aces Archives < Arwen, Professional Joy Seeker

Make ‘Em Laugh! Make ‘Em Laugh!

Today’s card is from the Moon Princess Himiko Tarot. This is an unusually lovely Ace of Wands. This deck is a really mixed bag for me. Only the courts, the aces and the Majors have scenic interpretations. All the rest follow the Marseilles tradition of non-scenic minors. I prefer the scenic.

I woke up laughing this morning. I was remembering a scene from a movie I watched last night. I didn’t watch the whole thing…I just wanted to watch to that particular scene. It’s from the first Kung Fu Panda where Mantis is doing acupuncture on Po. During an intense scene with Tigress, Po suddenly pulls a funny face which totally pisses Tigress off. She’s going to fight him but Mantis interrupts to say what has happened.

It never fails to make me laugh until I cry.

And isn’t that a great feeling? When is the last time you had that in your life? Too long? Well make it happen. Read a book you know will make you laugh. Watch a show that causes you to hoot.

Don’t depend on others for your laughter, darlings. Make it happen for yourself.

Did you know you can watch some old faves for free? Sign up for the 30 day free trial with Amazon Prime today! [aff] If you use that link, you help me. And you cancel after 30. I am a Prime member and love it. I just watched the Avengers last weekend. Didn’t cost me a dime. My Prime membership pays for itself in the free shipping savings. 😀

Now astrologically we have what is called a Grand Water Trine. This is big according to the astrologers I know (and the ones I follow.) I read the write up on Tarot.com. This line really caught my eye.

“If you embrace the positive energy and heightened intuition of this rare planetary alignment, it could lead to emotional breakthroughs!”

Well, heck. I’m in. Are you?

Your 180 second challenge today? Take three minutes to write about what emotional breakthrough you would like to happen.

Oh, darlings? This isn’t about someone else’s emotional breakthrough. It’s about yours so keep it focused on you.

Ace of Wands, Moon Princess Himiko Tarot, OOP

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Celebrate What You Don’t Have?

Today’s card reminds me that my attitude can absolutely affect my pocketbook. I drew two cards at random from Roxi Sim’s gorgeous, colorful Pearls of Wisdom Tarot. I meant to pull one, but two insisted on coming out so two is what I’m working with.

I was struck by the differences in these two cards. In the Ace, she is celebrating all the things abundance CAN bring. Not has. Can. This is a card of potential, you see. It’s the beginning of what money can do. And not just money, but for this post, I’m going to stick with that.

Then move your eyes to the next card. Dying plants in the upper corners. A waning moon in the sky. A dark closed in room where two people fail to appreciate what they do have as they mourn what they don’t.

Look at these cards again. In the Ace, all of the things are in the border. They aren’t hers yet. They aren’t real. They are in the works. They are possibilities. Her face is open. She is smiling. She is reaching up to the pentacle above her head knowing that the light flowing from both sides is her path to prosperity. All she has to do is walk it and believe in it.

The Five of Pentacles is so different. There’s food on the table (pears). There’s beautiful flowers (daisies). There’s even money and jewelery. He even has a pearl earring!

But there’s no joy.

Why is that? Is this card the “keeping up with the Joneses” card? I mean they both have clothes and a roof over their head. Sure, the candle is nearly out. The pearls show some missing so maybe they had to be spent? The money bags are nearly empty. But they are so closed off in this image. What can flow in or out when they are so closed?

I have this in my own life sometimes, don’t you? Days where I look at my bills in comparison to my bank account. Days where I wonder how I will make it to work because the E on my gas gauge looks like a T-Rex ready to take me down.

I have to go back to a saying a learned from my friend, Ruth Glendinning.

I walk in abundance.

Abundance isn’t necessarily cash in hand, darlings. It’s just having enough of what i need with some left over to share. And I do share. I give where I can including folks standing on the corner. No, I don’t want to get in a discussion about whether or not they “deserve” my help. Everyone deserves help–from Bill Gates on down. What that help looks like may vary of course. GRIN!

So here’s a challenge for you today. Take three minutes. Yes, 180 precious seconds of your day. Make a list of what you have. Not of what you want. Of what you have.

Food in the fridge?
Pets on the couch?
Books to read?
A TV to watch?
A computer to read this on?
Friends who make you laugh?

You feel me? Make a list of what you have. Call it “My Abundance List” and add to it every day. You will be surprised how abundant you can feel when you realize you have a toilet bowl plunger when you need one. 😀

Seek joy, y’all. Walk in abundance. Pass it on.

Ace of Pentacles and Five of Pentacles, Pearls of Wisdom Tarot, Roxi Sim

Housecleaning Is The Goal???

Today’s card is a fun version from the Housewives Tarot. It makes me wrinkle my nose and think, “But I don’ wanna do it.” I mean I know there are those that enjoy cleaning house. I’m not one of them. 😀

But what catches my eye in this is not the feather duster, but the background. Do you see it? It may be too small in this picture. The background is a blueprint. You see the 10×15 kitchen, the 10×15 master and more. There’s even landscaping sketched in.

Ah yes, the perfect Ace of Wands reminder. What you do in the here and now should be geared towards what you want in the future.

And what do you want in the future? If your goals are limited to physical things/wants, I challenge you to broaden your search. Realize that your goals need to be less “lose 50 pounds and find a partner” and more “wake up happy every day.”

Because while one is completely doable, the other will make the first an afterthought. Once you can wake up happy every day, you will be on the right track.

Wow, Arwen. You really wake up happy every day?

Hell to the no.

I wake up in pain and wondering if I can call out at work.
I wake up, smack the snooze and go back to sleep.

😀 I’m human.

But I reset my mind. I write a daily affirmation. I hold on to that. Do I lose it? Sure, I do.

But the secret to being a professional joy seeker?

I keep the goal in mind.

I seek joy so I can be the person I believe myself to be.

Seek joy, y’all! Pass it on.

Ace of Wands, Housewives Tarot, Quirk Books, 2004 [aff]

Oh, Get Filled!

Today’s card reminds me that too often I look for others to fill me up. I forget that the best judge of what I need is usually me.

I say usually because there are times when certain people can ask me if I’ve lost my damned mine or if I just think career suicide is the way to go.

That’s generally right after I’ve told them how I plan to tell someone off at work. 😐

Yeah, not a good thing.

Luckily where I work now is, for the most part, a great place. Like all jobs, it has those things (and people) I’d rather not have to deal with.

But let’s get back to that cup.

Is it completely empty or is it ready to be filled up?

For me, the Ace of Cups is a sign that my client is ready for emotional fulfillment. Someone is waiting for them to give them the signal.

How often have you needed a refill at a restaurant? Wasn’t it just natural to hold your glass up so someone would recognize your need?

How hard is it to hold your metaphorical glass up? How hard is it to know that glass will be filled?

More…how hard is it not to fill that cup with bitter wine (whine works too) dwelling on what you don’t have and what you can’t get and what isn’t falling into place.

Imagine the Universe is standing by with a pitcher of joy.

A full cup can’t be filled.

Don’t fill your cup with bitterness and negativity.

Stay open to the idea that joy is not just coming.

It’s here.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Ace of Cups, Housewives Tarot, Quirk 2004 [aff]

How Selfless Do You Have To Be?

Today’s card is from one of those decks that I don’t have but think I might like…just for the sake of curiosity, you know. It’s only 56 cards so I believe it to be only the minor arcana. A traditional Tarot deck has 78 cards with 22 of those being the Major Arcana.

I do love the message on this. “This card greatly improves the fortune of the cards around it.” How selfless is that? It isn’t focused on what it can get but rather how it can help those other poor little cards around it.

No, I’m not being sarcastic although it might sound like it. I think it’s a pretty cool setting to be on. Instead of the Gimme cycle or the How can I spin this for me cycle, we have a card that improves the fortunes of others.

The hand holding the pentagram is very Rider-Waite-Smith. I love fullness of the clouds around the wrist as well. Beneath that is the very traditional gateway of green and flowers symbolizing growth. Beyond is a mountain promising all sorts of good things.

For your 180 seconds today will you be a promoter of someone else? Will you step aside from your own spotlight to shine it on another? Who do you know that might deserve a shout out? Feel free to list them here and tell us why.

While we may not greatly improve their fortune, I’ll bet we can at least increase the attention they get. And who doesn’t love that? An unexpected pat on the back is especially sweet.

That’s all I’m asking of you today. Just three minutes telling someone else about someone else.

Ace of Pentacles, Zolar’s Astrological Tarot Deck, U.S. Games

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

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.

Who’s Going To Start A Fire Today?

Destruction in an Ace? But Arwen! Aces are seed energy. They are the promise of the suit. They are GOOD. Right? Right?

Today’s card is one of the ones that came up for me in a recent reading where I finally solidified my sacred word for 2013. I wasn’t surprised to see this card turn up on this random draw for today.

Fire-starter. That’s one thing I think of when I see the Ace of Wands. That can be a good thing. That can be a bad thing. As a water sign, I am a bit disinclined to be a big fire fan. All that heat. All that destruction.

Yeah, okay, so water can be destructive in its own right.

Destruction in an Ace? But Arwen! Aces are seed energy. They are the promise of the suit. They are GOOD. Right? Right?

Well, I hate to disappoint you but aces, to me, are neither good nor bad. They simply are. They can be good. Witness the growing tree giving a place for the blue bird to nest. They can be bad. See the fire in the background? If it gets out of hand, the bird, the tree and the bunny are all going to suffer.

But harnessed correctly, the Ace of Wands is the kind of fiery, passionate, dare I say it, spark of energy that can rejuvenate things. It’s a great card to show up around new projects or projects that need that last kick to sprint to the finish.

I love the smoke rising up from the flames. I’m reminded of the prayers that rise up in so many religious cultures–carried to that Higher Power. Faith is a beautiful thing.

What needs a spark in your life? What could use a little boot to the rear to get you over that last hump or out of that sagging middle?

Take a lesson with the Ace of Wands today and go for it. Passion can carry you forward when nothing else will. Be passionate, darlings. Be alive.

This is from Elizabeth Hazel’s Whispering Path Tarot. It’s self-published charmer that I adore. Good for small hands and a very lovely deck.

Ace of Wands, Whispering Path Tarot, Elizabeth Hazel

Seek Joy,Y’all! Pass it on.

Tarotscopes 1/13-1/19/2013

Here are this week’s Tarotscopes.

Do you love Tarot spreads? Want my eBook of Fairy Tale Tarot Spreads? Just purchase any of these workbooks — (solo is 9.97 and duo is $17.90) You can ignore the popup for the free blogging+biz thing if you like.

Once you have the workbook, let me know. I’ll send you the link to download my eBook. It is currently being illustrated by a well known Tarot artist and you will get that version free as well.

If you just want the eBook of spreads, you will have to wait until it is up for sale. I expect that to be in February.

Deck used today is the Efflorescent Tarot (black and white version).
——————————————————————

AQ World Feeling awkward? Naked? Don’t. U have so much power. People are in yr corner. Connect/network. Spread yr world view!
PIC Star Yr star ascends. Nurture what grows AND what seems to not grow. Both will prosper if you do. Sparkle, darling.
ARI 9Sw Turn yr face from the wall, Medea. Live, Agnes, LIVE! Huddling away won’t stop the nightmares. Let in some light, honey.
TAU 5S If they refuse to fill their mind w/ joy, then U must let them go. Hard, but it’s for yr own happiness. Walk on.
GEM 1Sw By cutting away the weeds in yr mind, U can achieve clarity. Do try to grab the handle & not the pointy end this time.
CAN 9C Make a wish, then act on it. Wishing is great, but steps to get there work. Set huge goals w/ achievable steps this week.
LEO 5C U are wasting time!. Stop worrying about what’s gone. Focus on what U have. Don’t let that evaporate while U aren’t looking.
VIR 1C What grows from yr loving heart? U are a vessel for joy. Catch it. Drink it. Share it. Allow this expansion. It’s good.
LIB Hermit Time to head into yr quiet spaces. Learning self is the key to everything. Follow yr own star. Not a great wk for company.
SCO Emperor Rule yrslf 1st. Rein in passion. Rethink aggression. Self-control is true leadership. Focus on yr family.
SAG 1W Focus on growth for exponential expansion. U really could take over the world if U get it in gear. Seize the day, darling.
CAP Sun Look up. Share the warmth. Surround yrslf w/ beauty. Find others who feel the same. Don’t waste time w/ negativity.

And if you are feeling completely disconnected from your true, beautiful self, consider taking ! Find your true purpose and reconnect with your soul.

Fire, Missiles & Seeeekrits

But I let that go as I sat there on the bed. I wanted to be open to the message of the Universe. I laughed out loud when I saw this familiar baby snake staring at me.

Today’s card comes from my work with the . One part is a reading for your year ahead. I’m loathe to look to far into any year (my clients know this since I prefer to do 3 month or 6 month look-aheads to full years).

So I focused on “What is my theme for January? What is the main message?”

Using my beloved Gaian Tarot, I got quiet then pulled. I had to work on steadying my mind since I was, I’ll admit, a bit afraid I’d pull one of the harder cards due to yesterday’s unhappiness. I spent most of the day in a fog. I went to bed early as well and slept for nearly 9.5 hours.

But I let that go as I sat there on the bed. I wanted to be open to the message of the Universe. I laughed out loud when I saw this familiar baby snake staring at me.

Joanna says, “A snake has just broken his way out of an egg and is encountering the world for the first time. Because of his ability to shed his skin and emerge in a new one, Snake has long been a symbol of renewal and transformation. In the background we see sparks shooting from a hidden flame, symbolizing the fires of creativity, sexuality and empowerment.”

I say, “WHOO HOOO! January is going to rock, y’all.”

Because of the work I’m doing with this workbook from , I’ve got some big plans for next year that include a workbook on seeking joy as well as the launch of my nearly-completed Hero’s Journey book. There’s another book as well in the works.

I see January’s Ace of Fire energy as the seed to all of that. I’ll be using that creative fire to launch my joy-missile self into outer space, y’all.

Did you know that one of my is to hear one specific person say, “Seek joy, y’all!” ? Can you guess who it is?

What’s your big theme for January? How are you going to launch your own joy-missile self into the new year? Or whatever you see your missile self as? I’d love to hear about it.

Don’t forget! When you get your, let me know. I’ll get you added to our seeeekrit Facebook group.

Remember this today. I love you.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

Ace of Fire, Gaian Tarot

Fleeting, Flowers & Love

I hope that you know that you are loved. I hope that you know that joy and beauty are not fleeting. They simply transform into other things.

Today’s card is a present to you from me. I’m thrilled with beauty like this. It makes me soul sing. This is from my own back porch from August of this year. No matter where you are, take this simple thing as a moment of joy from me to you.

I hope that you know that you are loved. I hope that you know that joy and beauty are not fleeting. They simply transform into other things.

Like the caterpillar into the butterfly or the hibiscus flower into petals on the ground, each of us is constantly changing as well. Celebrate that newness. Celebrate those changes. Perhaps the person looking back at you in your mirror isn’t quite the person you expected to see when you imagined yourself years ago. Still, that person is loved and is loving.

Isn’t that enough in this world? Let this flower be the Ace of Swords today and think beautiful thoughts about yourself always.

Seek joy, y’all. Tell someone they are exactly who you need them to be. Pass it on.

Yellow hibiscus, 2012, Arwen Lynch

There’s still time to join me in going through the . Once you have purchased it, let me know. I’ll add you to our Facebook group.