Sorry, You’ve Got It All Wrong!

Why your vision of your perfect day is patently false.

Part of my practice is to draw a card each day. Recently one of the cards reminded me that you are all wrong. That none of you know what a perfect day is. That none of you have any concept of a truly ideal day. How do I know? Well let me tell you what a perfect day is. Then you’ll know.

A perfect day is slightly overcast. There’s a brisk wind coming in that carries just a bit of cool with it so the ambient temperature is around 68. There might even be the scent of rain on that wind. The sky is just a bit gray. The sun is definitely not bright and shining. The wind is the key for the perfect day. It must lift skirts, fluff hair and generally flutter things.

WHAT? Not your perfect day?

Okay. Close your eyes. Tell me what your perfect day looks like. Place yourself right into that scene.

Betcha it’s different from mine in most cases.
Betcha your perfect day is perfect for you.

Now try this. Picture your perfect person. Not yourself. Not your lover. Just your perfect person. What do they say? What do they do? How do they act? What makes them a perfect person to you? Is it what they wear? Is it the color of their hair? Their skin? What about their weight? Did you think about how much they weigh when you were deciding what perfection in a person meant to you? Did you worry about their eye color or their footwear?

Betcha the key things were more internal than external.
Betcha the important stuff was what they say and what they do rather than what they wear or who they know.

So why worry about what others think about the external you, darling? Why worry at all? It’s what’s inside that is important to you. Why should anyone else be different? They are worried about the same things. We all are concerned that we won’t be accepted for this thing or for that thing.

Me? What is my worry?

Being seen as weird.

I worry that I will be seen as weird and not a real business woman because I use Tarot. Because my coaching business uses Tarot to help others seek joy. Because I teach Tarot for a living.

Silly, right? I agree. So I remind myself to co-opt the Austin, TX and Portland, OR. Keep Arwen Weird. And let my freak flag fly! That’s perfect for me. It helps me stay mindful for those of you who practice mindfulness.

So my perfect day, my perfect person and my perfect motto aren’t yours. It’s all good, darling. That means we have room to wiggle and to grow. Room to find our own perfect spot.

Not sure how to find your wise inner self? I can help. Let’s have a conversation using the Tarot as our tools to set your feet on the joy seeking path today.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Oh by the way? Lisa Hunt and I worked on a Lenormand deck called Fairy Tale Lenormand. Just released 9/1/16. If you want to learn how to read Tarot my way, check out my upcoming class Trust Your Gut Intuitive Tarot.

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Privilege, Mops + Family

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Today’s affirmation:

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

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

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

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Sticks, Tasks + Uh Oh!

Taking on too much? Let the 10 of Wands affirmation help.

[Tweet “Check out today’s affirmation using the 10 of Wands.]

#affirmation Some days I write peaceful, loving, uplifting #affirmations. Other days? Well other days sometimes come after working 13 hour days, getting 6 hrs of sleep because I chose to reread a bit of a favorite book, rolling out to walk all the dogs and then realizing…hmmmm, I didn’t write today’s affirmation.

So since it is looking like a Ten of Wands day for me, how about some time management tips from you! Tell me something you do to save time. Is it brushing your teeth while you shower? Eating your first meal as you drive to work?

Let’s hear them!

Today’s affirmation:

I get things done. I prioritize well. I focus on what’s in front of me. I clear my plate before moving to the next task. I gently decline any new tasks today. I am organized. I am alert. I am ready to get things done. Loved and loving, I love each of you.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

10 of Wands, World Spirit Tarot, U.S. Games (OOP)

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Stones, Antlers + Victory

How many stones do you need to achieve victory? Working w/ @gardenskull’s tarot today

[Tweet “How many stones do you need to achieve victory? Working w/ @gardenskull’s #tarot today.]

The Wooden Tarot 6 of Stones — The Wooden Tarot

#affirmation I am sticking with this selfie #tarot deck for this week. I am enjoying exploring it.

It has an unusual suit system. Plumes are Air which I assign to Swords(East). Stones are Fire which I assign to Wands(South). Blooms are Water which I assign to Cups(West). Bones are Earth which I assign to Coins(North). Your mileage may vary.

The artist is A.L. Swartz, aka @gardenskull. His bio states that he lives in Alabama with his husband. GO #TEAMQUEER! 😀

This is the Six of Stones. He’s used crystals here with an orange/red/yellow coloring. I like how it captures the essence of fire. Traditionally the Six of Wands is the card of victory. I think this antler crown works. There’s a message of hard work too because bringing down an 18 point buck isn’t easy.

18 points because there are nine showing here on the one antler.

So a message of victory from the Wooden Tarot today leads us into our affirmation.

Today I win. Today I understand that each step, painful or easy, carries me towards my goal. I believe in myself. I believe in my ability to succeed. I am open to infinite possibilities. Loved and loving, I love each of you.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Six of Stones, 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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Too Many Foxes

Some days there are just too many foxes in my world. Do you ever have this problem?

[Tweet “#affirmations Some days there are just too many foxes in my world. Do you ever have this problem?”]

#affirmations Some days there are just too many foxes in my world. Do you ever have this problem?

I get an idea of what I want to write about but I’m not sure of the direction. Today’s thought was dissatisfaction.

A rather unusual thought for me since I am a professional joy seeker. But still, that’s the word I had so I went with it.

I’ve had a lot of stress-inducing situations in the past two weeks–nearly all of them out of my hands.

Someone’s health
Foundation of a building
Foundation of a company
A loved one’s very hard battle

Nothing that I could point a finger at to merrily say, “Seek joy, y’all.”

In fact, I think if someone had reminded me of that, I might have just cracked. Yep…stress.

So when I pulled this Knight of Wands from my Shadowscapes Tarot app, I snickered. Then I giggled. Then I guffawed.

Because this, my darlings, this is the perfect expression of what I am feeling.

So much to do…so many foxes to direct. I see each fox as a thing that I might do. A project that needs attention.

And there I am straddling a lionzelle (my word for this gorgeous lionesque creature with gazelle horns.) The beast is ready to go, but I have not yet leaned forward. I have not yet committed to the events underfoot.

I can so see this as the root of my dissatisfaction. No action has been taken but there is a clarion call to action taking place.
The problem, as I see it, is too many foxes. Which one of the five is it to be? Once I figure that out, I think this general ennui will dissipate.

Perhaps this niggling, just out of reach itch of need is my clue that I just need to move. I need to pick one and go with it. Those other foxes?

Well there’s good news and there’s bad news.

They will always be there.

What? That’s the good news AND the bad news.

So how about you? What projects are calling to you? What do you need to move on? Is it a time of action or of rest for you?

Today’s affirmation:

I choose to take action. I am responsible for my own happiness. I make time to create. I open myself up to the infinite possibilities of joy. Seeking joy is my way of life. Loved and loving, I love each of you. Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

Knight of Wands, Shadowscapes Tarot, Llewellyn

#affirmations
#dailyaffirmation
#seekjoy
#tarot

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New Year Magic

That bears repeating. ‘I had thought 2013 sucked until I sat down to do the closing ceremony

Today’s card reminds me of my word for this year. I guess that’s appropriate seeing as how this is the last day for that word–although not for the energy of the word.

The Wildwood Tarot‘s Ace of Bows has the title of Spark of Life. This is a deck I need to work with more. The cards are rich with imagery. My friend Louise Underhill of Priestess Tarot works with this deck as does a new friend, Ellen.

One of the treasures 2013 brought to me has been the new and renewed friendships. This year was truly a galvanizing one. Many small sparks have spread into warm fires of success for me. One unlooked for blessing was an offer to blog somewhere. I can’t say where just yet, but it was a pretty big deal for me. It’s a one time thing but still, it’s a big deal.

Add to that my blogging (which I must get back to more regularly) with Witches And Pagans plus the three books submitted in 2013? Yeah, that sums up a pretty fabulous year of writing. Here on this page I managed to post nearly ever day so go me and go Cai (the other half of Marilu Mann.) If you like to read paranormal (and contemporary), go you to http://www.greatmta.com lol! )

This card also points towards a new beginning. The Ace of Bows is new life, new energy and bright, fresh, shiny starts. I’m embarking on a new journey in one week. I’ll be saying “I do” to a special someone. What better way to kick off 2014, right?

I know that I still have things that need improvement. There’s always room for improvement, yes? Things like unburying my guest room/office so it can actually see use as an office. Continued work on my health. More focus on my lines of income. All of those things will be part of my work with the 2014 Create Your Amazing Year Workbook + Planner.

I have to laugh here because I got an email last night. Here’s what K.C. had to say about this workbook.

“Hi, Arwen. While I’ll admit I got the Leonie Dawson workbook because of your 3-card mini read, I’ve sat down to do it and I am amazed. It is so wonderful. (Of course, you knew that already.) I had thought 2013 sucked until I sat down to do the closing ceremony. That in and of itself was a fabulous gift.

In fact, I loved it so much, I gave 2 as gifts using your link.”

[Tweet “That bears repeating. ‘I had thought 2013 sucked until I sat down to do the closing ceremony.'”]

I can so relate to that statement. I felt the same way about 2012! And of course there have been some sucktastic things about 2013, but the beautiful things (and all of the beautiful people) outweighed the suckage.

I’m thrilled to see someone else connect with the special magic of this workbook. It’s so much more than a calendar/planner. There’s magic waiting to happen. I’m looking forward to some time to work on this even more.

What magic do you want to happen in 2014. That’s your journal prompt, my darlings.

Ace of Bows, Wildwood Tarot, Sterling Ethos, 2011
Snag your copy of the 2014 Create Your Amazing Year workbook + Planner at http://bit.ly/TbAIncred . Besides an incredible tool, you will also score a three card Tarot reading from me. Just let me know you got the downloadable version.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

See you next year! (Yes, it amuses the heck out of me to say that. LOL)

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Successful spells+Dark Goddesses

During the working, the small Goddess statue (it’s of Ishtar) came to life. Yes, I know how strange that sounds, but there I was with the Goddess smiling at me and nodding Her head.

Today’s card is one of those moments when I have to whine, “Mom! The Tarot is mocking me again” but also when I must tell you a tale of true magic. Why? Because last night in a truly lovely sacred space created by Nancy Antenucci and Ellen Lorenzi-Price, a group of us all drew for the same reading. In those various posts, I kept seeing one particular card. I thought to myself, “Self! We need to look that Goddess up.” And looking her up reminded me of a spell that went really really well.

Today, I shuffled the Dark Goddess not even consciously thinking about last night. No, my thought was “Tell me what I need to know for today” and boom. There she was. Kamui Fuchi (Kamuy Fuchi) stared back at me. And y’all? I was just going to shuffle the cards one more time when I saw her.

The face that can’t be denied looked back at me. I’ve seen Her once before.

I read up on Her a bit this morning which is one of the reasons this post is a bit late. OOH SHINY and down the research hole I go. But back to Kamui Fuchi whose full name is Apemerukoyan-mat Unamerukoyan-mat said to mean Rising Fire Sparks Woman/Rising Cinder Sparks Woman according to the never-wrong Wikipedia. 😐

One thing I read is that She is so important that she never leaves her home. Another thing I learned is that the hearth is considered a gateway to communicate with the kamuy or Gods.

I love the image in this card. Her rising up from the fire. All of the others below Her. What a lovely thought to be able to sit before your own home fire to communicate with the Gods. That’s when I remembered my spell that went really really well.

I’ll tell you this story about this working. It seems apropos. This was back in…96 or so. I lived in Georgia. I’d quit a job that was sucking the life out of me. I needed a new one. So I did what any witch would do. I worked magic to call the right job to me.

I won’t go into how important it is to tell the Universe what you want and to be hope to what you get. The Universe doesn’t always see things the way you do so your pony might be a Mustang. 😀

During the working, the small Goddess statue (it’s of Ishtar) came to life. Yes, I know how strange that sounds, but there I was with the Goddess smiling at me and nodding Her head. No words, just movement. I remember thinking that maybe I’d fasted a little too long. Then I just asked Her to help me find the right job for me. She smiled and nodded again, then went back into statue form.

The next day I saw an ad for a job for a new company. I was in NO WAY qualified but it was something I wanted to do. So I sent in my email with resume attached.

Then I kicked myself for forgetting to turn off my tagline program. Anyone remember those? They randomly generated from lists you created? Yeah.

I’d just sent an email off for a technical job (again, not qualified for) with a tagline that said, “Hardware: That part of the computer you can kick”.

When I got the call for the interview, the woman mentioned that tagline. She said that was WHY she pulled my resume aside and WHY I got the interview.

I subsequently got the job. And it is still to this day one of my favorite jobs ever. I moved from rep to manager in six weeks and my office was the first satellite to achieve a 40k month.

But that all came from sitting in front of my candle flame and talking to the Gods. Now I know why Kamui Fuchi drew me so hard last night. I’d met Her before but not known Her name. In either this or another working in the same time period, I also met a Kitsune. But that’s a story for another day.

Journal prompt today is, “When have I asked for one thing and received another from the Universe? What was my lesson?”

If you choose to do a working, please remember to phrase it so it is open. Don’t ask for a pink party dress. Instead ask for the right outfit for you. [Tweet “The Universe isn’t keen on being told what it thinks…”]

Kamui Fuchi, Four of Fire, Dark Goddess Tarot, 2013

I highly recommend this deck.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

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Humor, Fear + Joy

I try. I fail. What piece of me still laughs when I see something bad happen like a kid running to dive into the water but they trip on the pier. I have to admit that…

Today’s card is from my ongoing Tangled Tarot project. As this came to life for me, I could already see the card it would be. With the swoops and swirls, it made me (and others) think of a ship.

Here is the Three of Wands–the quintessential card of wait and see. What you’ve sent out will return but you may not get what you expect. You will need to make sure you have sent out as much good as you expect back.

That’s not always easy in our negativity-driven world. Oh, don’t get me wrong, y’all. There are those who fight for a positive outlook. There are those who are careful not to share mean things–even funny mean things.

I try. I fail. What piece of me still laughs when I see something bad happen like a kid running to dive into the water but they trip on the pier. I have to admit that I’m hard on myself there. I force myself to think about the pain and the embarrassment. I make myself become that person.

Yeah, the whole mile in the moccasins thing.

I don’t think we will slide our pendulum from negativity-based thinking to positivity in day. Maybe not even in a year.

But I believe wholeheartedly that I can gather up a tribe of people who share that belief.

That there can be funny, humorous things that don’t involve mocking someone’s pain. That don’t involve shaming someone. That don’t use religious or racial slams to create a laugh. Here’s a test for you. Take a religious or racial joke. Remove the race and religion from it. Is it still funny? No? Then replace it with your race or your religion. Still not funny? What does that mean to you?

Politics? Yeah, about that…I have to work a lot harder there because I get angry. More than angry, I get scared. And then I lash out in fear.

[Tweet “No, it isn’t okay because others do it too. That’s actually one of the best reasons not to do it.”]

Their level and all that.

So from this Three of Wands energy, I will send out boatloads of positive thinking. I will share funny things that don’t put another person down or call them a name. I will channel my fear into joy. I will remain hopeful.

Your journal prompt today is “What is something I find funny that is actually hurtful? How can I change that?”

Three of Wands, Tangled Tarot, not published, Arwen Lynch

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

And if you are a writer, let Tarot help you plot, write and finish your book.

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God, Rescues + Help

God shows up in some pretty different ways,y’all. I’m just sayin’…

Today’s card is from another of my retired reading decks. I fell in love with this one so many years ago. One of the cards is dedicated to Barbara Cartland (of prolific romance writing fame) for her work with the gypsies in England.

What drew me to this card was the idea of unasked for help. Here a young man is putting something together. Hard to tell what that is but he needs help.

He’s not paying attention to the man above him but he reaches up anyway. I think he’s just asked for help from the Universe. He’s smart enough to know he needs to do his part but the Universe will pitch in.

How often have you asked for help and then just stopped doing?

Right?

It’s like that old tale about the guy on the roof of his house. The river was flooding so he prayed to God to rescue him.

A boat goes by with a man who offers to help him down. The man refuses. “God is going to help me.”

A helicopter hovers over offering to pull him to safety. The man refuses. “God is going to help me.”

Another boat comes by again trying to rescue him. Again, the man refuses. “God is going to help me.”

Well the man drowns. When he gets to heaven, he asks God why he didn’t rescue him.

God says, “What? You want that I should come down there myself? You refused all three rescues that I sent to you.”

So yeah…we need to make sure that when we ask for help, we accept it.

[Tweet “God shows up in some pretty different ways,y’all. I’m just sayin’…”]

So today’s journal prompt is, “What help do I need? How can I ask for it? How can I accept it?”

Three of Wands, Tarot of the Old Path, U.S. Games

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

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Virgo, Tamales & Firebrands

Today’s card is a lovely example of a firebrand who’s learned to control her fire and make her brand anyway. She reminds me of my friend, Ruth. I met Ruth a few years ago at a community market. Another friend had met me there for coffee and some of the best tamales I’ve ever had. Those tamales were there because of Ruth. No, Ruth didn’t make the tamales…Roz did. But Ruth was the passion behind the Renaissance Market. Sadly that wonderful incubator for microbusinesses lost their lease when the building owners wouldn’t renew (they wanted to sell it outright).

Luckily for me, that firebrand (who happens to be a Virgo) stayed in touch. She is off to new, wonderful things in Oklahoma now but my life was forever changed by that woman. She’s intense. She’s a straight shooter. She’s passionate about what she believes in. And let me tell you what. If she believes in something, get the hell out of her way. She will make it happen. She believes things into being. I swear she does.

I learned a lot about living a passionate life from her in the few meetings we had. It’s not like we hung our or were besties. It’s just that I saw in her the kind of woman I knew I could be. Someone who could live their life as they chose without worrying about what other people thought.

Yeah…that Ruth. She’s definitely a Queen of Wands. This Queen of Stave is from Robert M. Place’s Tarot of the SevenFold Mystery. Lovely, isn’t she? In charge of herself and her passion, that’s our girl.

Your journal prompt today is, “What does living a passionate life mean to me?”

Queen of Staves, Tarot of the SevenFold Mystery, Robert M. Place
Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

P.S. Did you check the newsletter to see if you won the readings?

P. to the S. The image is from the app for the Tarot of the Sevenfold Mystery.

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Tag: wands