet’s Tarot, Birth Cards and You. It’s an excellent discussion of the concept of Birth Cards.

I asked Bonnie for some ideas on what to offer in this Meetup class. She was, as always, completely generous with her time and knowledge. I took her ideas and added a few of my own.

I encourage you to work with Bonnie’s book if you are interested in this concept.

For our class we determined our own birthcards (mine are pictured in the tattoo you see on this post–art work and tattoo by Dirk Mellot of Epiphany Tattoo, Aurora, Colorado). Then we did a brief guided meditation followed by activities that included writing an affirmation and doing a reading.

The spread we used was designed by me. I wanted to share it with you as well. Based on Bonnie’s book, I wanted to explore the concept of the theme as represented by the Birth Cards.

HOW CAN I MANIFEST MY LIFE’S THEME

Shuffle entire deck. Draw three cards.

1. How can I manifest the energy of this theme in my life?

2. What stands in my way?

3. What strengthens me on this journey?

We paired off and read for each other. So person A put their birth cards out and person B used their own deck to shuffle and draw and read for person A. It went very well. Our Meetup has folks who’ve read for 30 years and those who haven’t even bought their first Tarot deck. I love this mix of energy.

So for today’s journal prompt, even if you don’t know your own birth cards, let’s use this.

“How can I manifest my life’s theme?”

If you do use this spread, I’d love to know the results. If you want me to do this reading with you (including finding your birth cards and life’s them), book a half hour reading with me. I’d love to have a Tarot conversation with you.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Oh Shit! What Have I Done?

Today’s card isn’t a card. It’s me showing off some new Tarot art that I picked up this weekend. The artist is Dirk Mellot of Epiphany Tattoos in Aurora, CO. No, I wasn’t in Colorado this weekend. Dirk was one of the invited artist for the Body Art Expo here in Austin. I’ve been friends with his wife for a while now so it was a prime opportunity to see him. And I decided to get a tattoo while he was here.

Dirk asked me to name two to three cards so I went with my birth cards. You can learn more about yours reading Bonnie Cehovet’s excellent book Tarot, Birth Cards, and You: Keys to Empowering Yourself (Schiffer, 2011) [aff}. Mine are the one triad. Interestingly, my best friend shares the same birth card combination.

Sitting for this was not easy. It is a large piece and the largest I have. I would love to say that I tranced out going on a beautiful metaphysical journey.

That would be a big fat lie.

It hurt. Not as bad as others because Dirk really does have a light hand, but by the end of the three hour session, I was ready to bounce off the table. 😀 I did laugh like a loon for parts of it–endorphin rush. And had to catch a pedi-cab to find where I parked my car. 🙂 Seriously.

Then when I got home, I ate, walked the dogs and crashed for about twelve hours. But I’m so glad I did this. It’s on my outer calf (right side) so anyone who sees it will know Tarot is important to me. I love that the cards are Dirk’s interpretations. The Magician is captured beautifully for me. I forgot to ask him if he meant to represent the Heiros Gamos that way.

Tattoos are one of those decisions you can’t go back on. Once the first line is laid down, you kind of have to let the artist finish. I had a serious OH SHIT moment walking the dogs this morning because this really is a large piece. I guess you could say it is a signature tattoo. It’s mine and there won’t be another like it ever. I had to wrap my mind around the fact that I just put a large “I’m different” stamp on my body where everyone could see it.

What about you? Ever make a decision that couldn’t be revoked? How did you handle that? Did you have any “oh shit what have I done” moments? How did you work through those?

In this life we are given, there will always be those “oh shit what have I done” times. The key is understanding that what’s done is done. Now you move forward.

Luckily for me, I get to move forward with a really impressive tattoo representing me and my love for the art of Tarot. No more oh shit. Just a lot of leg gazing. 😀

Birth Cards Tattoo by Dirk Mellot of Epiphany Tattoo (Auroro, CO), July 27, 2013, photo by J. Mellot

Birth, Cards & Bonnies

Yep, it’s Friday and I’m still missing in action but I can guarantee I’m smiling where I am! Here’s my chat with author, Bonnie Cehovet.

I had the chance to interview Bonnie about her new book, Tarot Birth Cards And You, as well as life in general. Leave a question or comment for Bonnie to be entered to win a copy of her new book, Tarot Birth Cards and You.

Did I mention Bonnie has a new book? Okay! I’ll stop!

Read the interview.

Pssst, that contest is over. Sorry. 😀

Chatting With Bonnie Cehovet

Did I mention Bonnie has a new book? Okay! I’ll stop!

Arwen Your book highlights a threefold process for working with the birth cards. What inspired you to develop this approach?

Bonnie I never really thought of this as a process. What I wanted to do was Continue reading “Chatting With Bonnie Cehovet”

REVIEW: Tarot Birth Cards And You

Tarot Birth Cards & You by Bonnie Cehovet

Schiffer Publishing LTD

978-0-7643-3902-8

Bonnie Cehovet is someone I know and adore. I want to be clear and upfront about that. I am fair when I review a book. I try to take personal admiration out of the formula. Sadly, that was nearly impossible with this book. I loved so very much about it that this will sound like a “BUY THIS BOOK NOW” review.

So if you want to cut to the chase, click here to buy this book now. 🙂

Let me start with the cons. Continue reading “REVIEW: Tarot Birth Cards And You”