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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

Today’s card is from another brand new deck from Schiffer. This time it’s the Healing Tarot by Juno Lucina and Monica Knighton. I’m a huge fan of Monica’s work. She happens to be here in Austin so I’ve had the distinct pleasure of meeting her once at an event (and snatching up some of her wearable art!)

I’m really torn on how I feel about this deck. On the one hand, it’s black and white which I love. On the other hand the images seem to be lacking something.

However, as I study this card more, I find that what is lacking is me. It’s not that there is no color. It’s that I am not filling in the color in my head. Once I start doing that, this card comes to life.

I love the small things on this card. There are three mushrooms (which I think might be the poisonous angel’s cap). Those remind me that a loving relationship has bumps. It has things that need to be negotiated and navigated.

There is so much to adore in this card. The children at play. The loving parents watching. And it looks as if those parents are discussing expanding something to me. That’s the energy of the 10 of Cups here. Expanding happiness. Letting it spill out and grow.

So my challenge to you today is to take three minutes to examine your current happies. Where can you expand them? Where can you allow them to spill out so they can grow even more?

Three minutes is only 180 seconds. Can you commit to that? Let me know in the comments (and let me know where you are expanding!) I love hearing from you.

For me, the first thing that comes to mind is my tangling work. I know it makes me happy. And, grin, I know where I want to expand it. We shall see if that works.

The more I look at this deck, the more I love it. Just so much to see in each card. Lovely.

Seek joy, y’all. Expand your happiness. Pass it on.

10 of Cups, The Healing Tarot, Schiffer Books, 2013 [AFF]

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

Will You Camoflage Today?

Today’s card is from a brand new oracle deck from Schiffer. It’s the Maori Oracle {aff| by P.A. Minnell. This is one of those decks where you actually DO need the book. 😀

“Sickness. Take better care of yourself and allow those around you to know their preciousness.”

My random draw is an interesting one since I am on my way to the doctor today. Have to discuss my back.

This card represent an animal thought to be a representative of the Maori God of Evil, Whiro.

So today let’s hold on to the knowledge that we are ambassadors of our own health. We have to know when to reach out to ask for help. We are fully in charge of taking care of us.

I do NOT believe illness is a choice. I do believe it is a manifestation of the world we live in. Sometimes our bodies are forced to live with other people’s poor choices. And sometimes it is our own poor choices. 😀

But this card also makes me think of the little anoles that run everywhere here in Texas. Most call them chameleons because they have the ability to change their color, but anole is the right name.

How will you change your color today? How will you manifest your own perception of your inner self in the outer world? Will you choose to camoflage or stand out? Either choice is right because it is your choice.

Today I choose to not blend in. Today I choose to be who I am as I see myself. Today I choose to live for me and to know my own preciousness.

Ngarara, Maori Oracle, Schiffer [aff]

Tarot+Food: King of Wands Spicy Jumbled Unstuffed Cabbage Stuff

So today’s card is a discussion on why I think the King of Wands likes spicy food. He’s the king of the fire suit for one but he’s also the passionate man who would be willing to wing it when he had to. Not the steady King of Pentacles or the dreamy King of Cups or even the logical King of Swords.

No, this is our guy who is into innovation and isn’t upset when things don’t go as planned. And that’s pretty much what happened with my dinner the other night.

Let me set the stage. I saw this recipe on Facebook that sounded divine. It had everything I liked in it–meat, tomatoes and cabbage. As I’ve pointed out before, I’ve got enough German in me to consider cabbage one of the four food groups. In fact, my Queen of Swords recipe is my mother’s cabbage Au Gratin.

So I read the recipe, write down what I need. I go to the grocery store. The HEB I go to is GINORMOUS, y’all. As in freaking huge. And my back was already hurting when I go there.

So now you have some clues as to what happens next. I get everything I need then realize I didn’t get the tomato sauce that was in the orginal recipe. I decide that I probably had tomato sauce. Yes, I firmly nodded in the aisle. I was certain to have sauce.

Cut to my kitchen where I basically UNLOAD an entire cabinet to discover I have tomato paste but no sauce. My stepson valiantly restocked and looked again. No sauce. SAD FACE?

NO! Not for the intrepid cook that I am. Most recipes end up being bones that I build on anyway. So I winged it. Along the way I also added some Siracha, more garlic, a completely different kind of tomato and extra water.

Oh, I also switched up the meat to a slightly healthier version that used half beef and half turkey. It turned out delicious! I had plenty to put away for leftovers too.

So here is my version of this Facebook recipe. I’ve renamed it in honor of the King of Wands who would have been right there beside me–improvising.

The King of Swords Spicy Jumbled Unstuffed Cabbage Stuff

Ingredients:

1 pound lean ground beef
1 pound lean ground turkey
2 T oil (I used a pepper flavored olive oil)
1/2 large sweet onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 T siracha sauce
1 small cabbage, chopped
3 cans (10.5 oz) tomatoes with green chiles
1 can (8 ounces) tomato paste
2.5 cans water (tomato cans)
1 T ground black pepper
1 teaspoon sea salt

Preparation:

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add the ground beef and turkey and onion and cook, stirring, until meat is no longer pink and onion is tender. Add the garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute. Stir in the siracha and cook one more minute

Add the chopped cabbage, tomatoes, tomato sauce, pepper, and salt. Bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cabbage is tender.

Yield: Serves 6 to 8.

I hope you try this out. If you aren’t a spicy fan, you can leave out the siracha, cut back on the garlic and use 2 14.5 cans of tomatoes. 😀

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

King of Swords, Mary El Tarot, Schiffer Books

Food pic by Arwen. 😀

Tarotscopes for May 26 – June 1, 2013

This week’s Tarotscopes for May 26 – June 1, 2013.

AQ PgPent Reach for what you want. Growth potential is HUGE but take baby steps. Have you actually ASKED for what you want? Do that.
PIC 9Pent Rx Hard work for you,dear. No stopping to smell the roses now. Get your butt in gear. Working shoes not party shoes!
ARI QPent Rx HEY! Guess what? It’s not your job to take care of everyone 24/7. Do something for you. Make you happy 1st. Please you!
TAU HPS Inner reflection time. Quiet your mind. Meditate on what moves/frees yr spirit. Good wk for seeking out Higher Power.
GEM Emperor Use your head but make sure your heart is involved. Family needs overshadow personal needs. Be bigger.

I took this class last year. It changed not how I do business but how I view business. Come join other heartrepenuers in learning how to amp your business without selling your soul.

CAN Strength Sometimes the small show the way. Leaving your base isn’t permanent but you do need to focus on upward movement.
LEO Hanged There are times when you need to take a pass on busy. This is one of those. Make your goal letting go of mind/body clutter.
VIR PgCps Party on, dude. Let your inner teen out. Let your emotional guards down. It’s okay to tell them that you love them.
LIB AcePent Don’t be surprised by a new opportunity. Examine it carefully. Don’t refuse it without examining it. Hidden treasures.
SCO 2Cps Rx Not the best week to work on partnership issues unless you can focus on just that. Better to work on self stuff for now.
SAG 6Cps Rx Better to give than receive at least this wk. Extend yr heart. Others may be stingy w/ theirs. Don’t follow their lead.
CAP 7Pent Yes, your hard work IS paying off. A small break is okay but don’t harvest too soon. More growth coming. Patience!

Image is from Dream Raven Tarot by Beth Seilonen (Schiffer Books 2013).

Pre-order your copy of this gorgeous deck here. 5/28 release

Whom Do You Impersonate?

Today’s card reminds me that I need to tell y’all one of my guilty secrets. I see this card as a invitation to indulge in that secret. You want to know what the secret is?

I don’t know if I can tell you.

Let’s talk about this card instead. It’s from a 2012 Schiffer deck called the Lowbrow Tarot. It was a compilation of artists who each worked on one of the twenty two major arcana. I am not a huge fan of Majors only Tarot but have been given some great advice recently on how I might turn that around.

This deck runs the gamut from super dark to almost whimsical art. It truly is a miniature art gallery. Here is the Empress from this deck. She’s an unusual Empress to my way of thinking. More High Priestess with her cool gaze and chaste colors, this Empress seems to be challenging the onlooker.

I expect a few things from an Empress. This one doesn’t deliver on all things. She’s so subtle you almost miss that full belly. That’s pretty much a must for me. She must be fertile and show it. She holds something in her hand. Is it heart? A jewelry box?

No. It’s a very traditional symbol for the Empress–a pomegranate. But I have to wonder how she can hold that juicy fruit and not get a drop on her!

Her hair is braided to look like wheat which is a terrific touch. Her breasts are definitely full and her chair could be a throne. She’s portrayed outside which is another thing I like my Empresses to be.

At her feet are the thing that reminds me of that guilty secret.

Poppies, my pretty. Poppies.

Yes, it’s true. I have a fair-to-middlin’ impersonation of the Wicked Witch of the West.

SHOCKER!

I’ve also read every, I think, Frank L. Baum book in that series. I was seriously hooked on Oz as a young girl. I think TickTock of Oz is my personal favorite with Glinda’s book coming in at number two.

So what about you? Do you do any impersonations?

Oh! I can also do a Jimmy Cagney “you dirty rat” in sign language.

Yeah, I’m a special type of talented.

Your 180 second challenge today? For three minutes practice impersonations in the mirror. You have to do it until you laugh–hard. This is one I suggest doing with a pal because you can get them to do theirs as well.

This isn’t about doing it well.

It’s about doing it until you laugh.

Are you with me? You dirty rats!

Empress, Lowbrow Tarot: An Artistic Collaborative Effort in Honor of Tarot,Schiffer Books, 2012

Seek Joy, Y’all. Pass it on.

P. to the S. Want to become a radiant human being? Check out this online course (aff). I did it and loved it!

What Can I Drop?

Today’s card is a reminder that sometimes we are fighting the wrong battle. I’m not saying that we shouldn’t fight. Not at all.

I believe in standing up for what is right for me. I believe in telling someone to not send me hateful, racist jokes. I believe in telling someone not to waste their time baking me a coconut raspberry cake. I believe in shouting at someone for kicking their dog.

But I also believe that my joy is founded on two things. One is my “Eschew Hate” motto while the second is my “Bloom Where You Are Planted” slogan.

Does that make me a Pollyanna Sunshine? Probably and I’m more than happy to hold on to that name. I’ve earned it.

This weekend I had an opportunity to be kind where I could have been catty. I took the opening given to send love instead of nastiness or even worse–nothing.

I stood my ground but I stood it the way I wanted to stand it. Firm and positive.

This crow seems to be a bit tied up. The albino snake (looks like a corn snake to me) is definitely in the winning position. The crow’s sharp beak could easily pierce the snake’s skin to escape.

But instead, he’s holding on to the gem.

Why? Why hold on to that when letting go of it would free him from the coils?

Why indeed.

Why do we hold on to the “I’m right. You’re wrong.” when letting go of it releases that other person from our world? If we have nothing to prove to them, why don’t we just let them go?

For your 180 seconds today, I’m asking you to let go of someone. You know who I mean. That person who is no longer your friend. That person who you still check in on virtually or via friends just so you can rub salt in your own wound.

Three minutes. Let them go. Free yourself.

Seven of Swords, Mary-El Tarot, Schiffer Press, 2012

I forget to announce the winner of the $10 Gift Card!

Vanessa Terrell! You win.

And Linda Ursin, you win the fifteen minute reading!

How Do You Walk Your Path?

Each path is the same distance apart. From this angle some paths are closer to Enlightenment than others. But if we change our perspective…if we look at it from someone else’s side, those distances will shift, won’t they.

Today’s card is such an unusual version. My normal stock starting interpretation works, but there are other places to go with this one.

Traditionally the Wheel of Fortune is the card of opportunity and the card of fate. The idea is that the wheel turns regardless. It’s up to us to grab the right section. And the Gods know I’ve grabbed the wrong one more than a time or two.

What I love about this Wheel is that the woman is not only blindfolded but also on a ship. Is she coming or going? Is she the figurehead of the boat? Is her sight not important here?

The lotus in the center of the wheel is a lovely representation of Enlightenment. Eight spokes lead in…or do they lead out? The sparkling night sky lies beneath.

So many paths to Enlightenment. None are wrong as long as you are going towards Enlightenment and not away. Why am I capitalizing Enlightenment? I don’t know. It just feels right. Maybe in this post, for today, Enlightenment is God.

How you reach Enlightenment is not important to me. That you do reach it is. The how of it is one of those “not in my hula hoop” pieces. The why of it answers why I think we should always “Seek Joy, Y’all.”

Joy brings awareness of my place in the Wheel. That place is next to my Christian, Islamic, Hindu, Buddhist, Pagan, you-name-it co-seeker.

My place is not on the outer edge shaking my finger at those who don’t know the beauty of the Goddess and the God. It isn’t sitting online chastising those who can’t see the Eightfold Mysteries. It certainly isn’t dissing how someone else lives their spiritual life. (Caveat: hurting others isn’t spiritual and no Deity is down with that. I know that in my bones.)

So come walk the Wheel of Fortune with me. You take your path. I’ll take mine. We’ll meet in the middle. Who knows. Maybe the Wheel will turn and I will walk your path with you or you with me.

All I do know is that I am glad you are here reading this. I am glad you have reached me today. May your personal path be blessed with joy and gladness. May you attain Enlightenment however that looks like on your personal walk through this life.

I’d love to hear how you are walking your personal path today.

The Wheel Of Fortune, Mary-El Tarot, Schiffer 2012

Seek Joy, Y’all! Pass it on.

One week left to get your 2013 Create Your Incredible Year Workbook+Planner. Still holding out? Why? It’s just a tool to help you on your personal path. 😀

What Path Do You Take?

Today’s card is not the front but the back of an intriguing oracle deck from Schiffer. I just got it. The pack really appeals to me for all the things to see.

This is from the Star Road Map cards. Look at all the paths and places to go on this. Just on the back. The cards themselves are quite different so I’ll be playing with them a bit as I learn them.

I wanted to show you some other paths to take as well. Here are just a few of the blogs I read on a regular basis.

are just four of my current favorites.

Where do you like to wander when you are on the web? Share your favorite blog in the comments. Feel free to leave other Tarot blogs. 🙂 I’m not so silly that I think I’m the only one.

And ask yourself this question today.

What if your life’s purpose were simply to seek joy?

How hard would that be?

Check out this Divine Dreaming Meditation.

And don’t forget! If you want my Fairy Tale Tarot Spreads eBook, get this workbook to help create your most incredible year ever and then let me know so I can send you the link for the eBook.