Really Odd Shit aka TarotBlogHop: Imbolg 2019

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Hey, y’all! Arwen, Professional Joy Seeker here. It’s Tarot Blog Hop time again. Did you know that I started this Imbolg 2012? I’m so proud of how it’s continued. That’s because of dedicated individuals! This hop is brought to us by seasoned wrangler Jay Cassels and new wrangler Sharron Bassanti. Is it me or were double letters required to wrangle this ODD ASSOCIATIONS hop? Hmmmm?

Um, it’s just me. The seasoned wrangler is actually Morgan Drake who has no double letters. Still, I’m leaving in my double letters because it makes me grin!

Yeah, it’s probably just me. But what our wrranglerrs asked of us was, ”
Share your Oddest, Most Interesting, Most Educational associations that you have adapted in your divination practice. Have you discovered yourself reading for circus clowns, disgruntled teenagers, aliens from outer space, or a herd of cats? “

Really? They want me, queen of the weird shit, to answer that? Twice? (You will also see me on my WitchesandPagan.com blog if you do the whole hop. I hope you will. And please? Leave comments? That’s all we ask of you. Even if it is just “Arwen is making me leave a comment.” Thanks!

I have a metric shit ton of weird stories. True weird stories. Stories you just can’t make up. Let’s start with the missing baby one, shall we?

Psycho? Did someone say Psycho? Mother? Mother?

First, I worked on a 1-900-Psycho line. Sorry, Psychic. My mother and sister loved calling it a psycho line. And I loved them for it. They have my humor. Not everyone does.

Back to the missing baby. I took a call from a woman who was worried about getting pregnant. She talked about her two miscarriages. I did a reading. We discovered that guilt was blocking her. I told her she might want to do a grief ritual. When she said she wanted to know more, I gave her instructions that involved three candles, three stones, three offerings. (ASIDE: That ritual was shared with a friend who asked if she could use it in her book as a pet death/euthanasia ceremony. Of course I agreed! She even mentioned me in her forward.)

Right…back to the missing baby. The woman stayed silent while I proscribed the ritual to her. I assumed she was writing everything down. Well, she was, but she had a huge question for me at the end.

“Why did you say three of everything? I told you I’d had two miscarriages.”

I was stunned into silence (which is also an oddity in the life of this Aquarius rising.) “Ummmm, I guess I heard you wrong?” I answered even though I knew I hadn’t.

That’s when she said, “No, I don’t think you did. I didn’t tell you about the first baby I lost. I had an abortion…”

WHAT?

THUD. You could have knocked me over with a feather. I was young. I had been reading on the line for about a month. This was one of my first instances of learning to trust what falls out of my mouth. Somehow I knew three was the number. That had come through me without me filtering it.

I never heard back from her. I can only hope that she now has the children I saw for her. They would be in college by now or graduated.

That’s my first odd story, but not my last. Keep on hopping to read everyone else’s odd associations.



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Please remember to leave a comment on each blog. And share some as well so your friends can come hop along. Seek joy, y’all. #seekjoyyall

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TarotBlogHop: Imbolc 2018 Brighid’s Blue Moon

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Hey, y’all. Welcome to the TarotBlogHop for Imbolc 2018. Our intrepid wrangler is my friend, Aisling. She is an extraordinary woman. Aisling’s challenged us with a triple spread. Before we start, did you know that the Tarot Blog Hop’s first hop was Imbolc 2012? Yep, it’s been that long!

Here’s what Aisling says,

“We are calling this Hop “Brighid’s Blue Moon”. This festival is a “trifecta”, a combination of three significant events on a single date. February 1st is “Imbolc”, meaning “In the Belly”, the festival dedicated to Brighid of the Three Fires, who brings life back to Land, Sea, and Sky after winter’s doldrums have passed. But on Imbolc Eve, the day before the festival, we will see a Full Moon, which is also a Blue Moon, the second Full Moon in a calendar month. Therefore, we are celebrating a “Solilune”, a combination of a Solar and Lunar Festival, and it’s dedicated to a Deity who Herself is represented in Her Celtic realm by three Elemental locations, Land, Sea, and Sky, and three characteristics of the Inner Flame, Poesy, Smithcraft, and Healing, as well as shedding her beneficent influence on three areas of human life, Body, Mind, and Spirit . This day also represents a Secret Gift of Spirit, the Blue Moon, representing those things that are rare and precious–after all, they only happen “Once in a Blue Moon”. Therefore, we will be creating a pattern of triplicity in our draw and layout for this Hop. “

The spread itself is amazing in its depth. There are three parts with three cards each. I really didn’t think I had the time to do this spread. A nine-card layout means work for me. When I am doing my email readings, I’m going deep into the readings. I don’t generally have time/make time for this type of reading for myself. Still, it keeps nudging at me so I think I shall do all nine. I won’t share images of the cards (well of all the cards) but I will share what I draw. How much I share of my insights will be guided by what I pull. I am going to use

1) The Foundation: You will draw three cards, one representing Land (Body), one for Sky (Mind) and the third one for Sea (Spirit). These will indicate for you the physical, mental, and emotional/spiritual focus of your year-to-come. These cards honor the Solar Festival of Imbolc and the Three Fires of Brigid.

Gain Tarot Seven of Fire

  • Land (Body) is the Eight of Earth. This is the card of the apprentice, the journeyman, and the master. I am working on some health-related things so this makes sense as a physical card. Learning about what I can and can’t do.
  • Sky (Mind) is the Seven of Fire. Interestingly this is the card I call Brighid at the Forge. A woman blacksmith hammers out the iron. Water waits to quench the hot iron while the forge glows hot for the next heating session. It is an endless cycle–this making. My mind understands that learning will take me from the fire to the anvil, to the water and back again.
  • Sea (Spirit) is the Nine of Earth. Here is Joanna herself (she is the creatrix of the Gaian Tarot) standing in a field of lavender. She is smiling as representative of the successful woman this card traditionally holds. My spiritual pursuits are blessed, I think.

2) The Construction: This Moon, according to the Celtic Tree Calendar, is the Full Rowan Moon. This tree is sacred to Brighid, and represents “Protection from Evil Enchantment”. It is considered a Guardian, a Guide, and a Gateway, so that we may be safely sheltered and receive direction as we walk down the new path of the year. So the three cards you draw for the second level, the Lunar energy of the year, will represent the answers to the following three questions: What is the energy of the new path that presents itself? From what will I need protection on this journey? What energies of my own or of spirit will guide and protect me?

  • What is the energy of the new path that presents itself? The Explorer of Water surfs in. In class today (I’m taking a class on two Adobe products) we worked on a project that featured a surfer. I was very confused as my program wasn’t set up right so I kept getting behind. I was so frustrated. But here is the surfer again, reminding me to ride the waves. The new path may be bumpy, but if I follow my heart and love the ride, I’ll be fine.
  • What will I need protection from on this journey? Ah, the Two of Air with the little birds chirping away in the background. Hello, little voices in my head telling me I can’t do this. Hello, little souls in my world trying to tell me I can’t do this. Whether it’s internal editors or external detractors, I must protect my heart from the naysayers.
  • What energies of my own or of spirit will guide and protect me? And the Seven of Water is a reminder to me to drink deeply from each dream. I have guides who will show me how to achieve all that I want to achieve…including the VBD.

3) The Surprise: Once in a Blue Moon, wonderful things come forth. Draw your final three cards connected with Body, Mind, and Spirit, in that order, to see what treasures the Universe has in store for you.

  • Body Treasures: Well that’s a bit dismaying to pull Lightning (Tower) for Body treasures. That sounds like a lesson that will teach me something very wonderful about my own body.
  • Mind Treasures: The Canoe (Chariot) is how to take charge of my own mind, how to direct my mind to create the tribe I want and need.
  • Spirit Treasures: Grin, hello Death. A transforming year it would seem with the Tower, the Canoe, and Death in my treasures realm. I fear I know what this might mean. I do hope I am wrong. But the Universe will show me the way as long as I keep my eyes open and my feet moving. It’s not just about staying on a path. It’s about forging one.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

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TarotBlogHop: Master List Imbolc 2017

This is the master list for the Imbolc 2017 Tarot Blog Hop. Thanks for stopping by. This list serves as a one-stop-shop to find your favorite bloggers or to deal with a broken link. We do our very best to make sure our links are good, but we aren’t perfect.

  1. Stacey Carroll
  2. Joy Vernon
  3. Jay Cassels
  4. Ingvill-Susann Kjørsvik
  5. Olivia Destrades
  6. Aisling the Bard
  7. Boglarka Kiss
  8. Meniscus TarotLink Not Working
  9. Arwen Lynch Poe
  10. Scott Rattigan
  11. Ania MLink Not Working
  12. Karen Sealey
  13. Alison Coals
  14. Chloe McCracken
  15. Joanne Sprott
  16. Morgan Drake Eckstein

Thanks for reading the posts. We love your comments! You honor us by sharing our words as well. Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Imbolc Awakening the heart

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Our blog hop wrangler, Joy Vernon, tasked us with this theme:

“…the still point of the center of the fixed stimulates germination and the awakening of the heart.”

I thought about it a long while. Thought I had a blog idea after someone attacked all Tarotists as abominations, but then I decided not to give that crazy any more space in my head.

I thought I might blog about saving a dog only to have to release it to animal control to be euthanizes. I opted to not burden you all with that sorrow.

Then last night just as I was going to bed, I realized what I wanted to share with you. My muse gifted me with a spread for you. I will do a reading for myself via video (below). Here is the spread.

Germination Spread

Seed: This card represents something you want. You can choose it intentionally by going through the deck until you see/feel/sense/know the card you need. Or you can draw it at random.

Soil: This card represents what surrounds your SEED. It is what supports this need of yours, this want. It is the nutrient-rich darkness that all ideas/dreams/whispers must exist in as it begins to burgeon with all your expectations and hopes.IMG_2016

Water: This card represents what you will have to do to bring your SEED to life. Here is your sweat, your salty tear, your moistened mouth as you wet your lips while you hunger for this SEED to burst forth into the light.

Sun: This card represents your heart, your heat, your very spirit. This is the warmth of your love, the heat of your desire, the brilliant inferno of lust for this SEED you have planted.

Time: This card represents what you will do while you wait. Waiting is a part of all things in life–especially growth. We cannot force things into being. We cannot reach beneath the soil to firmly yank the small green sprout upwards. But while we wait for our SEED to grow, there are things that we can do.IMG_2015

I invite you to do your own germinating as you continue your hop through the kickoff of our fifth year of the Tarot Blog Hop. This started as a seed itself. A discussion on Facebook led me to asking a question that then led me to inviting others to join me on a group exploration of one question. You can see that here.

Here is me doing my own Germination reading. (don’t forget to come back to continue the hop, y’all.)

And please? Leave comments as you go. Share the posts that speak to you. We do this as a community for you and for ourselves. Comments tell us you were here. Sharing tells us we touched you on some level.

May your seeds grow. May you find the courage to weed out the ones that don’t have strong stems. May your year bring you all the joy you deserve.

zentangle_seekjoySeek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

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TarotBlogHop: Imbolc

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Oracular Anomalies is the subject we’ve been given for this Tarot Blog Hop. Did you know that this is the beginning of the fourth year of this? I’m so pleased that what started as a community-building exercise has gone on for this long. We’ve seen so many amazing voices join this chorus. I’m blessed to be a part of such a vibrant community. Like to join us? Go here.

As I thought about the topic, I had to look up the definition of anomaly. I had a good concept since I am a child of the original Star Trek series. “Mr. Spock, what do you make of it?” “It’s an anomaly, Captain.”

One of the definitions is “strays from common rules or methods.” Right. I see this a lot. Many consultants, readers, coaches, whatever name we want to call ourselves, try to set ourselves apart by pointing out how different we are. How we are anomalies in a sea of anomalies.

I mean, let’s face it. How do you stand out in a crowd of unusual? This is the thing that has my mind buzzing right now. There’s an inherent part of me that loathes promotion by demotion. By that I mean the need to sing my praises by putting down someone else. Or a group.

It’s something I work at but by the very nature of the beast, I fail at. For instance, I see someone on the Book o’ Face who is bitching about how he doesn’t like so-and-so doing something. But he doesn’t say this TO so-and-so. He says it to a locked down group of friends.

I get upset about him not saying something to so-and-so. I go to my Book o’ Face to post. My post says those who don’t go to the source are perpetuating the problem.

Um, Arwen? You just did the same damned thing.

So I’ve just stood out for the wrong reason. Back to anomaly me. How do I stand out in this fabulously flawed fellowship? Without putting down others? Is it even possible in our world of “my detergent cleans better than yours?”

Well this is a divination hop, right? Let’s ask the Tarot.

Anomaly Spread

1. What area am I most unique?
2. How can I play up that uniqueness?
3. How can I stand out the best?

Using the Chrysalis Tarot (U.S. Games Systems, Inc.) I got cards that made me smile.

Chrysalis Tarot
Chrysalis Tarot

1. The Pilgrim is how I am most unique.

2. The Poet is how I should play up that uniqueness.

3. The Mime is how I can stand out the best.

Without further commentary on these cards, I’ll just say, “MOOOOMMMMM! The Universe is mocking me again.”

If you have input on these three cards, feel free to let me know. I need to go practice my “I’m in a box” routine.

Please enjoy today’s TarotBlogHop. Use the links below to navigate your way around. If you get lost or find a broken link, use the Master List link to find the next blog.

As always, seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

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I Got Fired!

Arwen Lynch, professional joy seeker, shares what getting fired means to her.

In this year’s Imbolc Tarot Blog Hop there were a number of intriguing spreads presented. The one I kept coming back to was from Chloe of Inner Whispers Tarot. She’s a talented reader in the UK. Her original spread with her own reading using this deceptively simply spread is here.

I kept hearing a song by Emerald Rose called “Fire In The Head” which is a reference to a shamanic practice. The chorus runs like this:

Fire in the head…I’m a flame in motion
Fire in the head…I’m a sword that’s sharp
Fire in the head…I’m a drop in the ocean
A shield in battle and a string in a harp.
Fire in the head…I’m an eagle soaring
Fire in the head…I’m a spoken word
Fire in the head…I’m a torrent pouring
A grain of wheat and a cauldron stirred.
Fire in the head!
Found onBending Tradition,Emerald Rose,2000

A side note of excitement! Emerald Rose will be playing at the Oscars party for the Peter Jackson movie, The Hobbit, in just a few weeks. If you like kick-ass music with a Celtic flair, you need their music. Trust me on this one. NEED THEIR MUSIC. 😀

Now on to the spread for me. I got surprised by my cards (big surprise, NOT). The transitioning and absolutely literalness of how they move from one to the next is typical for me with this deck. It is my personal reading deck, the Gaian Tarot. It is not uncommon for this deck to be so literal as to be funny. And I’m not the only reader that finds this to be true of the lovely Gaian.

Fire In The Belly Spread by Chloe McCracken

    • What is the fire in my belly? Seven of Fire

      Click for full
      Click for full

I know you, Woman at the forge. I see you creating something stronger by hammering it out.

I also see her as the ultimate multi-tasker. Still here in this moment, I see her focused on what she is doing. The flame seems important in this reading. It i reaching up like a dancer. Do you see the arms reaching up there? That imitates a drawing I just did in a therapy group. A figure rising up glowing and growing. The blacksmith has intention in every blow, every strike of the hammer. None of them should go astray or it can meen more work. That’s important I think.

I have this sense of urgency about some things that I need to do. Creating a Professional Joy Seeker’s course is one of those. I want to do teleseminars where I gather with like-minded humans who simply want to seek joy. Who understand that negativity exists but we don’t have to feed it by focusing on it.

The fire in my belly is about what I am intentionally creating. Yes.

    • How can I stoke the fire? Elder of Earth

      Click for full
      Click for full

What a great card to follow the blacksmith. Now we move to the calm, confident King of Earth who is using what she has to make something new. I see her as the woman who helped the ewes at lambing, then sheared the wool, carded and cleaned the same wool and is now spinning it into yarn. The shawl she wears is wool she produced and even dyed before crocheting it into something to wear. She understand the value of seeing a project through from start to finish. Not a micromanager, but someone who is involved.

I must be involved. I must make sure my focus is on the project at hand and not rabbitting all over the place. I have a serious case of monkey mind at times. It’s one of the reasons I practice the art of Zentangle to quiet my mind.

But to create this Professional Joy Seeker’s course, I need to understand things from the ground up. I need to investigate the tools that will be necessary for this. I must step into the shoes of the confident and calm Elder of Earth.

    • What bright flame will spring from it? Explorer of Fire

      Click for full
      Click for full

Now how about them apples, y’all? From the hard-at-work, single-focus blacksmith to the productive spinner to the fire dancer. Now do you see what I mean about this spread being deceptively simple? So many three card spreads skim the surface, but this one? No, not this one.

The bright flame that will spring from the fire that I am stoking in my belly is me as a leader of joy seekers. I see me dancing forward just shimmering with energy. Magnetic, visible, follow-me, dance-with-me, joy all around.

But this also tells me that I need to make sure my energy is focused on the right things. I do have a tendency to go off course a bit there. I want to do it all.

But the blacksmith, the weaver and now the fire dancer all know one secret.

Focus on what you are doing. Keep your intentions clear. Don’t get spread out too far.

And look at this… Earth surrounded by fire. Earth warmed and protected by flames. I can certainly live with this.


This is a valuable lesson I learned from the eBusiness Goddess course I took last year. It really made me look at what I do and how I do in a completely different way. What I love about this course is that it doesn’t assume you work an 8-5 traditional business. I guess you could say it freed me of some long-term blocks I had about what “real” business is.
kit

Thanks again to the brilliant Tarotist, Chloe, for this fabulous spread. It’s made a difference in my life today.

Gaian Tarot, Joanna Powell Colbert, Limited Edition (less than 150 left)

Krysten Barnes’ Candle Spread

Continuing on with my exploration of the spreads shared in our Imbolc Tarot Blog Hop, here is Krysten Barnes‘s offering. I used the Mary-El Tarot for this spread as part of my exploration of this, dare I say it, Continue reading “Krysten Barnes’ Candle Spread”

Carolyn Cushing’s Winter Into Spring Spread

Here is my second spread I have chosen from the very enlightening Imbolc Tarot Blog Hop. We are already gearing up for Ostara where I will be a participant while Donnaleigh delaRose takes on the organization. And I think we have our Beltaine organizer already.

As I said in this post, there was a plethora of spreads. Well, I may not have said that exactly, but there were. This one is from Carolyn Cushing who used the Continue reading “Carolyn Cushing’s Winter Into Spring Spread”

Barbara Moore’s Imbolc Spread

New spreads AND a new deck? I decided to start with the spread from the blog after mine. The talented Barbara Moore shared her vision of “how to be a better candle.” That included this simple three card spread.

On 1/31/2012, we had our first Tarot Blog Hop. Thanks to everyone who came by as well as to all the amazing Tarot bloggers who participated. One thing that was very apparent is that we are talented bunch of spread designers. There were a slew of new spreads. My fingers literally ITCHED to try some.

Then I got a new deck for review when I checked my mail. What more could the Universe hit me with? Continue reading “Barbara Moore’s Imbolc Spread”