Beth Seilonen Archives > Arwen, Professional Joy Seeker

REVIEW: The Celtic Cross Tarot Spread by Shannon MacLeod

So what do I think of a Tarot book that claims no memorization needed? I’ll tell you!

So today I wanted to share some thoughts on a new book by Shannon MacLeod. It’s from Schiffer. Beth Seilonen illustrated it. The book is The Celtic Cross Tarot Spread: Cutting to the Chase.

[Tweet “So what do I think of a Tarot book that claims no memorization needed? I’ll tell you!”]

First let me say that I had some reservations about this book. I wasn’t sure it could deliver. The back starts out with “Reading the Tarot doesn’t have to be hard! The Celtic Cross spread requires no long hard hours of study, no memorization, no muss or fuss–just lay out your cards, open the book, and begin!”

That’s a pretty big claim, y’all. Still I put aside my reservations to open the book. I have to say that it delivers what it offers.

Every card is interpreted in every position. The nuances of how a card’s meaning changes depending on the position it falls in is clearly highlighted.

The writing is crisp without a lot of filler. The illustrations are simple and direct. The table of contents is easy to navigate.

All in all, a very good book.

However, the one caveat I would have is that this shouldn’t be the only book you use. I don’t think being dependent on a book is a good thing. But to use this as a jumping off point? Yes, excellent.

Think of this as a primer for Tarot language. Just as you might “see Jane. See Jane run.” here you can “see the two of Swords. See the two of Swords in the past or as the outcome” to begin refining your own language skills.

I would recommend The Celtic Cross Tarot Spread: Cutting to the Chase, by Shannon MacLeod, illustrations by Beth Seilonen.

Today’s affirmation:

Today I learn. Today I increase my skills. Learning comes easily to me because I open up to the information. I am a child of the Universe therefore I am blessed. Loved and loving, I love.

Seek joy,y’all. Pass it on.

The Celtic Cross Tarot Spread: Cutting to the Chase, Schiffer

Which Moments Are Important?

Which Moments Are Important? And why?

Sometimes we think more about what we want than about what we have. I am at the mercy of the advertising world as the next person. Instead of enjoying the phone I have, I think about the phone I want.

In the Four of Fishes in Beth Seilonen’s Bleu Cat Tarot from Schiffer Mind, Body, Spirit, we see a cat looking at the fish heads in the three bowls. He’s not thinking about all the meat left. He’s thinking about all the meat that’s gone. Nor does he pay attention to the incoming bowl full of fish.

I am a firm believer that we have power over our mood. There’s a great quote that says “There are seven billion people in this world. Don’t let one ruin your day.”

Now don’t get me wrong. There are going to be moments of sad, of angry, of disappointed. But don’t make your whole life about those moments. Let your life be about the moments in between those moments.

[Tweet “Which moments are most important to you? Why?”]

Yeah, I get it. It’s not easy to do sometimes because it feels like those moments take over. But it comes back to choice. Which do you choose? Fight for your happy, your calm, your peace. Set up boundaries with signs that remind you that you are in charge of your own joy.

Be joy seekers y’all. Put that forward as the most important thing for each day. Professional joy seekers work at it. We make it our number one goal. Make it yours too. Together we can make it.

Today I choose joy. Today I accept that anger, sadness and fear pass as easily out of my life as they may into my life. Today I choose joy. I own my own happy. I am a professional joy seeker. Loved and loving, I am love.

Four of Fish, Bleu Cat Tarot, Schiffer Publishing

#seekjoy
#dailyaffirmation
#affirmations

Why I Don’t Do Resolutions Any More

There’s a reason I don’t do resolutions any more. see, I have a pet peeve. Well, I have a lot of them but there’s one in particular that just makes me snarly. And since I don’t like being snarly, I avoid people who break their promises.

The Two of Cups is a card that makes me think of kept promises but also the fragile future of a promise. So many things can come up. So many bumps that make us have to change our minds, break our promises.

A resolution, to me, is a promise I make to myself. When I inevitably break that promise, I get snarly with myself. Since I don’t like being snarly with myself, I don’t make resolutions.

[Tweet “Yes, indeedy, math truth tables by Arwen. It’s a joy I don’t do those more, right? :D”]

What I have learned is that if I create goals, I can see them in different ways. I set up specific steps to achieve them.

Are my goals resolutions?

Yes and no. Yes in that I am resolved to go them but no in that I don’t see them as promises to myself. I see them as things on my yearly to-do list.

So in a way I’m playing word games with my own head.

It works. I wasn’t doing resolutions for a long time nor was I doing goals. Then the workbook happened and I got busy. Really really busy.

Dreaming.
Creating.
Goal setting.
Celebrating success.

Was it easy? Nah…I had to make time for the work. I had to do the work. Then I had to get out of my own way.

So yes, I’m very fond of the workbook. I’m as fond of it as some of you may be sick of hearing about it from me. LOL

Two of Cups, Dreaming Raven Tarot, Schiffer, 2013

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Temper, Battles + Choice

I guess I’m committed to ending a relationship if no answer or an unsatisfactory answer comes.

Today’s card urges me to think before I strike. It asks me if I know how to engage my reason before my temper. That can be a damned hard thing to do some days.

Recently an event caused a bit of a stir among my friends. I admit to have quite the knee-jerk reaction myself. But I managed to go to the source first. I asked my question in what I hope was a non-confrontational manner. Now I wait for a response.

Waiting for a response is hard. Just like our Bleu Cat Tarot Queen of Feathers (Swords) must wait for her butterfly to go out and come back, I have to be patient. I have a self-imposed timeline though. Similar to the Queen of Feathers, I will not put down my pen or sword. I won’t back off this information seeking trip.

I guess I’m committed to ending a relationship if no answer or an unsatisfactory answer comes.

And, yes, that makes me a bit sad all-in-all. But at some point a stand has to be taken. I guess only time will tell whether my Queen of Feathers will have to use her weapon or not.

In my Tarot for Writers course, one lesson is on the Hero’s commitment to the journey. It goes into the idea that there is a donkey moment where the hero solidly and sometimes loudly refuses to go “all in” on the quest before him (or her). This feels like that moment to me. I have my heels dug in hoping for a better outcome than I believe is coming.

Your journal prompt for today is, “How can I choose my battles more wisely? What are my personal emotional tells that let me know I must commit to the change?”

Queen of Feathers, Bleu Cat Tarot, Schiffer Books

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Oh! Please join me tonight (or listen to the archives) for my inaugural Mistress of Mondays’ show on the ParaEncounters Network (PEN).

Tarotscopes for 10/27-11/2/13

Enjoy this week’s tarotscopes. I look forward to hearing from you about your past week. How did it go? What joy did you find? What lessons did you learn?

Fat, cold raindrops fall
Bringing fall’s breath in again
Tea is a comfort

10/27/2013
Arwen Lynch

I do love haiku that pops into my head while walking the dogs.

Today I celebrate the damp ground with the snails lacing their trails across my path. I drink in the beauty of the green leaves set off against a grey sky. I give thanks for the raindrops on my nose as I pass under oak trees waiting to share. Loved and loving, I love each of you. Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

And? Do you want to hear about my Tarot for Writers eCourse? 33 days of lessons, handouts and prompts to show you how to plot your book? It’s a great companion for your NaNoWriMo journey!

Shoot me an email to get on the early announcement list. This is to get ONE and ONLY ONE email from me when the eCourse is ready. You’ll get a link to the eCourse so you can see if this is a fit for you.

This week’s Tarotscopes were done with Beth Seilonen’s Bleu Cat Tarot [aff] from Schiffer Books (out 10/28/2013). It’s a charming deck and quite different from her Dream Raven Tarot.

AQUARIUS HIEROPHANT Others may come to you to learn your rules. Let them explore the boundaries as they learn how to fit into your world.
PISCES CHARIOT Time to go forward. Don’t look back. You aren’t going that way. Eyes and energy need to be reined in so you can get shit done!
ARIES KNIGHT OF FISHES Accept what is brought to you. May not be your perfect gift but it’s heartfelt. Honor the giver’s heart most. Love shared.
TAURUS EIGHT OF FEATHERS Patience. Some tangles need untangling. Naysayers try to alter your joyward progress. Control your reactions first.
GEMINI WHEEL OF FORTUNE Make that pendulum swing in your favor. Create opportunity. Take advantage of offers. This is a week for GOOD THINGS.
CANCER PAGE OF PLANTS Things you planted a while ago start to grow. Forgotten projects call to you. Answer the phone! Good week for reviewing.
LEO TEN OF BALLS Wow. You really can do it all this week. You can actually say yes to one more thing. Earn your multitasker kudos. Get ‘er done!
VIRGO PAGE OF BALLS Focus on learning. Balance tips towards studying rather than playing. Work emphasized. You may win an award for your brain power.
LIBRA EMPEROR Protect what is yours. Guard resources but don’t be stingy. Share without harming yourself. Family is your focus right now.
SCORPIO ACE OF PLANTS What can you grow this week? What can you give your passion to? Something must happen. It’s up to you to make it.
SAGITTARIUS THREE OF FISHES Synchronize some fun times with those you enjoy. Don’t waste time on those who don’t. Make this a week to celebrate friends.
CAPRICORN FIVE OF BALLS Sometimes you ask too much of yourself. Would it be so bad to honor your need for a time out? Small home repairs probable.

[Tweet “Weekly @Tarotscopes make the week better.”]

I look forward to hearing from you about your past week. How did it go? What joy did you find? What lessons did you learn?

Seek joy, y’all! Pass it on.

Cats, Chiweenies + Focus

I like the linear look of this card. I have to tell you that I haven’t even looked at the rest of it. Just pulled a card this morning to see what the deck’s first message was.

So today’s card is from a brand-new deck. It will be released in two days. It’s from Schiffer so you know I love the box. There’s something else about the box this time but I’ll show you that in a video review…later.

Today I wanted to talk to you about the Strength card. In the Bleu Cat Tarot by Beth Seilonen all the cards are of a Siamese…blue point.

The thing that leaps out at me here is this cat’s focus. Even though a butterfly and a dragonfly hover within paw’s reach, le chat is all about the fish. ALL. ABOUT. THE. FISH.

Talk about intense right? Strength used to be called Fortitude (sometimes still is) and carried a message about single-minded purpose. This card has that going on, y’all.

I like the linear look of this card. I have to tell you that I haven’t even looked at the rest of it. Just pulled a card this morning to see what the deck’s first message was.

Focus.
Intensity.
Single-minded purpose.

I had an example of that this morning from my chiweenie, Batman. My yarn bag was on the loveseat. He decided it was the optimal bed. No amount of NO from me could pull him away.

So I moved the bag.

No sooner had I sat back down then I heard the bag rustling. Looked up and, yep, sure enough, he was dragging it back to the loveseat. Smart little cookie.

I moved it to a non-reachable by chiweenie place.

So now he’s curled up on my purse. Guess the loveseat isn’t soft enough. But my 14 year old Maine Coon is now right beside him so he’s got his desired cushy bed.

That was my lesson in focus this morning. My own living Strength tableau!

[Tweet “Your journal prompt today is, “What am I focused on? What can grow stronger once I get serious about my intentions?” “]

Strength, Bleu Cat Tarot, Schiffer Books, 2013

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Why Did I Do That?

Today’s card reminds me that I need to be actively engaged in my own emotional choices. I must remember that what I feel is my own responsibility. I cannot allow my emotional choices to be made by others.

I mean that I cannot say, “Oh I did that horrible thing because I was mad at so-and-so.”

I mean that I cannot say, “I was speeding because X told me I had to hurry.”

I can say, “I was hurting when I did that horrible thing” or “I was speeding because I thought it was urgent that I get there.”

By taking the “other” out of my actions, I own what I do. I was thinking about this on my morning walk with the dogs. I released one emotional burden yesterday. It hurt, y’all. It hurt to release it. Doesn’t feel much better today to be honest.

But? I know it was the right thing for me. I hope it was the right thing for the other person.

I had to make an emotional choice where I put myself first. I had to be reminded by someone who loves me that I was trying to put blame where it didn’t belong once I’d done that releasing.

My reaction to that reminder was…poor, to say the least. 😀 I reread what they said this morning and got more of what they meant. But last night? HOOO BOY! I did not want to hear what they said. AT ALL.

So what about you? Do you have any impending emotional choices? See if you can make them from your heart-centered, self-focused place. See if you can not say, “If X hadn’t done X, I wouldn’t have to do this.”

As my dear One pointed out, it’s in the scorpion’s nature.

Two of Cups, Dream Raven Tarot (Beth Seilonen), Schiffer, 2013 (aff)

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

P. to the S. Do you love movies? Like to watch them on your schedule? Become an Amazon Prime member today. You can sign up for a free 30 day trial. I’ve been a member for 2+ years now. LOVE IT. Better than Hulu. Better than Netflix. I can watch it on my TV too. 😀 htt

Tarotscopes for June 9-15, 2013

AQUARIUS Five of Wands Some obstacles are there so you can prove to yourself how much you can overcome. Joy, right? But seriously! OVERCOME OBJECTIONS!
PISCES FOOL Oh yeah! Time to take a few risks. Time to trust in the Universe. Time to GO FOR IT. Ready? Set. GO! Believe in your dream.

Someone won a free reading in my June newsletter. Was it you? Check to see!

ARIES Knight of Swords It may be a go-where-the-wind-blows week. Let your mind go on beautiful journeys even if your body has to stay home.
TAURUS Death Time to make changes to habits/thoughts/lifestyles that don’t nourish you. Stop making excuses. Start making changes. NOW.

Today’s deck? The Dream Raven Tarot With pretty colors, these intense cards from Schiffer Books are a knockout!

GEMINI Three of Swords Careful your thoughts don’t mess up an emotional connection. Check yourself. Are you looking for the worst? Try working it out first.
CANCER Two of Swords Time to make that decision. Ignoring it will NOT make it resolve itself. You must engage your brain. Mediation may be best.

Need to finish the damned book? Got a sagging middle & talking heads? Many published and pre-published writers turn to me for help. You can too. I know how to help.

LEO Four of Cups Longing for someone who has long been gone wastes your emotional resources. Stop with the wanting. Start with the loving what you have.
VIRGO Eight of Cups Well, baby, you do have an emotional hill to climb. Trust issues are hard but your star is waiting. Battle those old fears to win.

Have you heard your in-depth June Tarotscopes yet? Listen to my podcast to hear what June has in store for you. Happy birthday to you Geminis and Cancers, too.

LIB Four of Pentacles Money isn’t magic. You have to do the work to make the bucks. BUT you will find the work finds you this wk. Be available. Be willing.
SCORPIO King of Cups Some emotional secrets are meant to be kept. Don’t divulge too much. Your heart’s desire should be protected for now.

Want to learn more about Tarot? Want to strengthen your own intuitive skills? Take a five week class (online and at your own convenience) with me. Starts June 22.

SAGITTARIUS Three of Pentacles Put it into action. Make it happen. You will need others on-board. Seek like minds who understand how to expand. Innovation.
CAPRICORN Six of Cups Oh yeah baby! Great week to look up old pals. Make coffee dates to reminisce. Long lost “how the hell are you” ‘s imminent.

Review: Dream Raven Tarot

Sharing a video review of the Dream Raven Tarot. It’s my typical dorky self but don’t let that distract you from this amazing deck.

Dream Raven Tarot, Schiffer Books, 2013

Balancing Prosperity With Budgets

Today’s card is from a really pretty new deck. I’m fast falling in love with it. In a strange way, it reminds me of Dana Driscoll’s Tarot of Trees. I can’t really place my finger on exactly WHY it does but it has something to do with the intensity of the colors, I think.

Here we have the Two of Pentacles. Traditionally a card of choices, I see this raven as something of a trickster. There is a connection between the twos and the Major Arcana II the Magician so maybe that is why. Of course, the Raven CAN be a trickster in many beliefs.

Still, here it looks as if he is pulling coins out of thin air. It can certainly feel that way when we are making money choices, can’t it? As if we don’t have enough and will never have enough?

I think this card is a reminder to me to think abundantly while living carefully. I have a lot of good things going on right now so I am able to afford things I couldn’t in my 20’s. But that doesn’t mean I need to buy the whole horse when I all I want to do is ride one hour a week. 😀

How do you balance your abundant living thinking with your carefully budget life? Do you think one negates the other?

I don’t. I think carefully budgeting myself while calling in prosperity is my “Yes, okay” to the Universe. I’m making a promise not to squander the abundance. I’m making a choice to be careful with my wealth.

And? I don’t see wealth as money alone. Pentacles are the suit of community and earth as well as money. So my friends and family and pets are all covered in this abundant life.

Today I accept that I live in abundance. I acknowledge my right to a prosperous life. I embrace the wholeness of my wealthy, healthy self.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Two of Pentacles, Dream Raven Tarot, Schiffer Books, 2013