TarotBlogHop: What I Learned On My Not-Summer Vacation

Altar in progress featuring a bit of my Readers Studio swag.

Joy has asked us to discuss our thoughts on education and beyond. So I went to the Readers Studio in NYC to get something to write about. Okay, not really, but the timing was excellent.

First, let me preface this with a caveat. No teacher knows it all. No student can learn it all. But all knowledge must be absorbed. Cool? It’s a koan by Arwen. And I am sure it is not a new one in this universe.

I recently read a post by someone who had paid a significant sum of money to a teacher he found on YouTube. Then he discovered that this teacher had one small problem.

HE KNEW ALL THE ANSWERS TO EVERYTHING.

Doesn’t seem like a problem, right? Student wanted to learn. Teacher wanted to teach. Well, unless you are a tabula rasa, you already have some knowledge. Some of that is going to bump up against what someone else says. You have to learn what is yours to absorb and what is theirs to keep. However, this teacher told the student that everything they knew was pretty much wrong because it didn’t agree with his list of what’s right in the world of Tarot. This, people, is NOT a teacher. Run from those. Do not give them your money. Tell us who they are!

Back to Readers Studio. We were treated to a Divination Day (I chat about that on my other post in this hop–keep hopping to find it.) Then we got two days of main stage presentations, study groups, rituals, incubators, and breakfast talks. Please understand that there is utterly no way to do it all. I did less this year than I did last year. I did NO study groups. I went to bed or chatted with friends. And there were some amazing study groups this year.

So what did I do? I absorbed the mainstage presenters brains. Muahahahah. Ethony Dawn kicked us off on Friday with her Tarot Muses (book coming but don’t rush her. I’m doing that. 😀 ) I went so deep with this presentation. She gave us a spread to work with each of her Muses. I also got a copy of her book Your Tarot Court: Read Any Deck With Confidence . This book is a good one. I love her work with the courts as noble allies. I also had the chance to spend time with The Cartomancer’s design goddess and assistant editor, Bean! BONUS.

Then Saturday hit. Remember that there were study groups Friday night so here we all are a bit bleary-eyed (study groups, talking, or otherwise sleep-compromised.) George Koury is as funny as he is spiritual–and he is deeply spiritual. He gave us a handout on his Peter Pan spread that opened me up on deep levels. It is a deceivingly simple three-card (but four-question) spread. It is one I will be using with clients () because of the depth it created. It is on a simple, easy subject–life’s purpose.

Last, but not least, was Sasha Graham. Her body of work speaks for itself. Cartomancer readers were treated to an article by her recently. Her light and breezy topic was about the seven cornerstones as evidenced in the 7 of Cups. That pretty much blew my danged mind. We did writing prompts while creating a mandala. You know, the light kind of thing you want to do. LOL.

Each presentation contained such juicy nuggets of wisdom I will spend weeks if not months processing. I stopped taking notes after a bit just to absorb the lessons.

The learning didn’t stop there. It continued at breakfast with friends I’ve known and friends who were new this year. It went on in the hallways and elevators. I got so much from just hanging out with my colleagues (all those who attend are my colleagues) and close friends. Getting time to do a download with Ethony and Benebell was a highlight. I never get time with these two so it was a treat to steal off for a gabfest.

So to answer Joy’s questions…

What classes are you taking/recommending?
What are you doing to advance your knowledge/experience/abilities with tarot?
Joy Vernon

I went to Readers Studio 2019. I absorbed as much as I could. I carried home handouts. I walked out with books (gifts, people, gifts!). I enriched my world by opening up to other people’s gifts of knowledge. If you are curious about my download of RS 2018, here’s that blog. As you go hopping through this Beltaine/Beltane 2019 Tarot Blog Hop, please remember to leave a comment so we know you were there.

I am recommending Readers Studio and classes by any of the above teachers. Oh, by the way, if you leave me a comment here and/or on my other post in this hop, you will be in a drawing to win this deck. It’s part of my swag from Readers Studio that I want to share with you.

Here’s a picture of that swag. You will see art from Joanna Powell Colbert along with her Herbcrafters Tarot (pre-order on this link for a cool gift!), art from Monica Bodirsky, my amazing hamsa mandala from Heidi Strachan via the Boston Tea Room. Speaking of Heatherleigh Navarre, she suckered me into getting that darling crystal ball! I got books from Ethony Dawn and Theresa Reed as well as snagging a copy of the Alice Grist book from the swap table. My gorgeous hamsa piece and Ganesh bracelet are from Soultopia (owned by Michelle and Roger Welch who are HIGH up on my people I adore list.) And more! I know I’m leaving things out! Oh! Tori Hartman handed out cute little bags. And I got Gina Thies’ Tarot of the Moors (so excited about that!) The “I’m bossy” bag came from…c’mon Arwen, you know this… and the Vegemite was from Karin Dalton-Smith, the teacup lady.

In conclusion, don’t be that aforementioned teacher. Okay, now go hop!

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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…”

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.

Want to join my Inner Joy Seeker Tribe?
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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:Yule 2018 Wishing On A Star

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Thanks for hopping by. This ends our sixth year of the Tarot Blog Hop. Our wrangler for the 2017 Yule hop is Ania. She’s given us this for a topic:

Wishing on a Star

As we approach the final festival of the calendar year, we prepare for a time of feasting and drinking. Whether you are observing Yule, the winter solstice, Christmas, any other holiday, or just being able to down tools for a few days, it is a time for celebration and also for anticipation and wishes. With this in mind and before you fling yourself headlong into the spirit of seasonal over-indulgence, take a moment to reflect on what this year has brought you and what you wish for the next year to bring.

Which card(s) best represent or celebrate your past year and which best represent your wishes for the year ahead. You can either select the cards you think fit best, or draw them randomly and see what the Tarot thinks.

2017 has been a stellar (pun fully intended) year for me. I took some really big leaps of faith. One was moving to the Patreon platform. Another was buying The Cartomancer. Both were hella scary moves. For one choice I thought I would be vilified. For the other, I thought I would crash and burn. Of course, neither of those happened. This and other things were valuable lessons in how I have let fear take over my life in many areas. I’m a fearful person. I can point a finger at many reasons why, but when it comes down to it, the reason is staring back at me in the mirror. I allowed myself to think other people’s opinions were that important. Don’t get me wrong. I value (okay, crave) approval. But I put far too much weight on other people’s approval than on my own. I’ve made choices in my life based on how happy it would make someone else. Or how it might make them approve of me.

That bears repeating…I did things based on other people.

So the Patreon thing and the Cartomancer thing were terrifying. Both have approval ratings built-in. I’ve had some bumps with both but those have been minor. I think the person who has been hardest on me is, again, that face looking back at me in the mirror. She can be a really critical bitch. Still, she’s someone I know pretty well these days (talk therapy for the win.) So I know how to redirect her more easily. Because this year also saw me say yes to some pretty scary things like writing decks for USGames, putting my name in to present at NWTS, and publishing my first self-published book.

Taking it out of the micro and moving it into the macro, a whole lot went sideways in my world. Specifically, I developed a violent reaction to the number 45. This led me down a dark path where anytime anyone did anything to piss me off (traffic mostly), I muttered, “They voted for him.” I realized that was part of what the regime wanted. A Them vs. Us attitude. It lost me a few friends. I miss some of them. But it also led me to a very bright place full of activists, full of people who refused to be sucked into the quicksand of despair. People who held on to the idea of hope. That’s an ongoing good thing.

Now that’s some exposition for you, but what about the actual topic? What card or cards best represent the past year and which ones represent my desires for next year? Ania, I love this topic. It really made me dig into some things. I decided it would make a good combo spread where I draw a Tarot card then an Oracle card as the…I was going to say clarifier but here I think it will be the amplifier.

Reflections & Projections Spread

Past Year Card for reflection on the joy of the year
Past Year Card for amplifying that joy.
Past Year Card for reflection on the lessons of the year
Past Year Card for amplifying those lessons.
Coming Year Card for desires and projections.
Coming Year Card for amplifying those desires and projections
Quintessence of the Reading (this is the Mary K. Greer tip: Add all the cards up. Add them down to a number that is 22 or less. That is the drill-down of the reading–the Major Arcana that corresponds to that number.

Here is my own reading using the Gaian Tarot and Secret of the Mystic Grove.

Gaian Tarot (2011) Limited Edition by Joanna P. Colbert

Secrets of the Mystic Grove Deck (c) 2017 U.S. Games Systems Inc. Used with permission. No other rights implied

Joy of the Past Year Card: The Ten of Air is my card for reflecting on my joy. What an interesting card. Typically this is the Ten of Swords but here are geese flying. This is my own joy at achieving leadership but also at learning how to let others lead. It is not always necessary for me to do it all myself. By leaning on others this year, I’ve accomplished so much more.
What amplifies the joys of the Past Year Card: 14, Confidence. I love this card for its message of taking pride in myself. I can see how this plays in beautifully to the Ten of Air geese. I was able to be proud of what I’d accomplished where before I might have been falsely modest. But dammit, I bought a mother-effing magazine. I wrote three decks in one year. I rocked it.
Lessons of the Past Year Card: Whoooo boy does the Two of Earth ever hit home. I’ve always had choices. Often I’ve made the wrong one then beat myself up for that choice so much that I missed out on other things. I learned to make choices, reap the results, then move on. Pissed someone off? Okay. I apologized if necessary or cut ties otherwise (in cases where it wasn’t just a little tiff.) Choices.
What amplifies the lessons of Past Year Card: Ahhhh 2, Dreaming is a bit ouchy for me. Some of my dreams were upended by my choices. I needed to listen more closely to that voice in my head telling me what to say yes to and what to say no to. I hear you, Universe. Dreams need smart choices.
Desires for the Coming Year Card: I actually considered throwing this and the other two back in to start over. Surely 2018 would be better than the Ten of Fire, right? But it makes sense. I’m cutting back, cutting down, trimming away that which does not serve me. This card is about how a fire can destroy while at the same time create the potential for new growth. I’m down for that. I’ve already got my eye on some things that must go or must be redirected. Energy isn’t endless. I have to treat it as a renewable source and remember to renew it. That’s a desire for 2018. To be so creative that I have to let go of what doesn’t serve. Tenacity will play a major role in this.
What amplifies my desires for the coming Year Card: 9, Togetherness made me grin. Fellowship is HUGE on my list of things I need this year. One piece of that has already fallen into my lap courtesy of one of my Gaian sisters. This card features such a variety of animals–including another peacock. I am going to have to shake my tail but that’s okay. I will be gathering my tribe to me.
The quintessence of the Reading: Typically this is for Tarot numbering only, but since the Secrets of the Mystic Grove cards are numbered, I factored them in as well. I got 47 which is 4+7=11 so Justice is my Quintessence for this reading. Justice is my reminder to balance my inner with my outer, my desires with my husband’s, play and work, all those things we are told to balance. With Tenacity as my word of the year, I will add Balance. Because as much as I want to be dogged and fierce about my wants and needs, I must balance things as well.

I hope you have enjoyed this journey through my process. If you want to be notified about upcoming things like my expanded Journey to Joy class, please join my newsletter.

Now hop on to the next blog. Don’t forget to leave a comment so I know you were here.

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Spring! Tarot Blog Hop 2016

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Money Money Money and Tarot is our topic. That damned Ania was anti-bunny this year so she’s forcing us to talk about money and oracles. 😀 Okay, so she’s not really forcing us but I thought I’d whine a bit.

Money and this Pisces are not the best of friends. I am very fond of spending my money. My darling husband is more a fan of keeping the stuff. We usually find a common ground. But when we don’t? Oh good gods, y’all! It’s fireworks then–and I don’t mean the fun kind.

It’s the kind that breaks things. No, we don’t throw stuff, but trust and love can get damaged when money comes up.

While this isn’t a spread per se, these sets of questions are designed to get you talking to your partner (or partners if you are in a poly group). Use it as a springboard for fine tuning your own money relationships. You can use them for opening up communication. Please note that if you get triggered easily, you should find a good therapist to work with you and your partner. Money is one of the deal-breakers in many marriages.

(For Poly folk, just add a card after Person 1 and Person 2.)

Person 1: What is your biggest block around money?
Person 2: What is your biggest block around money?

Person 1: What is your biggest financial dream?
Person 2: What is your biggest financial dream?

Person 1: How do you relate to money?
Person 2: How do you relate to money?

Person 1: How do you want Person 2 to think about money within your relationship?
Person 2: How do you want Person 2 to think about money within your relationship?

You can create your own dialogues as well of course. Just stay open to the idea that you are exploring this with your other half. Don’t make it a war, please.

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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.

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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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TarotBlogHop: GIMMEGIMMEGIMME!

Join me for the Yule Tarot Blog Hop and your weekly TarotCopes.

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GIMME GIMME GIMME!

So I’m the wrangler for this Tarot Blog Hop. As we wrap up the third year of this community endeavor, I wanted to shine a light into the way we gift. Not give, mind you, but gift. Sometimes I think we see giving as an act of GIMME, GIMME, GIMME where everyone has their hand out. Everyone wants a piece of you. It can be overwhelming.

So I thought I’d turn the tables a bit to see what gifts I’ve been given and what gifts I’ve given. I asked the entire group blogging to all do the same spread. I called it The Joy Of Gifting.

[Tweet “Check out the #tarotbloghop + this week’s TarotCopes. GIMME! GIMME! GIMME!”]

From the call to join the blog hop:
Yule, Hanukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Solstice,Winter. Whatever you call this time of year, it is a season of gift giving, gift receiving and sharing with family and friends for a majority of the world. Whether Papa Noel brings you a candy cane or the Winter Witch brings you switches, it’s a time of anticipation. The anticipation of what I might be getting and what I am giving are equal joys for me. To that end, here is a spread for each of us to do.

The Joy Of Gifting Spread

Shadowscapes Page of Cups — Shadowscapes

What gift would you give the world if you could? I would give the world the Page of Cups‘ joyful outlook. Because this card speaks to me of youth and emotion and that fanciful thinking I know I indulged in, I would hold hands with each person I met and ask them, “Where do you think your bliss went? Where do you think your joy is hiding?”

It’s my life’s passion to help others rekindle their love affair with the world. There’s so much out there to be unhappy about that I think many of us forget to tally up the joys. The Page of Cups is that part of us who still jumps in puddles and laughs at dogs chasing their tails.

Shadowscapes King of Wands — Shadowscapes

What gift would you want from the world? Hello your royal highness! The King of Wands was a surprise for me. He’s such a passionate man always giving speeches and making sure the underdog has a voice. Then I realized that is the gift I want from the world.

Sometimes I lose my way. When I do, I’ve learned to ask my friends to help. Just the yesterday I had what I call a CR day. That’s when I’m CRanky, CRotchety and CRoss. So I asked my dear ones to share their joys with me.

And they did. And it worked. I found my path again.

Shadowscapes Five of Cups — Shadowscapes

What gift have you gotten that has brought you joy? When I saw the Five of Cups, I had to smile. There is sadness in this card with the overturned bowl and dead fish. But there is a joy in realizing that there is a bowl still whole.

The gift of knowing that even in sadness joy will come. That is the gift that has brought me joy this year. I understand that when I cry for what’s lost, I am cleansing my soul. I am making room for what’s coming.

What gift have you given that has brought you joy? HAHAHAHA! The Devil? Really Universe? I guess that’s true. I can be a bit of a burr under the saddle for those who dwell in nothing but negativity. I pick at them little by little showing them how that limits them.

And there is the idea that the Devil can be a card of ‘Calgon take me away’. I can’t remember who said that but it was someone in the Tarot world. So my gift that I’ve given in the guise of the Devil is the knowledge that it’s okay to play.

What is one last thing you would like to share about this season? King of Cups. Oh you handsome thing! He is my secret keeper as well as my compassionate soldier. In today’s world we are faced with so much ugliness. There are so many things to be genuinely outraged about.

I would share that the King of Cups knows how to fight battles without losing his humanity. He understands that rage and hatred can alter a person so that they don’t know themselves any more.

My last thing for you is a reminder to not let the world’s cruelties turn your own compassion into dust. Let your compassion be your shield even as outrage is your sword.

Before you go, here are this week’s TarotCopes for December 21-27, 2014

CARD OF THE WEEK: QUEEN OF PENTACLES Rule with compassion. By reviewing your roots you can see your future. Nurture your innate goodness.

AQUARIUS FOUR OF WANDS Organized chaos works for you. You know this. Embrace it. Home needs your passion so please focus. Structural changes.

PISCES HERMIT Study where you are. Open your heart to your place. Lonely doesn’t mean being apart. Reach out to those you feel a kindred spirit with.

ARIES QUEEN OF WANDS Time to show off a bit. Some may have forgotten how you shine. It’s up to you to remind them. Be gentle as you dazzle.

TAURUS STRENGTH When you know your own power, you don’t have to make a lot of noise. Outside praise isn’t as sweet as the song you sing to yourself.

GEMINI JUDGMENT There comes a moment when you must heed the call. You must rise up. You must sound your own clarion call to action. Rise Up.

CANCER QUEEN OF SWORDS Sometimes your mental focus makes you seem cold to others. That’s on them. Clarity of mind brings you incredible growth.

LEO WHEEL OF FORTUNE Do not be surprised by a gift given. Forgiveness is the gift you give yourself. Opportunities abound for you to show them.

VIRGO PAGE OF WANDS Playfulness is your guide. Learn a new game Play with others. Engage them in the seditious act of passionate living.

LIBRA THE WORLD If you could give a gift to the world, what would it be? Let it be your open heart, your loving soul. Experience life please.

SCORPIO HANGED MAN Take some time out for yourself. No need to sacrifice your quiet mind for the holiday chaos. Limit how much you indulge.

SAGITTARIUS SEVEN OF CUPS That mountain? It’s an out-of-reach dream ONLY if you stay stuck in what-ifs. Get started now. Time is fleeting.

CAPRICORN THREE OF CUPS Joy comes easily. Impromptu parties, old friends, new places combine to bring you a seriously happy week. Indulge a bit.

This week’s featured deck is the gorgeous from Llewellyn. A truly evocative deck that utilizes fanciful creatures in mesmerizing swirls of color.

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TarotBlogHop: Tarot & Tea & The Dead

A spread to contact the dead for today’s #TarotBlogHop. Blessed Samhain, y’all.

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Tea time?! This is what we get for having someone from across the pond. That darned Louise Underhill is our wrangler. Here is what she wants us to chat about.

The topic of the Samhain Blog Hop this time, is to discuss or show, via the Tarot or any other oracle, who you would invite to an afternoon tea on the Day of the Dead. What do you imagine they’d be like? What Tarot card (or cards!) would represent them? What would you ask them? What would you like to learn from them? Your “guest” can be living, or dead, but imagine them there and then represent them in a Tarot card (or more). [Tweet “A spread to contact the dead for today’s #TarotBlogHop. Blessed Samhain, y’all. “] So this is a very challenging topic for me because I can think of a dozen or more folks that I wouldn’t mind having over for an afternoon tea. Um, first of course I’d have to research what time an afternoon tea is and what one serves at a tea. I mean I guess tea and crumpets? But what exactly is a crumpet? And why are cookies biscuits? And sweaters jumpers? And flashlights torches? Well never mind the last. I can see the logical progression from a real flaming torch to a mechanical torch. But the jumper thing? Yeah, that I don’t get. But I digress which means I am totally avoiding the subject.

I guess, since I am fixing to dive into NaNoWriMo tomorrow, I’ll go with an author. Again so many to choose from. There is one that I keep circling back to. I read her when I was in junior high and high school. Loved how she swept me out of my world into hers. Then I learned that not only was she a good writer, but she was also a lesbian. And from her pictures, a very attractive one at that. At that time my personal id was lesbian so it was very affirming to me to know that a childhood favorite author was like me. For her card, I’ll have to go with the Guardian of Air from the Gaian Tarot. She is perched up on a mountain where she can do her work, get her messages in and get them out as well. I love the intensity of this card as well. Oh, who did I invite? Why none other than JFK’s favorite author, Mary Renault. I would want to ask her about her biggest personal struggle with writing. Then the conversation would just flow. By the way, if you are doing NaNoWriMo, come buddy up with me. I’m there as TarotByArwen. And check out my to help yourself get those fifty thousand words cranked out. This time of year I have a lot of conversations with the dead–my own and other people’s loved ones. I wanted to also share a simple spread with you that you might use when you try to contact your own dearly departed. The Veil Is Thin Spread 1. Who comes to me now? 2. What message do you want to give me? 3. How can I honor your message best? I would suggest doing this in a consecrated Circle for the best results. Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

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TarotBlogHop: Mabon 2014

How Tarot changed my life. Again. Come join the Tarot Blog Hop!

PREVIOUS | MASTER | NEXTHey y’all! It’s the Mabon Tarot Blog Hop. I’m so happy it’s here. We have two left this year. If you are a blogger who wants to join, we’d love to have you. Check out our FaceBook group here.

[Tweet “How Tarot changed my life. Again. Come join the Tarot Blog Hop!”]

The person crazy enough to volunteer for this hop is Morgan Drake Eckstein.

He asked us to think about moments when our understanding of the Tarot radically changed.

For me, there are several but one stands out in particular.

I was living in Denver in the Five Points area, right across from the park on Champa to be precise. I was single. I was teaching at the now defunct College of Wicca and Old Lore. I was in a very happy place in my personal life.

One of the things I taught at COWOL was Tarot. Quelle surprise, right? Because of that, I read a lot of people’s cards. I also worked with, and taught, the magical uses of stones. I did a rather popular workshop at a local store as well on that subject.

My stone work deals with the Chakra system. It occurred to me that I could use Tarot as well with that system. And that’s when I created my first spread. I remember reading for a friend up in my upstairs apartment. We were sitting on the floor. As I laid the cards out, a very big, bad thing showed up–in her root chakra.

ASIDE: This next bit could be a bit trigger-y so I’m posting the lovely Nine of Fire from Joanna Powell Colbert’s Gaian Tarot to put in a spacer. Besides, this is one of my favorite Chakra and Tarot combo cards.

As a reader, I am committed to reading the cards as I see them. I work with my clients to have conversations around the cards that fall. But this one? This one told me she had a past history of sexual abuse.

We worked through it. There were tears, hugs and anger at what person of power had done to a child. She also went back into therapy (I am not a therapist and don’t pretend to be one.)

But what hit me then was the power of Tarot within the framework of the right spread. Since then I’ve developed many spreads. I have a small collection of the .

I don’t do that Chakra one as much any more. It’s one of the few that I prefer to do in person or via SKYPE. It’s just not the same in email for some reason. Not sure why that is.

But, here’s the thing. I really love that spread. I’d like to do it for one of you via SKYPE or, if you are in the Austin area, in person. So leave me a comment letting me know why you would like to have a consultation with me using my Chakra spread. I’ll pull a name and email the winner. I’ll also post the winner here on September 30th.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Nine of Fire, Gaian Tarot, Joanna Powell Colbert

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The Joy Challenge: Day Five

Wait. Day five of the joy challenge includes yelling at your mother???

Day five is here. It’s a bit grey here in Texas, but OH the temperature. I haven’t seen 70 in the morning in ages. It’s bringing me a lot of joy right now.

Have you looked yourself in the mirror yet to say this, “I am a joy seeker. Joy finds me. I am a joy magnet.” ??

I did…sort of. I looked myself in my reflection in the laptop screen. Hey! That counts.

Tell me some little joys that have come to you. One of mine was a pair of house wrens on my back porch. One of them wanted to make a nest in the can holder on my camp chair. The other one was obviously not impressed. I laughed at their antics.

You?

Oh! Today is Tarot Blog Hop day so the monthly Tarotscopes will be up tomorrow.

Oh SHUT UP Mom! is my discussion on the Queen of Pentacles. It includes an original spread.

[Tweet “Wait. Day five of the joy challenge includes yelling at your mother???”]

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Joy Mum White, Stephanie Arwen Lynch-Poe, 2014

TarotBlogHop: Joy & Solstice

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Welcome to the Solstice 2014 Tarot Blog Hop.

What’s a Blog Hop? Well, it’s when several bloggers (in our case twenty-one) all connect to one another to create a chain. Every six weeks, one of us takes on the role of wrangler. Their job is to give us a topic.

Our wrangler is Olivia from First Earth Tarot. I love love love her topic because it is simply joy. Yep, joy. Y’all know I love that message.

[Tweet “Olivia asked, “How do you spread joy?“”]

Affirmations. It was the first word out of my mouth. I do affirmations nearly every day on my Facebook page. I do them for me because it helps me stay on track with what I do.

I am a professional joy seeker. I take that very seriously. You might even say that I hold it as a sacred geas I’ve put upon myself.

So what do you do with affirmations? I find that they work best when I read them out loud several times during the day.

One way I come up with my daily affirmations is to randomly draw a Tarot card. Then I use that message to craft my affirmation. A key to creating an affirmation is to word it in the present tense. You want to foster the energy of it already being here.

Another thing is to avoid the negative. So rather than “I will not smack the people who make me angry” you would perhaps phrase it “I am stronger than those who annoy me.”

So try if you like. Pull a card then write your affirmation. Share it below. Here’s mine including the card I pulled.

Today I am a joy seeker. Today I am a joy magnet. Today joy covers me. I open my arms, my heart, my mind to the beauty of living a joyful life. Loved and loving, I love each of you. Seek joy, y’all.

Quotangle, Arwen Lynch, 2013

P. to the S. My alter-ego, Marilu Mann, is giving away $100 in Amazon gift cards. Today is the very last day to enter!

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Zentangles by Stephanie Arwen Lynch-Poe

Card featured: Ace of Air from the Waking The Wild Spirit Tarot (OOP)