Eight of swords

Today you may feel you are alone, and you have no options or means of escaping your dilemma. You cannot see a way to free yourself from this dark place. Remember that you have an infinite supply of strength within your soul! Although there may be no visible assistance outside of yourself, you have the inner strength to find a solution! Begin to visualize yourself happy and free and enjoying your life without restraint! You can do it! This is only temporary! I am sending you an extra dose of love and light today to realize the solution to your situation. 

Message from the Tarot

Every day I post a card of the day on my facebook page. I tried to do it from blogger, but it seems to be a bit more work.

This morning I thought the message that came through was important enough to post on a larger scale. Here it is.

Traditionally this card has to do with giving to those less fortunate but it also has to do with a feeling of inequality. In reality, we are all equally amazing souls. We are all on our own path to bliss, and we all have chosen different paths to get there. Sometimes we may feel terribly lacking in the presence of someone who we feel is in some way superior to us, and at times we feel superior in some way. We should all realize that each of us has a gift to share with the world, and none of us are better than or worse than anyone else. Today, take off your glasses and look at life through the eyes of someone different than yourself.

Three of Cups

Today is a day to celebrate the relationships in your life. Have fun with friends or family. If that is not possible, then at the very least be grateful for all the people in your life which are a source of joy to you. We all need each other. Show appreciation and remember that you are loved!

For Those of You Who Have Been Told Tarot Cards are Evil or From the Devil, This is For YOU!

I was brought up in a very strict fundamentalist Christian home. When I was little apparently my parents or anyone who wanted to be a member of the particular "denomination" or church had to sign an agreement that they would not own a television. (television was thought to be a tool of the devil). Also many did not believe that women could wear pants or cut their hair, and they certainly could not preach, teach, or hold any type of leadership position in the church.

We were not allowed to go to the fair. The carnival was okay as long as it was the fireman's carnival and not any other of those "evil" societies  who put on carnivals. Disney movies were definitely a "NO NO". I went to my first movie when I was sixteen and even then I was hoping the rapture did not happen while I was there or maybe I might get "left behind."

For those of you who have never heard of "the rapture" it was, and still is the belief that at some point Jesus is coming back to earth to take all of those to heaven who have accepted him as savior and leave everyone else here to be eventually taken to hell after seven years of tribulation. We won't go into that in this blog.


The common theme in all of the aforementioned rules is the theme of "fear". We were afraid of the power of the devil. We were afraid of God sending us to hell. Apparently it is still a common theme in some churches. I do not lump all sects of Christianity together just as you should not lump everyone together who believe in any specific religion. There are as many ways to interpret the Bible and other Sacred texts as there are fish in the sea. The point I am making here is that if your Higher Power makes you afraid, maybe you should change your viewpoint. I now believe that LOVE is the supreme attribute of my Higher Power, and I do not have a label for this FORCE which would put me into any particular category.

But back to the fear of tarot cards.

Tarot cards in some sects of various faiths are thought to be a tool of the devil, along with anything that does not appear in the Bible as "okay."



I don't specifically remember any mention of the tarot the many times that I read the Bible, but I guess it was lumped into a category of those things that weren't specifically inspired by God. However, in my experience with the tarot, I cannot say that they are not inspired by "God" when some of the messages I receive when reading them are nothing less than inspirational! I know that the information is coming from a Force higher than me as I could not possibly imagine the stuff that is revealed to me in a reading.



I began receiving messages from the Holy Spirit when I began attending a church that believed in prophecy. I may have heard messages before this, but I was extremely shy and was not someone who would have shared anything I received so I never really acknowledged the gift before then.

Fast forward many years later. Now I hear messages from the same Voice who was talking to me then. Some would argue that since I don't label myself a Christian anymore or call the Voice the Holy Spirit or Jesus that I am really hearing messages from the devil. At this point in my spiritual journey, I tend to dislike labels. I still talk to Jesus. And He is okay with what I do. However, in my spiritual journeys, I also have run into other Higher Powers that are not necessarily connected to Jesus. I have not felt fear in their presence, but only LOVE.

In my estimation the "devil" could be classified as an entity or thought form whose prime goal is to make our lives miserable. He would be the antithesis of anything that connected us with our Higher Power, God, Love or Enlightenment. In the tarot the card of the devil represents anything that holds you captive. That could be anything. Now I believe that anything that keeps us from walking the highest path is not going to send us to damnation eternally. Just like if I had a child who misbehaved I would not sentence him or her to death. Most of the time I believe we create our own experience of the devil. Like attracts like. If I am walking my path with love, I will not run into the opposite that often.

The tarot in itself has no power. The cards of the tarot consist of 78 cards with various pictures on them which as a whole represent the various qualities of human experience. When the cards originally appeared in history, it is thought that they were nothing more than playing cards. Oh, but, I forgot. Playing cards when I was a child were evil too.

When I was a child one of the games we were allowed to play was dominoes. Did you know that originally dominoes were used as a tool of divination? This is a little known fact.

When I connect with the cards of the tarot, I am connecting with my Higher Self, the Higher Self of the seeker, and the Highest Beings of Love and Light (I call them this just to allow for whatever people may call their Higher Power, since I believe that LOVE is the only rule as to Who is a Higher Power and Who is not).

If a card reading brings someone comfort, relief, information that makes their life better, happier, or leads them to a higher path, how can it be that the reading is orchestrated by any entity called the devil?

As I have evolved in my own personal belief system, I am of the belief that LOVE is from GOD, GODDESS, OR SOURCE,  and FEAR is from the opposite of that. If you want to call the opposite of LOVE the devil, that is up to you.

I believe that I am connected to the Source of Love, as you are. We are all connected. We are also connected to the plants, the animals, and everything that comes into our experience. Does that mean we are also connected to the devil? Perhaps.

If I believe that everything comes into my experience for a reason, that I can learn from every experience, then I guess the answer is yes. I can learn from my challenges. I don't blame them on an entity that is out for my distruction. As a matter of fact, since I stopped being afraid of him, I haven't run into him lately. Other than the occasional difficult day, life is pretty pleasant and enjoyable.

I can get a message from a cloud, from a rock, from a series of numbers that appear to me repetitively, from a song on the radio, from a movie, from a stranger talking in another aisle in the grocery store, from a random synchronicity. I don't NEED the cards of the tarot to deliver messages. But people like them. Photos say in an instant what might take me several minutes to express verbally.

I could say, hmm, did you have a difficult year last year? Or I could show them this picture:

Bottom line is, Spirit wants to communicate with us. They want to give us help and advice for our lives. Symbols are the easiest way for them to come through. It is a lot easier for Spirit to send me a picture of something than to say.. Joy, tell them that they are going to learn a difficult truth which is going to upset their world, but in the end the truth will set them free ( the basic meaning of the tower card.)

I guess what I want to say to you is this. If the cards of the tarot invoke fear in you, then stay away from them. Connect to your Higher Power in a way that makes you feel LOVE and JOY.  But don't judge others who may be able to connect to their Higher Power or Higher Wisdom through the cards.

LOVE is the only rule.

HERE is a Bible verse to back me up:

1 Corinthians 13New International Version (NIV)

13 If I speak in the tongues[a] of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. 2 If I have the gift of prophecyand can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. 3 If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast,[b] but do not have love, I gain nothing.

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part, 10 but when completeness comes, what is in part disappears. 11 When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 12 For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror;then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

Just in case the images I have posted here are your only exposure to the tarot, you may feel like the images on the cards have a tendency to invoke fear. Not so. Even my least favorite card, the tower, has a positive application. Truth. Sometimes when we learn the truth it can be difficult or life changing. However, if we apply the truth to improving our lives, then the final outcome can be positive. Like this card:


This is the card of happy endings! To all of you I wish for you a happy ending! And remember, there is really no such thing as an ending. Every ending has within it a new beginning!

Just for today, expand your viewpoint. Know that there is more than one way to look at everything. Look at all of your beliefs from another perspective. Life is more than you think.

Three of Pentacles

Today your hard work may be recognized.  You may be working with others on a project or lending your expertise to those who could benefit from your skills. Don't be afraid to collaborate with those with whom you may feel you have nothing in common. All will benefit from the collaboration.

Seven of Cups

Your options are limitless!  You have so many options, and within each option is an opportunity to learn or experience a part of life or discover something about yourself. Beware of living in a fantasy world. Yes, you could do a million different things if you won today's  lottery, but how will that expand your experience of life? It's okay to dream, but it is important to also live in reality.

Seven of Clubs

When I picked this card this morning I had just picked up the deck and this one was on the bottom of the deck. I noticed it, and then shuffled the deck and drew. Here it is again. As it appears, this card represents  a conflict. Sometimes it represents an inner conflict since there are no other people in the picture. You may feel backed into a corner or that you have run out of options. If this is the case, know this. You are never out of options. This too shall pass. Sometimes it helps if you spend a little time just sitting quietly and sending love to yourself and to any other people involved in the conflict. Ask yourself: what else is possible?

If today's message speaks to you, know you can always rise above conflict, even if the conflict is within your own soul. I send you love and light to a peaceful resolution.

Page of Pentacles

Today is a day to learn something new. Maybe it is a good day to reexamine what things are most important to you. Decide where to invest in yourself and your future.  Maybe sign up for a class and learn something new. The theme for today is value. What is valuable to you and how are you going to run with that information?

Four of Pentacles

Are you afraid of losing what is valuable to you? Sometimes holding on too tight to things that mean a lot to us cause those things to go running the other way. Perhaps today would be a good day to surrender to the Universe all your plans, your ideas, your relationships,and, yes, even your money. I am not saying give away everything but in your heart, know this. Nothing is permanent. Everything changes. And it is all okay. What is meant to be yours cannot be taken from you.

Ace of cups

Almost the opposite of yesterday's card, today's card is the ace of cups. New beginnings in the area of relationships today. Maybe that means a fresh start on an already established relationship or it could mean you may meet someone new who will change your life in some way. In a sense, we could say that everyone we meet in a day's time has something to teach us or a gift to give us. Even the challenging people in our lives can teach us something. Look for the gift within every interaction you have today.

I Hardly ever get this card! Five of cups

Today you may feel isolated or need to take some time away from one or more of your relationships. If you feel lonely, try doing something to raise your vibration. Exercise is my favorite way of lifting my mood. It is good for my body and my emotions. The important thing is:don't  cut yourself off from those who love you. Take the time you need to sort out your emotions,  then pick yourself up and move forward.

Temperance

Today is a day to go with the flow. Balance is the key. Don't  get over emotional, but on the other hand, don't harden your heart. The Angels (or whoever you call your Highest Available Help) are around to help you achieve balance today. The key word for today is BALANCE.

Queen of Wands

Today is a wonderful day to own your power. Count your blessings and know that you are completely in charge of how the rest of your life turns out. You are not a victim of circumstances! Although we cannot always control the things that happen to us, we are totally in control of how we deal with those things. Choose to always react with love and watch your life transform!

The Hierophant

Today is a day to think about others and about your part in the Higher Plan. Whatever your belief system think about how you fit into the Big Scheme of Life and what you can do to make the world a better place. Whether it is picking up trash on the road or donating to a worthy charity, remember that one small act done in love makes the world a little brighter.

Ten of Cups

Today's card is the ten of cups. Today be thankful for love and family. Appreciate your loved ones and celebrate your blessings. All is well. Lay down your worries for another day.

Two of Pentacles

Do you feel like you are juggling more than one important aspect of your life? Are you having trouble deciding between more than one option? Sometimes our busy lives make us feel like we have to decide between that which makes our heart sing and that which is practical!  Just for today, know that you can find Joy no matter what you are juggling. Follow your heart.

Seven of wands

Do you feel backed into a corner today? Do you feel you are fighting a battle but the opponent is unclear? Sometimes our biggest battles are with ourselves. Lay down your need to win the battle. Sometimes surrender is the best option. When we surrender our need to have a particular outcome, Spirit can work for us and bring about what is best for everyone concerned.

Card of the day- knight of swords

For the past couple of weeks I have been posting a "card of the day" on my Facebook page. This has been really popular and I thought I would try to post it here on my blog today.

I am not sure if this will be an every day posting. However for now I am getting a lot of positive feedback so I am going to keep it up, at least for awhile.

Today's card is the knight of swords.

Something involving conflict or a difficult conversation may come and go quickly in your experience today. You may have a short term relationship or contact with someone with whom there are words that cut you or make you feel uneasy or wounded.

Remember that this too shall pass. Pick yourself up and move on. This is not going to permanently scar you. You are strong.

I send love and joy to you if you find yourself the recipient of this message. Be strong. Love yourself and let this go.

Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015

At the beginning of 2014, I connected with Spirit and asked what was my theme going to be this year.. and Spirit replied... grace..

I didn't really understand until a little over half way through the year I was called to my father's bedside as he crossed over to the other side.

This was probably the most difficult month of my life. My mom had passed in 2007, but she had been sick and I anticipated her graduation, and sometimes prayed for it, knowing her pain and suffering. Even though it had been difficult, Dad was worse. He was still relatively active, given his age and health issues. His accident had been a big surprise, and my sister and I were placed in the position of watching him teeter between life and death for two weeks. We were not sure he knew who we were, or if we were making the decisions concerning his care that he would have wanted.

Grace was definitely the correct theme for the year.

Thanks Spirit.

Looking back, the past year for me has been laced with many blessings as well as challenges.

I was blessed to have joined in marriage many couples in Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia, including my first same sex couple. I am very pleased that our country is finally beginning to recognize that equal rights for all should be a non issue, and guaranteed to all of our citizens, no matter if everyone agrees or not.

I was blessed to meet many new friends and begin to expand my horizons as my husband and I gave our first joint lecture on the compatibility of science and spirit. It has been so refreshing to have the most important man in my life be able to explain scientifically why the "woo woo" stuff I do really works.

I published my second book, Journey to Joy, Confessions of a Born Again Christian Turned Psychic Medium. I had been commissioned by Jesus Himself to write this book, and I had said no for over two years. Some of my friends laugh when I say that I initially said no to Jesus, and that perhaps a better title would have been.... the girl who said no to Jesus and lived to tell about it... and I will admit that He can be very insistent at times.

I have forged many wonderful relationships this year with new clients, students, and colleagues. We all need a circle of people around us who lift us up when we are down and for whom we do the same.

I think it's important to look back on our year with an objective heart and mind, thanking the hard times and the good times for the lessons we learned and the strength we gained from each experience, good or bad.

As we say goodbye to another year and look forward to 2015 with hope and anticipation, my prayer and intention for each of you is that you live up to the person you really are inside and most of all that you see the wonderful soul that you are.

In numerology we are going into an 8 year. I have always loved 8's, but they are not always the easiest of numbers. Yes, eights represent harvest, abundance, new beginnings, and blessings. In the tarot the 8 card is the card of strength:

( image came from my go to online souce: wikipedia)

This card indicates that sometimes we may have to tame a lion in order to seize our blessings. Nothing worth gaining ever comes without some effort. Yes, we can choose to allow our blessings to come flowing towards us like a river, but sometimes this requires some effort on our parts as well, since we are so used to struggling for our blessings.

Might I also mention that my dad passed in August, an 8 month, and the day I was driving to Florida to be by his side was the 8th of August. This did not escape my observation. Oh, I guess it was graduation month for him, but  my sister and I had to really go within ourselves and muster every ounce of strength we had to get through. Sometimes the blessings of the 8 come to us only we are willing to surrender our will to the will of Spirit.

As we get ready to enter a Universal 8 year (2+0+1+5 =8), I am anticipating that, yes, we will enjoy a good year, but that this year will require some taming of lions in order to find the strength that only comes from within ( the 0 in the year). There may have to be some big changes to occur (5) in order to secure new beginnings (1) in our lives and that our primary relationships (2) will also be a focus. This will require much going within and revealing of secrets (also part of the 2 energy.)

As you say goodbye to 2014 and hello to 2015, may you take some time to connect with Spirit and find your theme for the coming year. You will find that at some point in the year you will remember the theme and that within that theme you will find great comfort knowing that Spirit knew before you did what was to occur and gave you hints so that you could prepare.

Many blessings to you as you navigate your path. Thank you for being a part of my life, even if from afar. I pray that my words that I pen here from time to time have blessed you in some way or helped you as you traverse this journey toward joy.

Stories About Dad, Death, and Surrender

I have never really been good at giving messages to myself. Evidently this is a common problem for those who receive messages from Spirit. My very first mentor while I was still hearing messages while in the church was married four times before I met her and she told me once that she never got any warnings from (the Holy)Spirit about any of her choices. I read the same thing in one of Sylvia Brown's books.

In my early days of honing my gift of receiving messages, I heard this saying, "he who prophesies over himself prophesies to a fool." That makes sense. I always get more accurate messages for strangers than people close to me.

There is one exception. The tarot.

When I learned the tarot I was rather excited because I could finally get a message for myself. The cards don't lie.

I don't do readings for myself that often but for a couple of months I had been feeling like there was a huge change on the horizon. The cards agreed with my hunch when I got this card. Yes, you guessed it. The death card.

Now don't worry. As far as I know I am not going to die. Most of the time the death card represents a shift of some sort. It indicates that one's old way of thinking or doing things is about to change. A chapter is ending in order for another one to begin.

According to numerology, we all go through huge shifts at the age of around 28 and then again around the age of 52. As I am about to turn 52, I knew my energy was about to change. So receiving the death card was no huge surprise.

With yesterday's solstice and dark moon indicating an ending to a season in nature, I took some time to connect with Spirit and consciously release any ideas of how I thought my life should play out. For several years now I had a plan. I had been working my plan, and it was all going pretty well.

Then Spirit shook things up a bit. My plans have gotten shifted a bit, and I received a message on how my original plan was completely wiped out and how things were going to change over the next couple of months. At first I was a little disappointed. I liked my original plan. But one thing Spirit told me years ago is that we have to be willing to let go of how we think our lives are going to work out and be open to Spirit changing things. Surrender. Not easy. But if we are to be used by Spirit for the highest and best plan, then we have to be willing to surrender our plans to the plans of Spirit.

I had not felt the need to share until today. I received an email from one of my clients who has become a friend. She found a dead hawk in her barn and wondered if it was significant.

HUGE.

Hawks represent higher thinking and connecting with Spirit in a higher way. They are always present when connecting with Spirit in a higher way is indicated. The fact that it was dead symbolized my original message that it is time to allow our ideas of how our lives and our purpose are going to unfold to die so that Spirit can bring about the highest and best.

As I meditated today Spirit reminded me of a story that I meant to share but never did about something that occurred when my dad passed back in August.

I was sitting by his bedside. He drifted in and out of consciousness for about two weeks or so before he crossed. He couldn't talk and the doctors were not sure if he even knew who we were. I sat faithfully by his bedside, retelling him some of his favorite stories. He loved to talk, and frequently told stories, some of them over and over.

One of the stories he loved to tell was how God had given him my mother as his bride. He said that when he went to God and asked for a wife, God had spoken to him and said to him that he was not to come to Him with any particular person in mind, but instead, he was to come to God empty, and God would fill his desire with the best choice. As I retold the story to my dad, I received the message that we were not to come to God asking for God to heal my dad, for that was coming to Him with a particular outcome in mind. So I had told Dad that I was coming to God empty, and asking for whatever was best for Dad to bring that to pass.

Today the story was brought back to my mind as I meditated and Spirit (God, Goddess whatever your name for the Highest Power will do fine here) reminded me of this story. We have to be willing to let die whatever plans we have in mind for our lives. We have to be willing to lay down the gifts of Spirit and agree to only use them if they are required. We have to be willing to lay down and surrender any ideas of a particular outcome. We have to come to Spirit empty and allow our emptiness to be filled with whatever is for the highest good of everyone concerned.

Have you had a dream or a goal which has yet to manifest? Have you been traveling in a particular direction and for some reason, encountered a detour? Perhaps Spirit is telling you that it is time to surrender your plans to the plans of Spirit. Be okay with whatever the answer is.

Today is a perfect day to surrender your plans to Spirit. Light a candle, say a prayer, whatever has meaning for you. This time of year the story of the Christ Child comes to mind. The soul that was Jesus had to lay down whatever he was doing up in the Other World and come to earth for a higher purpose. Even if you thought that what you  were doing was for a Higher plan, be willing to lay it all down. Be willing to surrender your plans to the plans of Spirit.

Know that everything is going to be all right in the end. If it is not all right, it is not the end. ( I stole that from someone I don't know who.)

Blessings to you as you celebrate this sacred season of death and rebirth. Remember that death of one chapter usually occurs before a new chapter can begin.

This journey through life is filled with detours and changes of direction. We have to be open to releasing our ideas and plans and allowing life to unfold the way it is meant to unfold. 

It is okay to grieve the loss or death for a season, but realize that Spirit always has our best interests at heart. Eventually we will see the higher plan.

If you are at a cross roads and need a message from Spirit, I am always at your service. You can contact me at www.WhispersofJoy.net. There are many options available for you to connect with me.

Blessings to you as you navigate this path called life. Don't worry. All who wander are not lost. Maybe the path is just taking you in a different direction than you originally anticipated.