Affirmations Archives > Arwen, Professional Joy Seeker

Sorry, You’ve Got It All Wrong!

Why your vision of your perfect day is patently false.

Part of my practice is to draw a card each day. Recently one of the cards reminded me that you are all wrong. That none of you know what a perfect day is. That none of you have any concept of a truly ideal day. How do I know? Well let me tell you what a perfect day is. Then you’ll know.

A perfect day is slightly overcast. There’s a brisk wind coming in that carries just a bit of cool with it so the ambient temperature is around 68. There might even be the scent of rain on that wind. The sky is just a bit gray. The sun is definitely not bright and shining. The wind is the key for the perfect day. It must lift skirts, fluff hair and generally flutter things.

WHAT? Not your perfect day?

Okay. Close your eyes. Tell me what your perfect day looks like. Place yourself right into that scene.

Betcha it’s different from mine in most cases.
Betcha your perfect day is perfect for you.

Now try this. Picture your perfect person. Not yourself. Not your lover. Just your perfect person. What do they say? What do they do? How do they act? What makes them a perfect person to you? Is it what they wear? Is it the color of their hair? Their skin? What about their weight? Did you think about how much they weigh when you were deciding what perfection in a person meant to you? Did you worry about their eye color or their footwear?

Betcha the key things were more internal than external.
Betcha the important stuff was what they say and what they do rather than what they wear or who they know.

So why worry about what others think about the external you, darling? Why worry at all? It’s what’s inside that is important to you. Why should anyone else be different? They are worried about the same things. We all are concerned that we won’t be accepted for this thing or for that thing.

Me? What is my worry?

Being seen as weird.

I worry that I will be seen as weird and not a real business woman because I use Tarot. Because my coaching business uses Tarot to help others seek joy. Because I teach Tarot for a living.

Silly, right? I agree. So I remind myself to co-opt the Austin, TX and Portland, OR. Keep Arwen Weird. And let my freak flag fly! That’s perfect for me. It helps me stay mindful for those of you who practice mindfulness.

So my perfect day, my perfect person and my perfect motto aren’t yours. It’s all good, darling. That means we have room to wiggle and to grow. Room to find our own perfect spot.

Not sure how to find your wise inner self? I can help. Let’s have a conversation using the Tarot as our tools to set your feet on the joy seeking path today.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Oh by the way? Lisa Hunt and I worked on a Lenormand deck called Fairy Tale Lenormand. Just released 9/1/16. If you want to learn how to read Tarot my way, check out my upcoming class Trust Your Gut Intuitive Tarot.

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Skipping From A-Z

News Flash! Arwen admits to being wrong.

Today I go back in time. Not way, way back–but to just a little over two years ago. I was in Little Rock with my then beau. We were walking around the beautiful grounds at the Peabody Hotel. He took a picture of some tiny flowers.

In my head I thought, “Well that’s a delete…that camera can’t take good close-ups.”

As you can see from the picture, I was wrong. So it was a reminder that I need to wait for the outcome. I need to stop hurtling from A-Z without stopping for the experiences that come from start to finish.

[Tweet “News flash! Arwen admits to being wrong.”]

Today’s affirmation:

I experience life in each moment. I breathe in the here and the now of this moment. I feel my lungs fill up with breath and joy. I feel my lungs push out anticipation. I anticipate happiness. I embrace life. This moment of this day is perfect in every way. Loved and loving, I love each of you.

Seek joy, y’all!

Yellow Flowers, Poe, 2012

Empty Bowls

Who’s to say what each of us needs most. Who’s to make that call?

[Tweet “Which bowl is calls to you? Empty or full?”]

So one bowl is full but the other bowl is empty. Which calls to you? Do you need to focus on the full bowl? Or do you need to pay attention to the empty bowl? There are some reading this who feel a deep need to split what is in the full bowl with the empty bowl.

Consider this. What if each bowl is content as it is? What if nothing is wrong with either one? What if they are fulfilling their current purpose with joy?

Who’s to say what each of us needs most. Who’s to make that call?

Why each of us, of course. Honor the full as well as the empty. Allow each to be in its own beauty. Sometimes stepping back to just enjoy the view is critically important. Sometimes putting the paintbrush down to say, “Hey, that works just like that” is the key ingredient to a satisfactory life.

Today I honor the full and the empty. I see the light and the dark as companions rather than simply opposites. I bring my hands together to create sound. I let them fall to my side to create silence. Today I am allowing beauty to be. Loved and loving, I love each of you.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Strawberry Fiesta, photo by Stephanie Arwen Lynch

Hype, Reality + Responsibility

Today is about hyperbole vs reality. Who’s responsible?

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Today’s #affirmation is brought to us by a man who thought he could take down P.T. Barnum. He was so huge that they called him the father of the modern circus. He single-handedly brought Jumbo the elephant to America.

Okay, so a lot of that is hyperbole…or to use the more common shortened version–hype.

This Governor of Rings is James Anthony Bailey who was born as a McGuiness. His career as a circus owner/ringmaster was legendary. He had his own show then joined with P.T. Barnum. They eventually joined with the Ringling Brothers to form what is a still active circus troupe.

Many of us dislike circuses now for the treatment of animals. I’m going to put that aside for now. Instead, I want to shine a light on this card. The traditional name is the King of Pentacles. He is often seen as a bit of a stick-in-the-mud Mr. Banks type by me.

His role in the Tarot is often that of taskmaster, banker, rule enforcer. Here he’s been given a different hat (top hat, even) to wear. This man is now a ringmaster of a circus. He must do more than point out the amazing acts and beautiful girls. He also is responsible for the overall financial success of his endeavors.

And more than that? He is the ultimate yes-or-no in many people’s lives. Their livelihood depends on this man. It cannot be an easy thing to have that much responsibility. I imagine he understood “heavy is the head that wears the crown” on a very personal level.

Responsibility happens.

I am responsible for making sure my bills get paid, my animals get the food and medical attention they need and so on. Some days I’d like to chuck it all to go live in a cave. But the reality is, responsibility exists.

So that brings us to today’s affirmation:

Today I am responsible for my own happiness. Today I remember to choose to be in a good mood. Today I remember to celebrate my ability to be responsible. Loved and loving, I love each of you.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

P. to the S. Are you going to do #NaNoWriMo this year? It’s my first year as a participant. Usually I’m teaching a workshop instead. I finally made the workshop an eCourse So if you are doing it, come find me! I’m TarotByArwen there.

Governor of Rings, Tarot of the Zirkus Magi, Douglas Thornsjo 2014

Sticks, Tasks + Uh Oh!

Taking on too much? Let the 10 of Wands affirmation help.

[Tweet “Check out today’s affirmation using the 10 of Wands.]

#affirmation Some days I write peaceful, loving, uplifting #affirmations. Other days? Well other days sometimes come after working 13 hour days, getting 6 hrs of sleep because I chose to reread a bit of a favorite book, rolling out to walk all the dogs and then realizing…hmmmm, I didn’t write today’s affirmation.

So since it is looking like a Ten of Wands day for me, how about some time management tips from you! Tell me something you do to save time. Is it brushing your teeth while you shower? Eating your first meal as you drive to work?

Let’s hear them!

Today’s affirmation:

I get things done. I prioritize well. I focus on what’s in front of me. I clear my plate before moving to the next task. I gently decline any new tasks today. I am organized. I am alert. I am ready to get things done. Loved and loving, I love each of you.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

10 of Wands, World Spirit Tarot, U.S. Games (OOP)

Affirmation For Evil

Today’s message is a simple one. It’s about evil.

[Tweet “#affirmation Today’s message is a simple one. It’s about evil.”]

#affirmation Today’s message is a simple one. It’s about evil.

I know right? Not a subject I talk about a lot, but there you go. Me being all different and shit.

Okay, so maybe not. Maybe I just wanted to share a bit of a song I heard last night. Now the fact that I was listening to the radio at all is Audible.com’s fault. See their app broke so I couldn’t listen to my book. And I wasn’t in the mood for silence right then.

So I flipped on the radio and hit scan. Three stations went by then I heard a catchy melody with a somewhat familiar voice. My friends will tell you that I don’t recognize singers very well.

But the line that I heard as this. “People loving people That’s the enemy of everything that’s evil.”

WHOA.

Simple. Direct. Profound.

So here are the lyrics to this song by Garth Brooks. What do you think of it?

“People Loving People”

Doctor, you ain’t got a clue
For whatever’s making this world blue
You can’t get forgiveness at the store
And peace, it’s a politician’s war

You won’t find no resolution in the bottom of a bottle
In the stars or Aristotle, the only answer to the problem is…

People loving people
That’s the enemy of everything’s that’s evil
Ain’t no quick fix at the end of a needle
It’s just people loving people
Whoa, woah, woah, woah

Words aren’t what they seem to be
Talk is cheap but lies are free
We fear what we don’t understand
We’ve been scared since time began

All the colors and the cultures circle ’round us on a spindle
It’s a complicated riddle, the solution is so simple…

It’s people loving people
That’s the enemy of everything’s that’s evil
Ain’t no quick fix at the end of a needle
It’s just people loving people
Whoa, woah, woah, woah

You can pawn it off on kings and queens and those behind the curtain
Say what can make a difference in a world so full of hurting
But I believe the remedy starts right here with you and me

People loving people
That’s the enemy of everything’s that’s evil
Ain’t no quick fix at the end of a needle
It’s just people loving people
It’s just people loving people
Whoa, woah, woah, woah
Whoa, woah, woah, woah
It’s just people loving people
~~Garth Brooks

Today’s affirmation:

Today I love. Today I live. I live to love. I love to live. Loved and loving, I love each of you.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

I thought St. Francis from the Symbolon Tarot was appropriate. Do you?

Magician, Symbolon Tarot, U.S. Games

Balancing Otters+Third Eyes

Today’s card from @gardenskull is not one I really get…yet. What can you add to my interpretation?

[Tweet “Today’s card from @gardenskull is not one I really get…yet. What can you add to my interpretation?”]

#affirmation So today’s card is one that I am not so sure about. Working with the Wooden #Tarot again, I have drawn Temperance. Artist A.L. Swartz has gone off on a tangent with this one.

First, let me tell you how much I love otters. One of my favorite necklaces features the Three of Water from the Gaian Tarot. It is three otters. This otter as Temperance gives me pause.

Temperance is a card of alchemy and change for me. It is about balancing all elements to come to something new. It can also be about moderation. Normally you see land and water with this image. Here you don’t.

An otter swims past on its back. The third eye is open but partially hooded as if there is some inner seeking going on. The otter is surrounded by water or is that air. It puts me in mind of a shroud–maybe the caul the seer child is said to have at birth. two lily-like flowers are on either side.

As a land/water animal, the otter works for that part of temperance. And it is in a restful state which speaks to me of that balance of life–the pausing between playing and working. The surrounding shroud of white and grey might be the veil, or more correctly, the Veil. Perhaps this otter is on the other side peeking through.

I will have to work with this one a bit more to fully grasp what the artist’s message is here. I do like the card though–simply because it has an otter. I’m easy.

Today’s affirmation:

I walk my path knowing balance. I appreciate the ups and the downs. I honor my grief for it leads me into joy. I honor my joy for it leads me into grief. I understand the importance of balance. Loved and loving, I love each of you.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Temperance, The Wooden Tarot, Skullgarden.net

NOTE: I have added a (c)A.L. Swartz to the images to protect the artist’s rights.

How Hard Is It To Listen?

What does it mean to really listen? To shut up?

[Tweet “What does it mean to really listen? To just shut up? #affirmation”]

#affirmation Some days you just have to shut up. I’m a talker, you see. I tend to fill conversational spaces with anything. I’m learning to stop that. It’s a bad habit. How much have I missed in this world by doing that? I shudder to think!

Here is the Two of Air. A woman listens. It’s just that simple. She closes her eyes, tilts her head then listens. Those are cedar waxwings in the branches. I’ve seen them but couldn’t identify their song. I can identify some birdsong though easily.

Sometimes I think I would like to go back to the land as they say. Go off the grid. Get back to nature. Return to my roots.

Then I laugh. My roots? My roots are in Monroe, Louisiana in the middle of urban living. Well, it wasn’t a big city but it certainly wasn’t a small town either. We had four public high schools plus two private. Monroe is a great town but it’s not a “back to nature” situation.

I love to read books about people who have done that though. Do you? My friend, Joanna Powell Colbert, mentioned a book that I wanted to share with you as well. It is called Becoming Wild: Living the Primitive Life on a West Coast Island: Nikki van Schyndel. I’m going to get it for myself then it may also end up under the Christmas tree for someone else.

Here is a video interview of Nikki. It’s fascinating.

It’s not available on the Kindle (darn it), but it comes highly recommended.

Today’s card is the Two of Air from the Gaian Tarot which is by Joanna Powell Colbert. I’m using that image for today’s affirmation.

Today I shut up. Today I get quiet. Today I listen. I listen for and I listen to. For the messages in silence, I listen. To the song of nature, I listen. By embracing the quiet, I grow and I learn. Loved and loving, I love each of you.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Too Many Foxes

Some days there are just too many foxes in my world. Do you ever have this problem?

[Tweet “#affirmations Some days there are just too many foxes in my world. Do you ever have this problem?”]

#affirmations Some days there are just too many foxes in my world. Do you ever have this problem?

I get an idea of what I want to write about but I’m not sure of the direction. Today’s thought was dissatisfaction.

A rather unusual thought for me since I am a professional joy seeker. But still, that’s the word I had so I went with it.

I’ve had a lot of stress-inducing situations in the past two weeks–nearly all of them out of my hands.

Someone’s health
Foundation of a building
Foundation of a company
A loved one’s very hard battle

Nothing that I could point a finger at to merrily say, “Seek joy, y’all.”

In fact, I think if someone had reminded me of that, I might have just cracked. Yep…stress.

So when I pulled this Knight of Wands from my Shadowscapes Tarot app, I snickered. Then I giggled. Then I guffawed.

Because this, my darlings, this is the perfect expression of what I am feeling.

So much to do…so many foxes to direct. I see each fox as a thing that I might do. A project that needs attention.

And there I am straddling a lionzelle (my word for this gorgeous lionesque creature with gazelle horns.) The beast is ready to go, but I have not yet leaned forward. I have not yet committed to the events underfoot.

I can so see this as the root of my dissatisfaction. No action has been taken but there is a clarion call to action taking place.
The problem, as I see it, is too many foxes. Which one of the five is it to be? Once I figure that out, I think this general ennui will dissipate.

Perhaps this niggling, just out of reach itch of need is my clue that I just need to move. I need to pick one and go with it. Those other foxes?

Well there’s good news and there’s bad news.

They will always be there.

What? That’s the good news AND the bad news.

So how about you? What projects are calling to you? What do you need to move on? Is it a time of action or of rest for you?

Today’s affirmation:

I choose to take action. I am responsible for my own happiness. I make time to create. I open myself up to the infinite possibilities of joy. Seeking joy is my way of life. Loved and loving, I love each of you. Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

Knight of Wands, Shadowscapes Tarot, Llewellyn

#affirmations
#dailyaffirmation
#seekjoy
#tarot

Unicorns, Rosaries + Time-Outs

Time-outs or time-pouts? Which do you indulge in?

[Tweet “Time-outs or time-pouts? Which do you indulge in? #tarot #affirmation”]

#affirmation I know today is late and I apologize. 😀 It’s been a week today. You know what I mean? Where enough things have to get done that it should take a full week but you have to do them TODAY?

LOL! So that’s why this is late. And I pulled a card on my iPhone app for the Chrysalis Tarot. This deck is making some noise in the Tarot world. Folks either love it or are just not that into it. I’m one of the “love it” group.

Here we have the Two of Scrolls. I love that the scrolls are on top of one another with obvious stairs coming down. A flying unicorn, or is that a horned Pegasus, seems to be launching from the scrolls. Or is it trying to regain its balance?

For me, this card captures the indecision and the balance aspect of the twos of the Tarot. In this deck, Scrolls are Swords. Since this is the suit of Air, Scrolls are a perfect choice for me.

Decisions have to be made. Balance has to be maintained. Not as easy as it sounds some days. We need tools to maintain our equilibrium. Yoga, meditation, alcohol (no Arwen), exercise, all of those (most of those) help us get that equilibrium back.

I have a new tool coming to me. It is a rosary made by a dear friend. I’ll wait while you compute that.

Yes, a rosary.

It won’t be the Catholic version. Here’s a great article on the praying of the rosary: http://www.catholicity.com/prayer/rosary.html It will be my own version. I will share mine once I’ve finished it. I need the rosary so I can get to work on that.

I need to calm my mind. Yesterday I took a nap simply because my mind wouldn’t stop bouncing from thing to thing to thing. I needed to put myself in a time out. 😀 So I did!

Do you ever put yourself in time-outs? I’m hoping that with my rosary and meditation, I will have self-imposed time-outs every day. Not timed pouts–although I am sure that is what they were when I was three and put in a corner. ha!

Today’s affirmation:

My thoughts are focused. My intentions are well thought out. I am a child of the Universe. I am giving opportunities to seek joy and experience happiness. I am balanced and ready. Loved and loving, I love each of you. Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Two of Scrolls, Chrysalis Tarot, U.S. Games Systems Inc, 2014