The Dark Side Of The Sun: Tarot Blog Hop: Lammas

It’s not that I hate the sun…Joanne’s blog hop theme just made me look at things a bit differently.

Joanne asks: So, give us your take on the influence of the Sun and/or Mercury in the Tarot or your favorite oracle deck. Pick a specific themed deck or go for one of the basics, talk astrology, or not, your choice. Tell us about a card or a spread that illustrates the properties associated with these celestial objects. There are various possibilities, particularly with Mercury, but there are also deities in different mythologically themed decks besides the Sun card (although you could also go there) that could shed some light on that symbol as well. Do a little research, consult your intuition, and teach us. 😉

First, welcome to our Tarot Blog Hop. If you want to join us, come find us on Facebook. We’d love to have other community-minded bloggers!

[Tweet “Hooray! It’s #tarotbloghop day. Sun, Mercury + 18 bloggers. Fascinating stuff, y’all.”]

Joanne’s theme was hard for me. I am going to have to confess something here. I am not a Sun lover. I don’t like summer. I rejoice at Litha because the long hot days are going to be over eventually. Mabon is one of my favorite Sabbats because it is the harbinger of fall. I. Do. Not. Like. Hot.

Except in food, that is. Spicy food makes me happy. 😀 Burned flesh does not. I’ve had 2nd degree burns from the sun due to my Casper like coloring. We joke that I have two colors–white and red. Oh and that lovely in-between peel.

So the Sun to me is not always a good thing. In Tarot, it tends to be one of those cards that most see in a very positive light. I’m going to turn that around to discuss the dark side of the Sun. Yes, with a spread. 😀

First a few words about these shots of the sun. I took all of these the last days of July and the first days of August 2015. I shot them with an iPhone 6 using the app Hipstamatic. I’m taking an EXCELLENT eCourse with Mellissae Lucia. You should definitely check it out. So much fun and not a bunch of Fstop this etc. Very intuitive stuff. Nest iPhone Image Adventure starts in September. Don’t worry Android users…Vintage is a very fun app for your phones. Someone in this class is doing it with her Droid. I’ll be in the next class too. Join me.

Dark Side Of The Sun

1. Sunburn: What are you overexposed to right now? What do you need to limit in your life?

2. Burnout: What is taking up too much of your energy right now? What do you need to pay attention to as an energy sinkhole?

3. Drought: Where are you not getting enough “juice” in your life? What do you need to get more of in order to thrive?

4. Solar Flares: Who or what seems to be flaming out of control in your world? Can you do anything about it or do you just need to set firmer boundaries?

5. Heat Exhaustion: What are you doing too much of? This is most likely a physical activity. Or it is something you are not doing enough of.

It’s not that I hate the sun. I’m just not its biggest fan. Now hop on to the next blog to see what my neighbor has to say.

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Purpose of Life? It’s Simple

Make things happen. You have the tools you need. Gather up your will and do things.

Today’s thought is brought to us by one of my clients who asked, “What is the purpose of being here? What’s the end game?”

We had just had a rather mundane session about work, relationships and the like. I was quite taken aback by the question. This is a regular client of mine so I felt like I knew what to expect from our Tarot conversation.

The Universe gave me a wake up call. We pulled the Magician as the answer to the question.

[Tweet “Make things happen. You have the tools you need. Gather up your will and do things.”]

That was the message we both received. The purpose of being here? To get things done by using the tools we have.

Seems pretty simple, but is it? There’s a book I love by Mike Dooley aka TUT. It’s about manifesting change. Do you have this one? What do you think of it if you do own it?

Also, I’d like to know what are your thoughts about this answer to the question of “what is the purpose of being here?”

Ready to map out your road trip to joy for 2015? I am too! If you want to kickstart 2015 the right way, let’s get going. Limited openings, y’all!

Today’s affirmation:
I will. I am. I have. I am willing to have all the goodness I deserve. I am willing to have all the joy life brings. I am willing to be open to the beauty that surrounds me. I have. I am. I will.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

The Magician, Gaian Tarot, Joanna Powell Colbert

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TarotsCopes for September 28 – October 4, 2014

[Tweet “Whoa! Check out your TarotsCope this week. What did it say?”]

CARD OF THE WEEK: SAGE OF CUPS Hold on to your emotional control. Don’t let others rock you. Time to be your own captain, darlings!

AQUARIUS NINE OF PENTACLES Success! Take a moment to compare you now to you five years ago. Count your blessings. You may need a bigger sheet of paper.

PISCES JUDGMENT Level up. This is about understanding how you’ve grown. Open up to your new place on this spiral of life.

ARIES MAGICIAN What can you do? Why anything you set your will to, that’s what. Unusual tools make themselves known this week. Use them.

TAURUS DEVIL Sometimes you have to give in to the temptations to relax. Physical pleasures are okay but do not overindulge. That’s a bad habit.

GEMINI SIX OF PENTACLES Generosity can transform a life. Reach out to others to help them see how they can expand their life.

CANCER SEEKER OF SWORDS Careful. The battles you choose this week could turn into epic wars–long ones. Try to be less ready to fight.

LEO FOUR OF PENTACLES Money may not be as available this week. That’s okay. You know how to make a budget and stick to it. Please do that.

VIRGO SEVEN OF CUPS Let yourself do a little daydreaming. Look to the future you want to have. Start making choices to get yourself there.

LIBRA TEN OF SWORDS When you feel at your lowest, look to your friends to help out. One person may be trying to undermine you. Avoid them.

SCORPIO SIX OF CUPS Old friends renew ties. Memories may bring pain, but look for the best parts to ease that.

SAGITTARIUS EMPRESS Creativity blossoms for you. Take up a new craft or go back to one that brought you joy. Sink into self-care this week.

CAPRICORN SIBYL OF WANDS So much needs to be done this week. You need to remember one word to survive. DELEGATE Hire a personal assistant!

World Spirit Tarot, U.S. Games Systems Inc. (OOP)

NaNoWriMo with me! I’m TarotByArwen there. I’ll be using my own eCourse to succeed! You can join me there too.

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Affirmations+Whales

Affirmations + Whales — I’m blogging over at SageWoman today. Come see me!

[Tweet “Join me at my SageWoman blog today to discuss priestesses and whales.”]

Today’s affirmation and post can be found here. I am blogging over at SageWoman today.

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Risking Life+Limb

What’s a mouse to do when a snake is looking right at them?

[Tweet “What’s a mouse to do when a snake is looking right at them?”]

#affirmation Some will hate today’s card, I’m sure. Me? I love it. It captures the message beautifully. What’s that message? Oh the one of taking risks, leaping without looking and assuming all is possible despite the odds.

Yep, it’s the Fool. And what an interesting fool it is! Here is a field mouse ready to take off on his or her next great adventure. The traditional stick features a flower as a bag. The cliff? Well that’s a snake. A boa from the looks of it. I love that the snake has moss and growth on it to represent the leap from security into the unknown.

Will the mouse make it? Will the snake win this time? Only the jump will answer that question.

Terrific interpretation of the Fool card. Swartz nailed this one. There’s danger and optimism clearly detailed here. I think this has to go on my top ten list of favorite Fool cards.

Today’s affirmation:

I am a fool. I am my own best friend. I encourage myself to take risks and make leaps of faith. I trust in the path I have chosen. I know that I will survive whatever is in front of me. Loved and loving, I love each of you.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

The Wooden Tarot, http://www.skullgarden.net/art/the-wooden-tarot/

#affirmations
#dailyaffirmation
#tarot
#seekjoy

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

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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.

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Moths, Skulls + Selfies

Check out the cool interpretation of the Magician card by @gardenskull. New selfie #tarot deck.

[Tweet “Check out the cool interpretation of the Magician card by @gardenskull. New selfie #tarot deck.”]

So today’s card is from a brand new selfie deck. Selfie as in self-published–I amuse myself.

A.L. Swartz, aka @gardenskull, has created an intriguing deck. There are a few things that are holding me off from adoring it, but I’m working through them. I’ll do a full video review in a month or so.

One thing that I love? Moths.

It’s true. I am a fan of moths. The Luna moth, in particular, holds a very special place in my heart. I’ve seen one once when I was young. I was made to think that it was a very rare thing. Since I’ve only seen one other, I’ll have to hold on to that thought.

Swartz has chosen to use the Luna moth as his magician. With feathery antennae pointing up and the lower wings folded to point down, he’s captured that piece of the Magician nicely. The lemniscate is below in the form of a twining vine where you can also see a bit of binding holding the moth’s wings together.

There are enhanced eyes on the wings and if you look closely, you will see a second set of eyes hidden. A skull adorns the soft white fuzz as well.

This is, for me, a clever interpretation of the Magician. As above, so below is one of the phrases I need my Magician to evoke. This does that for me. It’s more the hidden eyes than anything else actually.

Which brings me to today’s affirmation:

Today I seek what’s hidden. Today the arcane paths open up to me. I step onto my path knowing I am protected. I invoke the elements to guard me as I proceed. Love and loving, I love each of you.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Magician, The Wooden Tarot, SkullGarden.net

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Bitch, Please: Talking To The Star

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

#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

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Assholerieness + Breathing

Others? Not so much. They snap. They lash out. They turn into control freaks or sodden masses of hysteria. Or they utilize alternative methods of therapy.

[Tweet “How do you manage someone else’s stress-induced assholerieness?”]
#affirmation Sometimes the people you love make themselves very unlovable. They exhibit assholerieness that could be the end of a relationship, if…

If you allow yourself to not see the person behind the curtain. If you forget to take in to consideration their circumstances. Everyone of us reacts to stress. Some of us do it with aplomb. We channel it and manage it beautifully.

Others? Not so much. They snap. They lash out. They turn into control freaks or sodden masses of hysteria. Or they utilize alternative methods of therapy.

Alcohol.
Drugs.
Television.
Computer games.
Shopping.

I tend to shop and lose myself in tv and books. What about you?

The Moon card is a card that reminds me to look at the illusion, to manage the emotional outpouring. It can speak to being overwhelmed by things beyond our control.

One thing that I do know is that it is damned difficult to not snap back when snapped at. I have learned that I have to look behind the temper. I have to assess what is really going on.

Are they mad at me or is this something brought on by stress? What are the extenuating circumstances?

Sometimes the only way I can manage my own innate need to protect myself against this unexpected anger is to withdraw. But that pulling back could hurt someone else.

So today’s affirmation is one way I deal with this pushmi-pullyu effect.

Today I breathe before I respond. I exist in this moment. My body, my mind, my heart are here for this particular now. I respond as I breathe –carefully and with the intention of healing. I forgive those who lash out. I protect myself from becoming an emotional punching bag. Loved and loving, I love each of you. Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Moon, Tarot of a Moon Garden, U.S. Games Systems Inc

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Family Ties

So I understand that I’m lucky, blessed, given a true gift when I can honestly say that I have blood and chosen family who are equally dear to me.

[Tweet “Today’s affirmation is from Magician card from the Fradella Adventure #Tarot.”]

Fradella Adventure Tarot Magician — Fradella Adventure Tarot

Today is about family–chosen or otherwise. I’m blessed. My blood family is pretty tightly knit. I’m friends with my cousins’ kids. I stay in touch with them (thanks Facebook). I love seeing how they are growing up with their own babies to raise.

And when their babies do something, I hear “Oh my God! They are just like…” and they name someone in my generation or before me. And I laugh. Because they are right. They are soooo right.

I don’t know if it is genetics or environment that gives us all the same warped sense of humor. Is it genetics or environment that makes us love one another no matter our religious preferences, our sexual preferences, any of our preferences.

Is it genetics or environment that makes us animal lovers to a fault? Why can I pick up the phone to talk to my cousin knowing she will get it. That she may not approve, but she wouldn’t ever stop loving me?

I know from talking to my chosen family (how lucky am I that I get to have both) that what I have with my blood family is not as commoan as it should be. That some of my chosen family got the proverbial shaft (with barbs and all) when it comes to their families.

So I understand that I’m lucky, blessed, given a true gift when I can honestly say that I have blood and chosen family who are equally dear to me.

I chose the Magician from the Fradella Adventure Tarot because I love that he is working on himself. And that is today’s affirmation, too.

I work on myself. I learn new things. I discard non-working attitudes. I open up my heart and mind so I will grow. I embrace my own willingness to move forward. Love and loving, I love each of you. Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Magician, Fradella Adventure Tarot, USGames 2002 (OOP sad face)

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Tag: Major Arcana