wands Archives < Page 2 of 5 < Arwen, Professional Joy Seeker

Are You Being Quiet?

Today’s card is a conundrum for me. Traditionally I see this card as a one of waiting for things to happen. Yet here is a woman doing what appears to be yoga. That’s not waiting.

HEY! UNIVERSE! She’s cheating! She’s meditating and doing yoga when she’s supposed to be waiting.

And yes, I do this. Do you? She’s found time and space to do something for herself while waiting for something else to happen. If you have five minutes free, what do you do with it?

What if you used it to just let your mind go quiet for that time? What if you used it to focus on an affirmation? What if you adjusted your rear view while stuck in a traffic jam just so you could tell yourself “I cherish you” or “I am beautiful?”

How about three minutes? Could you do it for 180 seconds?

So I’ve been asking y’all to give me three minutes a day to do one thing. Many of you have commented on these 180 second challenges. Thank you for all your feedback. Yes, I do them too.

Today’s challenge is hard in our busy world. One tip? Acknowledge the stray thoughts that come in. Let them flow. Don’t force yourself. Meditation is different for folks. Some of us like to visualize while others of us can’t see an apple no matter how hard we try. I’m one of the latter.

Don’t judge yourself.

Let yourself simply be in that three minutes. If you need to, repeat over and over “I’m just going to be quiet for 180 seconds” to block out other thoughts.

You don’t even have to do yoga…this time. 😀

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Three of Wands, Cosmic Tarot, US Games

Your To-Do List Needs Work

Today’s card reminds me that my to-do list isn’t always right. I mean it is right in that it has a lot of things I need to do but it isn’t right in that it doesn’t always have ALL the things I need to do. It’s my Queen of Wands mode. She’s that part of me that makes lists and tackles
things.

Still with me?

Who owns my to-do list? It’s my Queen of Wands self. She’s that part of me that makes lists and tackles
things. I know this is a bit convoluted, but stick with me here. I want to explain why my to-do list is not right.

A typical To-Do list for teh Arwen can read:

Do laundry
Buy dog food
Call in prescription
Prepare Tarot class ad
Write blog post
etc…

Now that’s not such a bad list, right? Solid, concrete things that need to be checked off. Each item is a tangible atta girl for me once I’ve done it. But it’s not right.

It’s missing so much.

Why isn’t my to-do list more like this:

Do laundry
Sing to cats in a loud voice
Buy dog food
Smile at three strangers
Call in prescription
Write myself a love letter
Prepare Tarot class ad
Seek Joy
etc…

See what I mean? My to-do list needs more joy seeking tasks. Things that bring me joy. Things that bring others joy which brings me joy because I’m riffing of their joy. Ouch. My head! I have to stop with the loop-de-loop logic games. LOL

So! You probably saw this coming a mile away. Today’s 180 second challenge is to redo your to-do list (do one if you don’t have one to redo). EEP! There I go again with the loop-de-loop. Must be the Full Moon energy. But back to the challenge.

Can you commit to adding 2-4 things to your To-Do list that are more about joy than anything else? And no, my darling Cappies, you can’t say that you get joy from finishing your to-do’s. LOL C’mon! I know you can do this.

So tell me in the comments what you did today!

Queen of Wands,Celestial Tarot, U.S. Games, 2004

Seek Joy, Y’all. Pass it on.

Is This The Answer?

So the other day, Jodi Chapman’s blog turned two. She shared a video in which she asked three questions. So I turned those questions into a Tarot spread.

The Jodi Chapman Asks Spread

1. What does your soul want you to know?

This terrific Three of Cups tells me that my soul wants me to know that it is okay to trust and to love. It is more than okay. It is satisfying and fulfilling to have deeper, more meaningful relationships with others.

There’s a fear somewhere in the back of my heart still that I’m not enough. It’s one I fight every day. Do you? Some of the tricks I use are to face that fear squarely. I tell it out loud that I’m more than okay and that I’m more than good enough. I work on myself to stay positive.

It occurs to me that I don’t do that always. There’s a group of friends who like to trash talk one another–and I’m in the thick of it when it gets going. I have to decide if that is okay or if it is not working for me.

I love that the three characters here each have a different tool in front of them. Not your average three gals, are they?

2. What makes your soul sing?

Oh the Six of Swords and the fabulous flying machine! They are off on an adventure, aren’t they? I love this card of high-flying thoughts and focused forward movement.

It does make my soul sing when I look at my goals. When I review what dreams I’m working on bringing into fruition. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again! The Create Your Incredible Year Workbook+Planner has galvanized my life, y’all.

I can see where I’m going and have steps on how to get there. Want to join me? You can. It’s never too late to start building, creating, .

3. What dream are you ready to leap into?

Now here’s an interesting response. Another Cup card (emotions rule the Cups) but one of the more morose ones, generally speaking. Yet I see this as truly one of my dreams.

Why?

Do you see his position? He’s relaxed. He’s settled back. True, his expression might be that of a pouty baby, but his feet are up. For me, I’ll forgo his facial whine and focus on his posture.

Those two books on the desk are very important as is the scroll to his far right. The books are the two I have in progress–both are non-fiction Tarot books. The scroll represents four letters I must write if I am to take the first step of one of my other Scary Big Dreams.

And see the fourth cup? Up on the shelf behind him? That one is so beautiful compared to the plain ones on the desk. I am ready to grab that cup and fill it up with even more joy. That’s the dream I’m ready to leap into.

To show you how to seek your own joy using Tarot as a tool.

Do you want to have a conversation with me about how to seek your joy? About how to find your bliss? Are you ready to get honest with yourself and do the work?

I’m here when you need me. Contact me and let’s set up a time to spread the cards to see where you need to correct your own course.

If you join my newsletter, you will be able to take advantage of the newsletter-only discounts I sometimes offer.

I really think Jodi asked some great questions, don’t you? Check out her Coming Back to Life eCourse here.

Now tell me what your dream are you ready to leap into?

Steampunk Tarot, Llewellyn Tarot, 2012

Seek Joy Y’all, Pass it on!

What Are Your Dreams?

But the big dreams? The ones that are so scary I might as well say I am going to run for President? Those dreams? Yeah, those.

Today’s card has so much to love. It’s a very unusual interpretation of this card. Normally you see someone standing waiting on something to happen. But in the Waking The Wild Spirit (Poppy Palin, Llewellyn, 2002) we are offered a different scenario.

The fairy could be born of the sun behind him. He holds a lantern with a candle (makes me think of the Hermit and his lamp). He launches a moth from his finger. A hedgehog waits beneath the mushroom…and is that angel’s cap to the bottom right?

For a card of waiting, there is a lot happening here. I like that for this card. If you follow the numbers, the ace of fire is about the potential of passion while the two is about a passionate partnership. It could be said this is the results of that passion. 😀

He’s come together with someone else to create something magical. Now he must pause for the results.

What about you? It’s nearly the end of February. For those of you working through with me (and it’s not too late!), where are you in your exploration of your Incredible Year? From our Facebook group, I know some of us are feeling a bit overwhelmed. The biggest sticking point seems to be the “100 Things” list.

I admit that I haven’t written down 100 things I want do do this year. And, grin, some of my list has been written down AFTER I have done it. But it is helping me remember that there are things I want to do.

Do you know that these things are not great earth-shattering events? They are small, nurturing things mostly. I think the biggest one on that list is “fly a kite on the beach.” Not going to change the world with that one, am I?

But the big dreams? The ones that are so scary I might as well say I am going to run for President? Those dreams? Yeah, those.

I have written two of those down along with steps to get there. One is already a done deal. I just got the final illustrations from Lisa Hunt and will be adding them to my Fairy Tale Tarot Spreads eBoook. Those of you who got the non-illustrated version will get the new version free. And I’ve made the decision to beef up the verbiage just a bit as well as shuffle a few things around.

What are your dreams? What do you want to do this year?

Want to know what my other dream is? The scary, big one? I want to hear one of three people say, “Seek Joy, Y’all” to an international audience. No, I won’t tell you who they are other than they are all female and very famous.

So what’s holding me back?

All I need to do is write three letters and mail them. Then I have to wait to see what happens.

Of course, while I’m waiting, I’ll be launching another moth into the air because I am not willing to pause this year. It’s too important. I’m creating my incredible year.

Are you? It’s not too late.

Can you commit to 180 seconds today to write down your dreams? You don’t have to show a soul. Just write them down and then list the steps to get there.

Three of Fire, Waking The Wild Spirit, Llewellyn 2002

Seek Joy, Y’all. Pass it on.

Three Most Important Things

They are all active and alive and growing. These are things that need to be addressed so I might as well tackle them.

Today’s card is not one I enjoy because of the message it brings. It’s not normally a “bad” card but for me, it makes me cringe. Why?

Because it is a card of necessarily fast action. Things coming at me rapid fire. Generally this happens when I’m tired.

Hmm. Do you think there’s a correlation to things coming at me seemingly too fast when I’m tired?

Yeah. Right.

But look at the wands themselves. All but one of them sports greenery. They are all active and alive and growing. These are things that need to be addressed so I might as well tackle them.

The postitioning of the wands generally make me think, “INCOMING!” Instead of ducking and …napping, I need to have a clear head so I can just get things done. This card, for me, is required multi-tasking.

And I am tired today. I also have a lot to get done. I stayed up far too late the other night and only got four hours of sleep. Last night I was in bed by 9 and asleep before 10. Then back up at 6.

I should have been back up at 5, grin.

Still, if I’ve learned anything in this life, I’ve learned how to multi-task.

Leonie Dawson’s encourages me to write down my three most important things for each day. Yesterday’s were “Stay awake.” “Seek joy.” “Go to bed early.”

What will your three most important tasks be today? Can you commit to one of them being “Seek joy?”

180 seconds is all I’m asking of you at first. Then start adding 60 seconds at a time until your day is filled with an attitude of gratitude for seeking joy in everything.

8 of Wands, Dreaming Way Tarot, USGames 2012 (used with permission)

Seek Joy, y’all! Pass it on.

Whose Truth Is More Important?

We see that card as fighting sometimes, but it is also about competition and finding your own voice. The one who stands out against the other four is the one I find most interesting.

Today’s card is a picture taken by my sweetie while we were on a day trip to Caprocks Canyon State Park here in Texas. He and I don’t get to see each other much so it was especially nice to have this time with him.

But back to this picture. Syzygy (the name he prefers I use to maintain his privacy) and I joked about the fact that we always see a buffalo when we go to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge. It’s like they are on the clock or something and will be standing/posing right as we drive in. We didn’t see one when we got to Caprock so we wondered if they were not union. 😀

Then we see this guy all by himself. Just wandering along cropping the grass. We lost track of him when we went into the visitor’s center to pay for our entrance. On the road, I noticed him again.

We pulled over to watch and take pictures. Then we saw the herd…about 20 or more down by Lake Theo. Some were rolling in the dust while others tussled with one another. The lone bull we had seen came charging down the hill but stopped short about ten feet away.

He headbutted a few of the ones that came up to him then melded into the rest of the herd.

The whole thing–his rejoining–put me strongly in mind of the Five of Wands. We see that card as fighting sometimes, but it is also about competition and finding your own voice. The one who stands out against the other four is the one I find most interesting.

And isn’t it hard to do that. To speak your own truth even when others are against it. To put it into context, it’s like being a fan of the other team when everyone else is rooting for the home team.

It can be uncomfortable.

So today, I want you to commit to allowing someone in your life their three minutes to speak their truth without you trying to change their minds or tell them how wrong they are.

Ha! Thought I was going to ask you to use that three for yourself, didn’t you?

Not today. Today I’m asking you to give someone else that 180 seconds. Can you do it?

Rejoining The Herd, taken at Caprock Canyon State Park, February 2, 2013, Syzygy

How Do You Get Turned On?

This card represents that force in us all when we get TURNED ON and TUNED IN to our lives–when we are truly connected to our soul. How do you make that connection?

Today’s card is from a very interesting deck. It is a group artist effort that was produced in the 80’s. It’s full of feminist energies and images because it is one of the first (and perhaps only) lesbian designed Tarot decks. One of the unique things about this deck is that it is round.

I pulled the Ace of Wands this morning and had to laugh. I’d been on my iPhone pulling daily cards and had gotten the Queen of Wands not once but twice. So no surprise to me to see another Wand. With all the fire energy I’m pulling due to my word of the year, it’s going to happen.

Look at this card. Baby leaping out of the egg. Joy happening. The child is the spark. She is the fuel feeding all of that energy surrounding her. It’s not feeding her. She’s not seeking sustenance. She is sustenance. She is energy.

This card represents that force in us all when we get TURNED ON and TUNED IN to our lives–when we are truly connected to our soul. How do you make that connection?

A blogger I love, Jodi Chapman, talked about her soul-connecting playlist. While I’m not much of a music person (I prefer silence), I do have some songs that just reconnect me.

One of those is a new one on a very recently released album by Anna Fritz. It is the title track and was the thing that hooked me into participating in her fundraiser. The Gospel of Tree Bark moves me in ways I can’t explain. I sometimes listen to it when I just need to get back to myself.

What about you? How do you reconnect with yourself when you feel disconnected? Is it music? Art? Literature? Nature? What reconnects you?

Ace of Fire, Daughters of the Moon (color), Ffiona Morgan 1981

YAY! I just found out that they’ve brought the B&W version back! 😀

Seek Joy, Y’all! Pass it on!

Want to work on your own word of the year? Join me in working with Leonie Dawson’s 2013 Incredible Year Workbook+Planner.

Who’s Going To Start A Fire Today?

Destruction in an Ace? But Arwen! Aces are seed energy. They are the promise of the suit. They are GOOD. Right? Right?

Today’s card is one of the ones that came up for me in a recent reading where I finally solidified my sacred word for 2013. I wasn’t surprised to see this card turn up on this random draw for today.

Fire-starter. That’s one thing I think of when I see the Ace of Wands. That can be a good thing. That can be a bad thing. As a water sign, I am a bit disinclined to be a big fire fan. All that heat. All that destruction.

Yeah, okay, so water can be destructive in its own right.

Destruction in an Ace? But Arwen! Aces are seed energy. They are the promise of the suit. They are GOOD. Right? Right?

Well, I hate to disappoint you but aces, to me, are neither good nor bad. They simply are. They can be good. Witness the growing tree giving a place for the blue bird to nest. They can be bad. See the fire in the background? If it gets out of hand, the bird, the tree and the bunny are all going to suffer.

But harnessed correctly, the Ace of Wands is the kind of fiery, passionate, dare I say it, spark of energy that can rejuvenate things. It’s a great card to show up around new projects or projects that need that last kick to sprint to the finish.

I love the smoke rising up from the flames. I’m reminded of the prayers that rise up in so many religious cultures–carried to that Higher Power. Faith is a beautiful thing.

What needs a spark in your life? What could use a little boot to the rear to get you over that last hump or out of that sagging middle?

Take a lesson with the Ace of Wands today and go for it. Passion can carry you forward when nothing else will. Be passionate, darlings. Be alive.

This is from Elizabeth Hazel’s Whispering Path Tarot. It’s self-published charmer that I adore. Good for small hands and a very lovely deck.

Ace of Wands, Whispering Path Tarot, Elizabeth Hazel

Seek Joy,Y’all! Pass it on.

Feathers, Virus + 5 Minutes

Abraham Lincoln said, “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

Today’s card reminds me of a project I did at work. We had a virus running rampant on our call center floor. It was making everyone sick. This wasn’t a flu or a cold we could just get over. It was far far worse.

It was negativity. (reverberating voice)

And it was gross. Everyone of us was participating even if to bitch about our neighbors being negative. LOL! There was no hope for us.

I offered to send out “Positivity People Posts”. A good number of my teammates accepted. We did manage to turn ourselves around for the most part. Here is one that I wrote.

——————————

Abraham Lincoln said, “Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.”

I’d have to agree with that. The more we kvetch about our situation, the worse it gets. It’s hard to stay positive. It’s hard to not go down that slippery slope of negativity when someone else is. We don’t want to be seen as being non-supportive of our friends and co-workers.

Consider this. How much more supportive is it to pull them up out of that downward spiral? How much more personal strength does it take to turn their attitude, and yours, around?

When we are negative, we pile the weight of the world on our shoulders. It’s been proven to be a very real cause of physical pain. The worse you think things are, the worse you feel.

So how happy are you? Can you make up your mind that for this week, you will be as happy as you can and then some? Deal!
——————————

So I’ve been on a positivity kick for a while. And, y’all? It’s working for me. It’s not always easy (see yesterday’s post) but it is working.

This gorgeous 3 of Feathers (Wands) from the Fifth Tarot makes me feel at peace. There’s a rainbow behind the clouds and the three feathers are so prtty. I love doves as well. I like that these aren’t the normal white ones, but the kind of doves so common to this part of Texas.

How happy are you? Can you be happy just for the next five minutes? Then extend that by another five?

Three of Feathers, Fifth Tarot, Blue Dolphin Publishing, 2009

Seek Joy, y’all. Pass it on.

This workbook is helping me see a way to my goal of making “Seek Joy, Y’all” an international motto.

Fire, Missiles & Seeeekrits

But I let that go as I sat there on the bed. I wanted to be open to the message of the Universe. I laughed out loud when I saw this familiar baby snake staring at me.

Today’s card comes from my work with the . One part is a reading for your year ahead. I’m loathe to look to far into any year (my clients know this since I prefer to do 3 month or 6 month look-aheads to full years).

So I focused on “What is my theme for January? What is the main message?”

Using my beloved Gaian Tarot, I got quiet then pulled. I had to work on steadying my mind since I was, I’ll admit, a bit afraid I’d pull one of the harder cards due to yesterday’s unhappiness. I spent most of the day in a fog. I went to bed early as well and slept for nearly 9.5 hours.

But I let that go as I sat there on the bed. I wanted to be open to the message of the Universe. I laughed out loud when I saw this familiar baby snake staring at me.

Joanna says, “A snake has just broken his way out of an egg and is encountering the world for the first time. Because of his ability to shed his skin and emerge in a new one, Snake has long been a symbol of renewal and transformation. In the background we see sparks shooting from a hidden flame, symbolizing the fires of creativity, sexuality and empowerment.”

I say, “WHOO HOOO! January is going to rock, y’all.”

Because of the work I’m doing with this workbook from , I’ve got some big plans for next year that include a workbook on seeking joy as well as the launch of my nearly-completed Hero’s Journey book. There’s another book as well in the works.

I see January’s Ace of Fire energy as the seed to all of that. I’ll be using that creative fire to launch my joy-missile self into outer space, y’all.

Did you know that one of my is to hear one specific person say, “Seek joy, y’all!” ? Can you guess who it is?

What’s your big theme for January? How are you going to launch your own joy-missile self into the new year? Or whatever you see your missile self as? I’d love to hear about it.

Don’t forget! When you get your, let me know. I’ll get you added to our seeeekrit Facebook group.

Remember this today. I love you.

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on!

Ace of Fire, Gaian Tarot