New Year Magic

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

Ace of Bows, Wildwood Tarot
Wildwood Tarot

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 .

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 . 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 theat 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)

Why Am I So Stingy?

I think we all can have those moments of “Mine! It’s mine, mine, mine!” I know I can. Particularly around food. I feel threatened and angry if someone eats my food. It’s one of my stumbling blocks.

Wildwood_14SwordsToday’s card is from the re-envisioned Greenwood Tarot now sold as the Wildwood. Here is the King of Arrows (Swords) seen as the Kingfisher. This is a bird whose very name invokes a very real and very large king in my world.

I wouldn’t say that I’m a fan of Huey P. Long, former governor of Louisiana. He was assassinated in the capital building. It’s something of a pilgrimage for all Louisiana children to go to the capital to see the hole in the wall where one bullet struck.

I was taught by a woman who told stories of her early teaching career. Days when a whisper against Long in north Louisiana on a Monday could find you with out a job or prospects in Louisiana on Tuesday. The man had a long reach.

The Kingfisher of the avian species is one I’m also familiar with. I’ve been fortunate enough to see this bird in person on several occasions. Don’t try to get into his fishing range if you are another fishing bird. He will use that long, pointed beak to drive you off. What is his is his.

I think we all can have those moments of “Mine! It’s mine, mine, mine!” I know I can. Particularly around food. I feel threatened and angry if someone eats my food. It’s one of my stumbling blocks.

Another thing about this particular king is his focus. This bird doesn’t get distracted. He can sit for hours watching his water waiting for the fish to surface. I’m not that patient. Are you?

I see the two sides of this king today. One the all-consuming, all-selfish ruler of his world who doesn’t want to share and can’t see why he should. Two the focused individual who shepherds his thoughts from incubation to fully fledged ideas that can take wing on their own.

For my 180 seconds today, I am going to contemplate why I am so stingy around food. Why I have this prehistoric, knee-jerk reaction over the last cookie or the last cracker.

What will your 180 seconds be today? I challenge you to search in yourself for one area where you don’t share well. Then examine that to see if you can figure out why.

If you feel safe, tell me here. And I will be doing yesterday’s readings tonight so don’t despair if you were one of the folks who participated yesterday!

Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

King of Arrows, The Wildwood Tarot: Wherein Wisdom Resides, 2011

Spock, Barbosa + Justice

Here she is intentionally blind because she’s looking at none of it. So how will she make her decision? What is her decision in this card, I wonder?

Wildwood_12MirrorToday’s card echoes yesterday’s thoughts for me. I drew at random. A very unusual interpretation of the Justice card, the Mirror of the Wildwood Tarot has a lot going on.

You see a figure in a boat. The man is dead. The boat is still chained to the shore. I wonder if that is Arthur going for his final journey back to the Lady of the Lake. And who is the lamia in the foreground? Why is she holding up the crystal ball but not looking at it or the mirror. Could she be refusing to see the truth? Could she be turning away from the finality of the death in front of her?

The heron in the bottom right carries a pouch around its neck. He, or she, is in a fairly classic fishing pose seeming to be not bothered by the death or the response of the lamia. Or is she a mermaid? Hard to discern since I can’t see the end of her tail. Either way she is a woman caught between two worlds.

This card is Justice. Justice is blind–or so they say. Here she is intentionally blind because she’s looking at none of it. So how will she make her decision? What is her decision in this card, I wonder? Is it to save the man in the boat or let the boat loose. We may never know.

Some of us see things in black and white. Others are more akin to Barbosa’s way of thinking. He told Jack Sparrow that the Pirates’ Code were “more what you’d call ‘guidelines’ than actual rules.”

And sometimes you have to think like Spock where the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few.

I guess what I’m driving at here is how do we each perceive the concept of what is just. I’m sure many of you will agree that Justice isn’t always fair–particularly if you’ve had to pay a speeding ticket. LOL

So when this card turns up in your daily draw or your spread, ask yourself what must be done anyway. What must you do even though it will not make the world happy and bright. What must you do now to insure joy later?

I struggled with the writing of this. It didn’t seem to be a happy, positive, seek joy y’all kind of post. But then I realized it was. Once you’ve done the right thing, then you can move on to the joyful things. Sadly, the right thing does not always bring us joy.

But doing the right thing inevitably clears the way for joy.

So today, focus on doing what’s right and what needs to be done. Listen to your inner justice-seeking self.

Seek joy (and justice) y’all. Pass it on.

Mirror, The Wildwood Tarot, Sterling Ethos 2011

Dreams, Misses & Stones

Today’s card reminds me that dreaming isn’t enough. And doesn’t that just bite? if that isn’t enough, what else has to happen?

Here is the Ace of Stones with some thoughts on this predicament. What ideas do you have? What’s on your mind? Instead of dreaming about how your life would change IF that dream/idea/concept/story happened, consider this.

What do you waste by not trying? What opportunities parade past while you second guess, make lists, consider all the parameters?

What if you’ve actually hit that delicate fulcrum point where it is time to act?

This Ace of Stones from the Wildwood Tarot urges us to move from thought to physical manifestation. It says that the time is not nigh. It’s right now.

Make it happen today. Write that first page. Cut that first piece of wood. Kick that wheel into motion.

Make it happen today. That’s the clarion call of this card.

Seek Joy, Y’all. Pass it on.

Ace of Stones, The Wildwood Tarot: Wherein Wisdom Resides,Sterling Ethos, 2011

Sparks, Cogs & Grease

Today’s card reminds me that if I can’t find this one thing in life, nothing really works. It is as if it is the grease in my cogs. No, it’s actually not joy that I’m talking about. It’s passion.

This is the Ace of Bows from the Wildwood Tarot. It is called “the spark of life”. You can have arrows (intentions). You can have a bow (will). If you don’t have the oomph to pull the bow, then nothing happens.

Make something happen. Spark your own interest. If what you are doing now doesn’t grab you by the throat? Do something else.

I know it isn’t that simple. And I’m not talking about walking off your job, away from your life. I’m talking about recommitting to where you are now. Recommit to making it fun for you. Even it it is in small ways.

Remember that joy piles up. It accumulates. It becomes an avalanche that sweeps you up and carries you forward.

But it isn’t “think about joy.” It isn’t “consider joy.” Nope. It’s SEEK JOY. This is an active verb, y’all. It’s about passion. It’s about making it happen for yourself.

So pull that bow, babies. Draw back and let it fly. Seek joy, y’all. Pass it on.

Ace of Bows, WildWood Tarot, 2011