Embracing Change?

Part of my daily practice is to write. I like to pull a card (Lenormand, Tarot, Oracle) then write about what it brings up in me. In our current climate, change has been a topic seemingly from everyone.

  • What do we do about change?
  • How do we create change?
  • How do we change things that are changing?
  • Can we change ourselves to adapt to our new climate?

And so it goes. I don’t think the discussion is new. I do think it is louder, more vociferous, more in-my-face than it has been. I also think it is showing me things that I cannot condone.

Violence in thought, word and/or deed is a big one for me.

All of that was on my mind when I wrote down the question for the day.

How can I embrace change more effectively?

If I am honest, I can admit that I was pretty sure I knew what my answer was. I would just have to embrace change as it came.

But the card I pulled forced me into a deeper way of looking at thing. A more profound yet far simpler answer was waiting for me in the turn of a card.

Using the Housewives Tarot (Quirk Books 2004), I flipped over the Three of Pentacles. And here is part of my journal entry.


Housewives Tarot Three of Pentacles
Housewives Tarot

Interesting. She’s doing the work to reinforce the shelf while the other three look on. Why are they not helping?

And that’s it in a small, encapsulated natural holder: nutshell. She doesn’t care that they are not helping. That they seem to be judging her work. She’s doing the work that needs to be done.

Her arms/hands are the tools. Left hand is a hammer. Right hand is a screwdriver. She didn’t have to stop to grab tools. She is Tools.

The work doesn’t scare her. She is as cheerful as a robin greeting spring. This isn’t about her. It isn’t about them. It isn’t even about the shelf.

It’s about the work itself.

She would be fixing something else if not this shelf. She’d be creating more plates. She’d be inventorying her environment to see what needed doing.

She would just do. It is where her joy is. In the doing.

Not the doing for others.
Just the very act of doing.

Today I do what needs to be done.


I end each journal entry with an affirmation. I tell my clients that affirmations are best said out-loud. I advocate that they are done three times three. By that I mean, say the affirmation three times. Do that three times a day so that you have a total of nine. Bare minimum!

And say them out loud. Look yourself in the eye in the mirror when you do this. Our brains process what we hear differently than when we read the same thing.

So what will you do about change? My answer turned out to be to just do the work that needs to be done. I guess the Universe is kicking me in the rump telling me to stop worrying about the efficacy of what I do and worry about the DO part of what I do.

Today I do what needs to be done. I know what I see that needs doing, but I don’t want to put words into your mouths. Instead please let me know in the comments what you will be doing.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Privilege, Mops + Family

What about you? What do you think your family thought you might grow up to be? What did you want to grow up to be?

Housewives Tarot  4 of Wands
Housewives Tarot
Today’s affirmation is based on this quote from Joseph Campbell. “The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.” How many times have you tried to squeeze yourself into the wrong place? Tried to alter how you thought, felt, looked in order to fit in?

I think it’s fairly natural to do this as a child. We want to feel safe and secure so we try to get with/go with the crowd. We don’t want to stand out. We intuitively know (or are taught in unpleasant ways) that being different makes us targets.

Then we hit those teenage and young adult years. High school and college can be a time of trying out different approaches. Maybe seeing if we really are rebels. It’s about testing ourselves against our own images of ourselves–and maybe the images our families have of us.

I imagine my family thought I would be married with grandchildren at my age. I’d have most likely been a teacher or maybe a librarian. I should ask them sometime what they imagined I would grow up to be.

I’m fairly certain bisexual, Wiccan, psychic wasn’t on that list.
[Tweet “What do you think your family thought you might grow up to be?”]

What about you? What do you think your family thought you might grow up to be? What did you want to grow up to be?

Strangely? I wanted to grow up to be a writer. My family probably saw that one coming though. HA!

I think this Four of Wands from the Housewives Tarot by Quirk Books captures this! She’s risen above it all but she’s supported by those mops because that’s the work she’s done!

Today’s affirmation:

I revel in my privilege of being who I am. I accept that my path has brought me from my family’s image of me to my image of me. I hold my connections to my past with gentleness and love. I release any hurt from that past. Loved and loving, I love each of you.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Four of Wands, Housewives Tarot, Quirk Books http://amzn.to/1sffRbH

Bitch, Please: Talking To The Star

Bitch, Please: Talking To The Star

[Tweet “Uh oh, Arwen’s talking bad about the Star card in the #tarot. Really?”]

Housewives Tarot Star
Housewives Tarot

#affirmation So I really love today’s card but I am not seeing it in the hopeful setting I normally see it. No, for some reason my first response was, “Oh bitch please…as if we could all do that every day.”

The Star is a card of hope, of goals reached, of aspirations achieved. Here we see a happy housewife whose cherry pie has won first prize.

But my reaction was so negative. LOL So what I want to talk about today is the idea of “keeping up with the Jones.” If you aren’t familiar with that statement, it means the idea that we have to do as well as, or better, than our neighbors.

What a recipe for disaster that is, right? Instead of baking our own out-of-this-world sour cream raisin pie, we set out to mimic the cherry pie winner. We leave our creativity sacrificed on the doorstep of “one better.”

I vote for more pies of all different flavors–and cakes, cookies, cupcakes…ahem. My blood sugar may be dropping. Sorry.

So here’s today’s affirmation based on the Star from the Housewives Tarot (Quirk Books):

Today I am my own star. I reach for my own goals. I focus on what I am best at. I strive to achieve quality in my own way. I set my expectations based on my own strengths. I judge me against myself. I’m my own best competition. Loved and loving, I love each of you.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

The Star, Housewives Tarot, Quirk Books

2014 August Tarotscopes + 8/3-8/9 Weekly ‘Scopes

Enjoy both your weekly Tarotscopes as well as your monthly Tarotscope podcast in this post.


Welcome to your August 2014 Tarotscopes, y’all. See the weekly Tarotscopes below as well.

This month’s card is the Emperor again. His message is a bit different for us though.
We had a nice mix of cards with no one suit being more prevalent than the other.

And? There’s a contest. It’s an easy one. Just share this podcast. Then leave a comment with a link to your share. Do this by August 15th.

The winner will win their choice of a half hour reading with me or my e-course. If we have more than fifty shares, I’ll pull two winners. At
one hundred shares, I’ll pull three. So let’s see how we do!

This month’s deck was The Housewives Tarot published by Quirk Books. This ten year old deck is still a favorite of mine. If you like kitschy fun decks, you should check this one out.

Housewives Tarot
Housewives Tarot

You can see a spread I designed using the Housewives Tarot here.

Have a great August. As always: Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Now here’s your weekly Tarotscopes. Yep, it’s a two-for-one post. πŸ˜€

TAROTSCOPES FOR THE WEEK OF AUGUST 3-9, 2014

CARD OF THE WEEK: HIEROPHANT says to obey the rules. Examine structures in your life for necessary repairs. Spiritual homes too.

AQUARIUS SEVEN OF PENTACLES How does your garden grow? Time to weed? Time to harvest? Examine your projects to see which need your attention most.

PISCES QUEEN OF WANDS Treat every task as though it were the most important in that moment.Focus your thoughts to gain the most from this week.

ARIES HANGED MAN So what do you want? What are you willing to give up for that desire? Change your perspective about what’s most important.

TAURUS TEN OF CUPS Enjoy your life. No really enJOY it. Envision joy. Live joy. Be joy. Happily ever after is coming your way. Stay joyfilled.

GEMINI FIVE OF WANDS Get ‘er done, darlings. So much coming at you. Just grit your teeth & set your mind on LASER focus. You can do this.

CANCER CHARIOT Time to get going. You’ve been dithering long enough. Pick up the reins. Commit to a choice. You’re in this for the long haul.

LEO EMPEROR You will be called on to lead–again. Take care of family/home first. Physical needs are going to be a focus this week.

VIRGO NINE OF CUPS Remember your heart’s desire? This is a good week to make that happen. Ask for what you want. They aren’t mind readers.

LIBRA TWO OF PENTACLES Make sure you are balancing work and play. Maybe you need to make a list? Things get done but don’t neglect the fun.

SCORPIO PAGE OF PENTACLES New job/promotion possible. You will need to start something new. Make it productive rather than destructive!

SAGITTARIUS ACE OF WANDS Time to get focused. You need to pay attention to the nitty-gritty details. Starting something new? Super! DETAILS!

CAPRICORN TEN OF PENTACLES Happy home, happy life. Focus on finishing things so you can begin that new chapter. Financially sound week.

Housecleaning Is The Goal???

Housewives_1WandsToday’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. πŸ˜€

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.

πŸ˜€ 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!

Housewives_1CupsToday’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]

Wanna Come To Crazyville?

Housewives_11SwordsToday’s card reminds me that I often do things I know I should not be doing. It’s not as if I don’t know better. It’s as if I think I’m bullet-proof or that I can get away with it for just this one time. Like eating ice cream when I’ve worked to eliminate fat from my diet. Or running with scissors as our young Page of Swords does here.

This is the quirky and totally fun Housewives Tarot. This card represents those mental thoughts that we don’t quite have a handle on. Sometimes they run wild and hurt us or others. We create drama where there was none to create.

But what about when you are in a situation where a trusted friend turns into the Page of Swords? When someone you have always thought the best of suddenly goes straight off the rails into “cuckoo for cocoa puffs” territory?

How do you deal with that?

You can certainly shake your finger and admonish them to “Stop that” or to “Behave”. But does that do you any good?

I think not. I think it just makes me more involved in their crazy. I have to step out of my hula hoop into theirs to make them stop. And really, can I make anyone but myself stop?

All I can do is step away and isolate my interactions with them. I can monitor how I deal with them on a daily basis–if at all. Sometimes you have to. If they are someone I work with, I can’t turn my back on them. I have to offer them the same level of service as others.

What I can do is limit my energy interaction. I can throttle back my openness and create boundaries for me. I can make sure that when my erstwhile friend or co-worker, I am making sure my hula hoop stays as free and clear of their erratic behaviour as possible.

Is it fun to see someone I care about go off the deep end? Not even a little. Still, the person I must protect first is me. And to do that, I have to make sure my boundaries are tight.

One place that has helped me immensely in learning about how to maintain my own hula hoop is Leonie Dawson’s Amazing Biz + Life Academy. [aff] Come join me!

Your 180 second challenge is a two parter. The first is easy. Just think about those in your life who are inviting you to play in their crazy.

Now for the true challenge. Ask yourself this.

“Why am I RSVPing yes?”

I give you permission to decline those invitations. I assure you it is okay to say no to one more round of drama llama ding dong. Do it for you.

Seek joy, y’all. Limit your trips to other people’s Crazyville.

Page of Swords, Housewives Tarot, Quirk Books, 2004[aff]

Whoosh, Plunging & Doom

Today’s card is a bit scary to me and many others. I mean really! Do they have any concept of what they are doing? Have they thought about it? Talk about crazy. Who is that said anyone with half a mind to get married has all the qualifications?

Then, I go back to yesterday’s card. OMG! I’m being a crow. All I can see is the plunge to doom. I can’t even hold on to the hope that the car is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang‘s granddaughter. I ignore the blissful happy faces. The hearts floating mean nothing to my crow mind.

Ever been that person? I know I have. This is my one big bump in life. I’ve been married. Twice to women and once in a perfectly acceptable male-female format. None of them panned out. Will I marry again? Hmmm, that remains to be seen, but most likely yes. πŸ˜€

This Lovers card is a reminder to me to not be a crow in my own life. I can’t seek joy if I’m enumerating all the ways this relationship could Titanic on me. Or Hiroshima. Or Pearl Harbor.

I have to lift my head up and enjoy the whooshing sound the wind makes as we take the plunge.

WHOOOSH, y’all! Whooshity whoosh whoosh.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Lovers, Housewives Tarot, Quirk Books, 2004