2013 Create Your Incredible Year Archives < Page 2 of 4

Who Will You Nurture?

The curtain is drawn back slightly to show the wall behind. I see this as an allegory for the softness of a woman’s outer self but the sheer mass of her internal “no, I am not a pushover.”

Today’s card is from an older deck that I truly love. It’s being re-released this year which makes me happy. This card reminds me that it is okay to pamper myself. It is okay to choose to live in beauty. I am to remind myself that I live in abundance.

Here the lovely Empress from the Chinese Tarot by Jui Guoliang (U.S. Games 1988) strikes a classic pose to indicate the fragility and strength of a woman. She holds a lotus blossom for enlightenment while her head is decorated in an Imperial style. I believe that the headpiece is a dragon for luck.

The curtain is drawn back slightly to show the wall behind. I see this as an allegory for the softness of a woman’s outer self but the sheer mass of her internal “no, I am not a pushover.”

I’ve long been fascinated with ancient Chinese history. Well any of the Asian cultures but China most of all. I devoured the Pearl S. Buck books. Weirdly, they felt familiar to me when I read them. Past life? I don’t know. Perhaps.

What I do know is that the bird on the curtain is the Chinese Golden Pheasant which is representative of the phoenix.

Take this woman down if you will.
Destroy her.
Strip her of everything she has.

She.
Will.
Rise.
Again.

It’s that simple. Nothing can keep you down. You are strong even if you feel fragile. Nurture yourself. Pamper yourself. Surround yourself with beauty. Invite only loving, supportive friends to your world. (Remember that sometimes love and support comes in the form of a gentle boot to the butt.)

Just for today, make three minutes about pampering you. Can you commit to 180 seconds of nurturing you? What will that look like?

You may know that I am in a contest. I don’t know where I stand. I was in 4th place last time I looked. I want to win this.

So, I am offering you a free reading if you buy by 12pm Pacific Standard tonight. Here are the details.

Empress, Chinese Tarot, US Games

Seek Joy, Y’all! Pass it on.

Tarotscopes 1/27-2/2/2013

Want a free reading from Arwen? Here’s how to get yours. Sunday January 27th and Monday January 28th only!

AQ Death Don’t flinch! This is a great card asking U to shed things. Let go of what/who isn’t fueling U. Move on to better.
PIC Temp All energy simply is. What U make of it is important. What are U putting out? That’s what U are getting back. Balanced?
ARI Justice Protecting what’s yrs isn’t wrong as long as U understand U are simply the guardian not the owner. Be at peace.
TAU 7Earth What seeds are U planning/planting? Nurture yrslf. Water yr dreams w/ joyful tears. Radiate yr hopeful heart. Grow, baby.
GEM 1Wtr U only grow as big as yr heart. Open up. Trust the deep water. Trust yrslf. Love yrslf first/foremost. Swim out, darling.
CAN 7Fire Make it happen. Focus yr intent like fire in a forge. U will have to change things to create things. U’ll be okay. Focus.
LEO 3Fire Annnnnnnnnnd GO. That’s it. Just go. Get started. Stop waiting. Show them how fabulous U are. Make them notice U. Roar 😀
VIR 6Earth Community projects bring big rewards. Get involved. Time/energy payments bring abundance. Like the free section on CL!
LIB ChEarth Hard work pays off. Allow yrslf time to be curious. Explore surroundings. Job opportunity possible. Family joys.
SCO Emperor Good planning is in the details.Don’t skip the minutia this wk. Follow yr own rules. Boundaries may need reestablishing.
SAG 2Air Shhh. Time to talk is not now. U will gain more from silence. Listen w/ yr soul. Pay attention to signs. Important info.
CAP Lovers Partnerships may need attention. Seek support from those U know love U. Don’t waste energy on others. Make this intimate.

How Do You Get Turned On?

This card represents that force in us all when we get TURNED ON and TUNED IN to our lives–when we are truly connected to our soul. How do you make that connection?

Today’s card is from a very interesting deck. It is a group artist effort that was produced in the 80’s. It’s full of feminist energies and images because it is one of the first (and perhaps only) lesbian designed Tarot decks. One of the unique things about this deck is that it is round.

I pulled the Ace of Wands this morning and had to laugh. I’d been on my iPhone pulling daily cards and had gotten the Queen of Wands not once but twice. So no surprise to me to see another Wand. With all the fire energy I’m pulling due to my word of the year, it’s going to happen.

Look at this card. Baby leaping out of the egg. Joy happening. The child is the spark. She is the fuel feeding all of that energy surrounding her. It’s not feeding her. She’s not seeking sustenance. She is sustenance. She is energy.

This card represents that force in us all when we get TURNED ON and TUNED IN to our lives–when we are truly connected to our soul. How do you make that connection?

A blogger I love, Jodi Chapman, talked about her soul-connecting playlist. While I’m not much of a music person (I prefer silence), I do have some songs that just reconnect me.

One of those is a new one on a very recently released album by Anna Fritz. It is the title track and was the thing that hooked me into participating in her fundraiser. The Gospel of Tree Bark moves me in ways I can’t explain. I sometimes listen to it when I just need to get back to myself.

What about you? How do you reconnect with yourself when you feel disconnected? Is it music? Art? Literature? Nature? What reconnects you?

Ace of Fire, Daughters of the Moon (color), Ffiona Morgan 1981

YAY! I just found out that they’ve brought the B&W version back! 😀

Seek Joy, Y’all! Pass it on!

Want to work on your own word of the year? Join me in working with Leonie Dawson’s 2013 Incredible Year Workbook+Planner.

How Do You Walk Your Path?

Each path is the same distance apart. From this angle some paths are closer to Enlightenment than others. But if we change our perspective…if we look at it from someone else’s side, those distances will shift, won’t they.

Today’s card is such an unusual version. My normal stock starting interpretation works, but there are other places to go with this one.

Traditionally the Wheel of Fortune is the card of opportunity and the card of fate. The idea is that the wheel turns regardless. It’s up to us to grab the right section. And the Gods know I’ve grabbed the wrong one more than a time or two.

What I love about this Wheel is that the woman is not only blindfolded but also on a ship. Is she coming or going? Is she the figurehead of the boat? Is her sight not important here?

The lotus in the center of the wheel is a lovely representation of Enlightenment. Eight spokes lead in…or do they lead out? The sparkling night sky lies beneath.

So many paths to Enlightenment. None are wrong as long as you are going towards Enlightenment and not away. Why am I capitalizing Enlightenment? I don’t know. It just feels right. Maybe in this post, for today, Enlightenment is God.

How you reach Enlightenment is not important to me. That you do reach it is. The how of it is one of those “not in my hula hoop” pieces. The why of it answers why I think we should always “Seek Joy, Y’all.”

Joy brings awareness of my place in the Wheel. That place is next to my Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Pagan, you-name-it co-seeker.

My place is not on the outer edge shaking my finger at those who don’t know the beauty of the Goddess and the God. It isn’t sitting online chastising those who can’t see the Eightfold Mysteries. It certainly isn’t dissing how someone else lives their spiritual life. (Caveat: hurting others isn’t spiritual and no Deity is down with that. I know that in my bones.)

So come walk the Wheel of Fortune with me. You take your path. I’ll take mine. We’ll meet in the middle. Who knows. Maybe the Wheel will turn and I will walk your path with you or you with me.

All I do know is that I am glad you are here reading this. I am glad you have reached me today. May your personal path be blessed with joy and gladness. May you attain Enlightenment however that looks like on your personal walk through this life.

I’d love to hear how you are walking your personal path today.

The Wheel Of Fortune, Mary-El Tarot, Schiffer 2012

Seek Joy, Y’all! Pass it on.

One week left to get your . Still holding out? Why? It’s just a tool to help you on your personal path. 😀

Why Pick A Word For The Year?

You may have heard of the trend in the past years to pick a word for the year rather than setting resolutions.

Resolutions seem, to me, to be invitations to fail.

Today’s card is not a card but a word. It’s a word that I associate with a card (a few truth be told.) You may have heard of the trend in the past years to pick a word for the year rather than setting resolutions.

Resolutions seem, to me, to be invitations to fail. Words of power or sacred words or words of intention are different. By setting up a word, you are actively calling in that energy.

Some words I’ve seen are:

Peace
Gratitude
Abundance
Limitless
Strength

My word is “galvanize” which took me quite a bit to really settle on. I thought it would be Joy or Love or Happy, really. Or maybe Connect. Connect was a strong contender in this decision making process.

But I hit galvanize and realized that I’d been saing it off and on for a while. I looked it up to make sure I knew what it meant. (Ask me about the time I referred to a convocation of professors as a noisome jungle…)

Galvanize, verb
1. to stimulate by or as if by a galvanic current.
2. Medicine/Medical . to stimulate or treat (muscles or nerves) with induced direct current ( distinguished from faradize ).
3. to startle into sudden activity; stimulate.
4. to coat (metal, especially iron or steel) with zinc.

So of those four possibilities, only one was “off the list”, so to speak. I really don’t think I need to coat myself with zinc. 😐

But the rest? Oh yes, baby! The rest sang to me. I love number three…to startle into sudden activity.

You know I’ve been yammering on about the Leonie Dawson workbook+planner. Well y’all, that’s what startle me into sudden activity. It stimulated me on a spiritual level as well as physical.

I was firing on all cylinders, y’all.

If you want to check this workbook out, go here. Yes, I talk about it all the time. Yes, I make money if you buy a copy.

But yes, it really is that good. I never get evangelistic like this but this darn thing has really helped me.

It’s not about “thinking yourself rich”. It’s not about avoiding the reality that sometimes life just sucks.

It’s about how to set yourself up to be incredible and to really make amazing things happen.

It’s that good for me. I hope you will take advantage of this. And there’s no time limit on when you can start it. So no worries there. It’s never too late to start.

So the graphic today is from the workbook. I wrote my word in the existing form. Then I snapped a shot with Instagram and posted it.

Galvanize!

Seek Joy, Y’all! Pass it on.

Zentangle, Arwen Lynch, 2013

Tarotscopes for 1/20-1/26/2013

Here are this week’s Tarotscopes. What are you going to do to make it a joyful week? Want some freebies to help you along?

Here are this week’s Tarotscopes. If you like your daily horoscope, check out these weekly ones. What are you going to do to make it a joyful week?

AQUARIUS ExAir Time to go higher. Communication will carry yr message IF U don’t delay. Make this happen. Connect w/ those who listen.
PISCES 9Earth Take time to understand how much u’ve accomplished. Celebrate goals reached. Plant new seeds. U are so blessed.
ARIES Lightning Don’t be surprised if U get opened up spiritually this wk. Something big is moving in. Hang on tight. Ride it out.
TAURUS Temperance Weigh everything out. Be moderate in yr approach. Don’t overwhelm or be overwhelmed. Not a wk for HUGE actions.
GEMINI 8Air Who teaches U? Who do U teach? Going back to school? Do it! Just taking a refresher course will open up yr world.
CANCER 5F Don’t let yr temper win. Someone may be pushing yr buttons hard. Their drama is NOT in yr hula hoop. Seek joy by walking away.
LEO 8A Good wk for group work. Engage those who love like U. Involve like minds to dream big + start the work.Called to do more.
VIRGO 10W Baby love, my baby love! It’s all about relationships. Revisit old ones to learn how to navigate new ones. How do you love?
LIBRA 6F Time to shine. U will stand out in a good way if U remember to focus on being yrslf. Dance for yrslf. Celebrate victories.
SCORPIO Hermit Take some time out. Retreat from the world necessary to recharge. Allow yrslf time to study. Get outside if U can.
SAGITTARIUS GrAir Nurture conversation by listening. Find silence w/i U. Allow messages to arrive. Don’t cut them off. Let them be delivered.
CAPRICORN 3W Find time to play. Hard work is helped when U take regular breaks. Don’t be a superhero. Play. Laugh. Live. Create.

Hope your week is amazing, incredible and filled with pockets of You time! Remember that if you want a tarot reading, you can contact me to set that up.

Gaian Tarot, Llewellyn Publishing, 2011

Seek Joy, Y’all! Pass it on!

Criticism, Possibilities + Love

How critical are you of others? Can you say the same of yourself? Are you gentle with yourself? Do you understand why that it is important?

Today’s card is one of my mandala/tangles. I learned how to draw a mandala only recently. It is full of beautiful possibilities. But sometimes, when I look at it very closely, I wonder how I ever thought I could pretend to make art.

And then I remember this quote by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr.:

We expect more of ourselves than we have any right to.

It was in my Daily Wisdom newsletter today from Lissa Coffey. And it made me remember that I’ve promised not to be so critical of the people I love–including myself.

How critical are you of others? Can you say the same of yourself? Are you gentle with yourself? Do you understand why that it is important?

Consider verbal abuse. Too many of us have had first hand experience with this. I was very lucky to have a mother who was NOT verbally abusive. Oh, she was critical in some ways but never in a way that caused me damage. My verbal (and physical) abuser was one of my first lovers. She was extremely cruel.

I left that relationship with a lot of baggage. And I had learned to think of myself in horrible ways. It wasn’t anything for me to think of myself as fat or stupid or lazy. Yep, she did a number on me that took a lot of work to move away from.

Sometimes I drift back there in times of extreme stress. But, smile, not so much these days. I’ve learned that I must be as forgiving with myself as I am with others. I must proffer the same kindness to me as I do to others.

Do you expect more of yourself than you have any right to? Do you understand that you must speak to yourself as you would have others speak to you? Yep, the Golden Rule reversed. You must do unto yourself as you would do unto others.

You wouldn’t tell a friend that their love left them because they were fat or stupid would you? Why do that to yourself?

You wouldn’t tell a child they failed a test because they were lazy would you? Why do that to yourself?

Practice being nice to you. It will make you better at being nice to others.

Now about my mandala? I think it’s fabulous. And I would have never even DREAMED of trying it before getting involved in two online circles. The Gaian Circle and the Goddess Circle.

Sample a bit of the positivity of the Goddess Circle by . It’s changing a lot of lives right now.

Rumi, Goals + Steps

Will I achieve all my goals this year? Well, most likely not but I will achieve far more of them this time than last year. That’s a definite.

Today’s card is from a deck I just adore. There’s a part of me that yearns to relive my life that I must have lived in the Orient. I am so drawn to all things of this nature. I don’t know what it is.

Do you have a place that does that? A time or area of history that just calls to you? I do. I have two. One is Elizabethan England (and I have a past life memory of that that is hysterical and SOOOO not what I expected!) The other is China. I’m not as sure of the era as I haven’t done work there.

Grin. I know one or two of you rolled your eyes at me just now. Past life? Really?

Yes, really.

But what I want to address in this post is the Knight of Swords energy. The Rumi quote

“May God give you prosperity: then you will have already achieved your aim.”

is a bit of strange one. What does our mental guy have to do with prosperity? Isn’t that the Knight of Coins purview? Well maybe it is, but then again if the Knight of Swords keeps his thoughts on his aim, he will gain more than even the most studious of Coin armored guys.

Why?

Because he can see where he is going. He is focused. He has aims. He has achievable steps to reach his goal. That’s something I’m seeing so much on blogs right now. Everyone is interested in telling you (selling you) their way of achieving goals. Hell, even I’m doing that with my constant mention of this which really is all that…

BUT

What is at the core of any of this–mine, hers, his, theirs, yours?

Your individual dedication to your individual goals. Have you written them down? Have you listed the steps you need to take to get them?

I have (because of that ) and one is already in the bag. Another from last year was put on the back burner because I didn’t think I could do it. I wasn’t convinced enough in my own aim to write it down with actionable steps. So it kind of floated into nothingness.

I have to put that back on my list. With steps to achieve that goal.

Will I achieve all my goals this year? Well, most likely not but I will achieve far more of them this time than last year. That’s a definite.

So what goals will you write down? How many steps will each take? Dream big, darlings. Dream big. I’ll be telling you soon about my first big goal that has come to be already. Promise.

Knight of Swords, Guide to the Rumi Tarot, Llewellyn, 2009

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Frowns, Situations & Health

And I’m here to tell you that it works. It WORKS, y’all. I had a goal. I knew what steps I needed to take towards it. I took the first step and BOOM, that goal is now ticked off on my list.

Today’s card reminds me that business must be attended to. This time of year finds many of us doing the day-to-day of gathering receipts, checking last year’s revenues, preparing for our taxes. When I drew this card from the adorable Whimsical Tarot (Dorothy Morrison and Mary Hanson-Roberts), I frowned.

Yes, frowned. I mean who wants to talk about business like this? Counting. Stacking. Evaluating.

But the Page of Pentacles knows that if you don’t do this, things pile up. Things get out of hand. He, or she, is the slow, steady type. The one you can depend on. That part of ourselves that does what has to be done.

I’m in a situation like that now. Not about money, but about another area that this suit rules. That’s physical health. I have a toothache.

No. That’s not exactly right.

I HAVE A FREAKING PAIN IN MY MOUTH THAT IS TAKING OVER MY LIFE.

Yeah, that’s more like it. I left work yesterday to go to an emergency dental appointment. I left that appointment with words I didn’t want to hear. Extraction. Times four.

Sigh. I have bad teeth and don’t take care of them on a good day. My confession for 2013. 😀 I am going to lose teeth because of this. My Page of Pentacles self is shaking a finger at me reminding me of what I should have done.

Should’ve.
Would’ve.
Could’ve.

The dentist tells me that my diabetes probably contributed to this. I’m working on forgiving myself today. I mean I can’t dial back 30 years and fix this. 😀 So I can either beat myself up for it OR I can address it and move forward.

Slow and steady. This is also addressed in that I’m in love with.

WHAT? You didn’t think I wouldn’t mention that, did you? 😀 The business version is rocking my world. It focuses on the steps to take to be successful. It isn’t all “pie in the sky” telling you all you have to do is use affirmations.

Nope. This is about dreams + plans of action + actionable steps + check lists + to-do books.

And I’m here to tell you that it works. It WORKS, y’all. I had a goal. I knew what steps I needed to take towards it. I took the first step and BOOM, that goal is now ticked off on my list.

CHECKED!
DONE!
FINITO!
In the bag, baby.

So I want you to get this You can get either version for $9.95 or both for $14.95. I have both. I’m finding both invaluable for different reasons.

Because I want you to get this, I’m sweetening the pot with a free eBook. This is the eBook that is currently being illustrated by….no, not yet. I can’t tell you yet. I want to tease a bit more! But you will get the unillustrated version AND the illustrated version once it’s ready. Free. Because I love you and want you to have this magical . That’s right. Love. You.

So what will it take for you to join me on this quest to make 2013 an incredible year? to get this party started.

Page of Pentacles, Whimsical Tarot, US Games, 2000

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

P. to the S. My tooth hurts less after making this confession. Maybe that energy needed to be released, eh?

Sparks, Exhaustion & Goals

Today’s card reminds me what happens when things get lit up. When you put so much energy into something, it can go one of two ways. You are exhausted. OR. You are energized. Everything seems pale and out-of-focus. OR. Everything seems to gain speed snowballing into a juggernaut of intention.

Here is the Seven of Disks from the Mary-El Tarot (Marie L. White, Schiffer Books, 2012). Raw energy at the bottom propels seven disks upward. They send light to the sun above or the sun above sends to them. Hard to say. What I do know is that the color of the flames is telling.

The hotter the flame the paler the color. White-hot heat shimmers in the blue flames sending the disks shooting upward. This card gets me hot. 😀

Sorry. This card excites me.

No, no…that’s still sexual.

Oh what the heck! This is about passion. This is about urges. This is about wanting to sink your teeth into something and not let go.

What has you by the throat right now? What are you so excited about that you shimmer just thinking about it? What sparks you? What galvanizes you?

Y’all know what it is for me, right? This darned workbook+planner that I cannot stop talking about. Yes, I’m an affiliate so I make money from sales. No, I wouldn’t be so over-the-top thrilled with this if it wasn’t truly making a difference in my life. That’s not how I roll. Authenticity isn’t an easy lifestyle, but it’s the only one for me.

I mentioned yesterday about a goal already being hit, right? I wouldn’t have even thought about that without the amazing releasing ceremony.

I know right? How did a releasing ceremony push me into goals for 2013? Weird but true.

That goal was to get a fabulous illustrator for my Fairy Tales Tarot Spreads eBook. You can get the non-illustrated for free by purchasing this workbook+planner via . Then when the illustrated version is released for sale, you can get it for free too. What’s not to love?

Get sparking, y’all.

Seven of Disks, The Mary-el Tarot, Schiffer Books 2012

Seek Joy, Y’all. Pass it on!