Two of Cups

Today's card is the two of cups, shown here:

I always love it when I get this card. This card represents an equal exchange. If you are in a love relationship, it means it is a good match. You are on the same page, so to speak. There is good communication, no one is at a disadvantage. If you are wondering about a business relationship, it looks like it is a good match. As you can see, the sky is blue and the grass is green. There is not a cloud in the sky.

It is always wonderful when you can say you are enjoying a relationship that is on equal terms. No one is lording it over anyone else. Communication is at its highest peak. Even the symbol above their heads looks like a merging of two figures: that of a lion and one of maybe an angel or other winged creature. Also the symbol of the two snakes intertwined speaks of a coming together of two. The snake symbol itself is often a symbol of healing.

This card represents what we all aspire to in a relationship. Maybe there is a checklist here you can go over to see if you and another are well matched:

• do you feel on equal terms with that person?
• are you able to communicate openly?
• are you able to be yourself, exchanging ideas and information on an even plane?
• do you feel that the other person is giving an equal share of themselves with you?
• does the relationship feel "healing" to you? 

Just for today, look for ways to be on a level playing field. Don't give too much of your own power away if the other people around you aren't doing the same. Expect equality in your relationships, whether they be business, romantic, or otherwise. Expect to communicate openly with others.

This is why I often charge a minimal fee for any work that I do for others. If the other person gets something which costs them nothing, will it really benefit them? Will I feel shortchanged, and will what I am offering have any lasting value to them?

Have thought as to what you are giving and receiving today. In this way you will enjoy the best day ever, exchanging ideas and sharing a piece of yourself with those around you.  And you will receive back exactly what you are giving out. Don't shortchange yourself or others by giving too much or expecting to be given to. Keep the playing field even.

Enjoy your day!

Nine of Cups

So this evening I went to the hospital to await the birth of my third grandchild. Since the baby had not decided to come on its own, the medical profession was helping out. Predicting a somewhat long wait, it was advised that I go home and come back early in the morning.

I decided that since I may be at the hospital most of the day tomorrow, that I would go ahead and do the tarot card reading this evening. This is the card that I drew.

Nine of cups.. this is a happy card. The man in the picture is obviously pleased with himself. He is sitting fat and pretty, hands crossed, with his nine cups sitting behind him seemingly on display for all to see. This is the card of wishes fulfilled.

I would like to relate one little coincidence, if you believe in coincidence. I am currently reading a book, "The Awakening" by Laine Crosby. I had just today read a part in the book where Laine relates a story of when her pet had caught a bird and the story that insued, involving a funeral for the bird, etc. Then while I was sitting in the waiting room at the hospital, my stepdaughter's mom related to me a story of how her cat had caught a bird, and the drama that ensued. Then, when I was looking for an image of the nine of cups to post on tonight's blog, one of the images had the caption, "the cat who ate the canary." Coincidence? Hmmm.

This morning I was on facebook and saw two posts relating to how the Universe sends us signs by sending similar instances several times so we will take notice. I, in previous blogs, have related similar instances where signs would make themselves known to me by appearing to me several times. So I am thinking it is by no coincidence that one of the descriptions of the nine of cups is "the cat who ate the canary." What does that mean?

It means that cat is very satisfied with itself. This is what the nine of cups tells us. We are sitting pretty, content and showing off our wares. Our wishes have been fulfilled.

Of course, on a personal level, I am thinking that tomorrow's birth will be easy and gratifying for all.

The only warning is to take heed for the canary. Yes the cat is very satisfied, but take heed less your good fortune affects others in a less than fortunate way. I am sure the bird in each of the stories related to me was not happy with its fortune. Beware less your good fortune affects someone else in a negative way.

If you are in a position of being happy with good fortune, yay you!!

But look around. Make sure that no canaries are being affected in a less than fortunate way. Look out for the canary. I am not saying that you should give up your dreams. I am not saying to stay in an unhealthy relationship just because the other party is less than excited about its ending. In unhealthy relationships, sometimes in the short run the other person feels like the canary, but eventually they learn that their misfortune was actually a blessing. But if you are setting an intention for a job that will put someone else out of work, that might be the cat who ate the canary. Once I got thrown out of my house, while pregnant, because the owner of the house wanted to let a relative move in. I am talking benefiting at the expense of someone else.

Just for today.....Rejoice over your good fortune!! Today, it is possible your wishes will be fulfilled, your dreams will come true. It is possible that you will be exonerated of a bad rap. But look around you. Take care of the canaries.

PS.. here is a link to Laine's book!! great read!!

http://www.amazon.com/Investigative-Medium-Awakening-Laine-Crosby/dp/1940261007/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1376274668&sr=1-1&keywords=laine+crosby

No One Likes to Get the "Death" card

This morning the card I picked for today's blog is the death card. Here is one depiction:

The good news is that the death card does not necessarily mean that someone is going to die a physical death.

In this card there is a skeleton riding a white horse. There is one dead beneath the feet of the horse, and a small child, an adolescent, and a bishop of some kind standing before him. He is holding a black flag as if to symbolize some sort of victory. There is the background of a gray sky, a setting sun, and two towers also seen in the "moon" card.

This card, like you may suppose, indicates that there is a final ending of a chapter of your life. However, all is not hopeless. Sometimes there has to be an ending before there can be a new beginning.  Sometimes we have to come to the end of our rope before we can see clearly to make needed changes.

Maybe you have been putting up with bad behavior of a friend or partner and something happens that is the last straw. You finally decide to cut the ties. When you do, the door is opened for you to experience new relationships and new adventures that you would not have had the ability to experience if you had remained in this unhealthy relationship. For myself, I know that a couple of times in  my life I came to the point that I decided if I stay in this relationship I will die. That is the death card. Obviously, I am alive and well. Ending a relationship can be a gift for both parties. If a relationship is not good for one of the parties, it is not good for either one, despite what the other person might feel or tell you at the time. When you decide to end a relationship, whether it be a friendship, romantic, or business relationship, or even, as in my case, the ending of a relationship with an entire belief system, you are truly giving the other person a gift that they are not ready to give themselves. You are giving them the opportunity to forge new relationships with new people that will be more life affirming and beneficial for both parties.

Years ago I had a close friend. She was my best friend and mentor.  She taught me how to open my heart and ears and really hear from Spirit. More than once we had a parting of the ways. Although I loved this woman as if she was my sister, we always seem to have difficulty remaining close. We would have misunderstandings or other issues and would part ways, doing this several times until the last time about twelve years ago.  I asked Spirit once why we always seemed to have such difficulties and Spirit told me that if I remained her friend that it would hinder me from becoming the person I was meant to be. I would always have been dependent on her abilities, which were far beyond mine, and I would never have followed the path that I am currently on. When something is taken away from you, whether it is your choice or it is forced upon you, look at that "death" as a gift. Take the opportunity to move forward to new relationships and new adventures. The death of any relationship, after you have grieved over it for a reasonable amount of time, is the opening of a new door of possibilities for you.

Maybe you are ready to start a new career but are afraid to risk the security of the one you are currently in. Sometimes, if a new career is in your future, the Universe will force it upon you if you are afraid to take the step. You may get fired or layed off. Take this as a hint from the Universe that there is something better out there for you! There is a new birth waiting to happen, that could not happen until the death of the old one! One of my other mentors was fired from her job which catapulted her into going into her current career as a full time medium. The road has not always been easy, but it is the one that Spirit had in mind when her other job was eliminated.

If you are going through a death of sorts, the loss of a relationship or job, or perhaps some other ending, take heart! Death is just the door to new possibilities. At some point we have to face the grim reaper with fortitude and expectation, knowing that sometimes we have to go through the dark night of the soul in order to follow the path that is our highest and best destiny.

Two of Wands

Today's message from the tarot is the two of wands, shown here:

As you can see in this picture, the man in the picture is holding the world in one hand, and a wand or staff in the other. Behind him is another wand or staff mounted against the stone wall he is standing behind. He gazes out into a lush landscape, graced by mountains, a beautiful blue body of water and green fields and trees. You can almost sense the excitement in the air as he contemplates his next move.

This card speaks of adventure, starting out on a new path, conquering new worlds.

If I were giving you a reading and this card were to show up, I would know that you are ready to take a step into something new. You have already come a long way, symbolized by the stone wall and the one wand braced securely against the wall but behind the man. Things are good, but you are ready for something new. You are ready to leave the security you have built and embark upon a new adventure!

This is a card of possibilities! The world is at your beck and call! There are new possibilities calling out for you!! Although you are holding the world in your hands, you would give it up in a minute to answer the call to go out into the unknown and forge a new path for yourself!

Maybe you are at a crossroads in your life. Things are good, but you are restless. You have created this secure and well established life for yourself, but you hear the call of the wild!

This card is not necessarily telling you to quit your job or leave your husband or wife, but it is telling you that adventures await you!! You can stay in the security of the walls behind which you stand, or you can risk it all and embark upon a new life, and only you know what that will entail!

We have all been in the position of hearing the call of the wild! We have lived safe within the walls of our own building, gazing out upon the unblazed trails of our own imagination! We know that as long as we remain within the walls, we will never experience the rush of adrenaline we long for, racing out into the unknown, feeling the wind in our faces and the crackling of the twigs beneath our feet! We hear the call, but stand inside our own walls, gazing out at others who risk everything in order to feel that surge of life rushing through their very being.

Sometimes, if we don't answer the call, the Universe will answer it for us. The comfort of our walls will collapse, and we will be forced to embark upon the adventure anyway.

Do you hear the call of the wild? Is it time to venture out beyond your comfort zone? Is it time perhaps to do something new? It may be as simple as listening to someone's viewpoint that differs from your own. It may be just driving a new way to work, or rearranging  your morning rituals. It was suggested to me once that if I desired things to change in my life, that a good starting point was to change my daily habits. If I was in the habit of brushing my teeth first and then taking a shower, then one morning take my shower first and then brush my teeth. Just a simple, mindful act of doing something out of the ordinary changes my energy and says to the Universe that I am open and receptive to change.

Try this. Just for today, say to yourself:

 I am open and receptive to change. 

or

I invite new adventures into my life.

or

I am open to other people's viewpoints.

I am excited for you as you embark upon a new stage of your life, as you leave behind the security of the walls you yourself have built up around you to protect you and venture out into the unknown!

Listen to the call of Spirit inviting you to really live your life! Do something different today! Anyone can risk one day of going outside of your comfort zone. Who knows what awaits you! Now get out there and be alive!

Seven of Cups

As a teaser to next week's spiritual growth class on the tarot, I thought that for the next few days I would post a daily message based on a card of the tarot.

I shuffled my cards, and asked Spirit to give me a card to post a blog about. Something that my readers could identify with, and possibly incorporate into their daily walk.

Here is the card I drew:

This card is the seven of cups. I chose this image because it seems to me to be a little easier to understand than my normal favorite deck, the Rider Waite.

This card speaks of daydreaming. I think in all the times since I first began connecting with the tarot, and have had the daily practice of drawing a card and contemplating on its meaning all throughout the day, I have only once drawn this card. The image was a bit different, as you can see from this image of the Rider Waite deck:

At the time that I first drew this card, Spirit told me through this card that I had too many pots on my stove. It was time to focus and start turning my dreams into a reality by creating a step by step plan of action.

Sometimes we have a dream. We want our lives to turn out a certain way. Maybe we would like to turn a hobby into a business. Maybe we would like to add a spiritual practice or an exercise routine or some other aspiration to our daily life. We think about it. Perhaps we meditate or say affirmations or do some sort of manifesting ritual to bring about a desired outcome. But we never make a plan of action. The seven of cups is encouraging us to stop our daydreaming and take some steps to make our dreams into a reality!

For awhile now I have been saying I would like to start writing my second book. But things get in the way. I have a job, although my hours have changed, offering more opportunity to do my "other" work. I am a wedding officiant. I do private and group readings, classes, as well as write this blog. I also have a husband, children, grandchildren, and family responsibilities. Each of my various responsibilities could be symbolized in one of these cups.

Does the seven of cups speak to you today? Do you have a dream but no plan of action? It is not enough to say affirmations that you would like to have your own business or lose ten pounds or find your soul mate. You have to have a plan for bringing your dreams into reality. The seven of cups says that it is time to lay down your illusions. There is no limit to what you can create with the power of positive thinking and positive words, but at some point, you have to put action to those words and thoughts. 

About two years ago I took some swimming lessons. Yes I have lived fifty years and never mastered the art of swimming. Anyway, I took the lessons. My teacher said I had skill. However, now, two years later, I can't remember any of what she taught me. Why? I have managed to make it to August and I have yet to have gotten in the water! You don't learn to swim by watching other people swim! At some point you have to get in the water. You have to practice what you have learned. Eventually you learn to swim.

The tarot's message for today is to put into action what you are dreaming about! It is good to daydream while you are putting together in your mind what you would like to create. It is good to visualize yourself at your perfect weight, in your perfect relationship, or whatever it is you would like to manifest! But at some point you are going to have to get in the water!

Just for today, come up with a plan of action! Make a list of all the steps needed to put your dreams into the world of reality. Don't expect your dream to fall out of the sky and hit you in the head. There are things you can do to bring  your dreams into your world.

I am excited for you as you embark on the adventure of a lifetime! What is it that makes your heart sing? What would it take to bring that into your life? Take the first step today!

Questions and Answers

Here is what I have noticed.

A client asks me a question.

I may get an image, a thought, or a message from the tarot.

It is not what they expect.

Maybe the answer is about something they didn't ask me.

What or who was the client actually thinking about at the time of the question?

Sometimes a client will ask me about a potential lover when they were actually thinking about another person entirely. Who do you think I am going to get information about?

ANSWER. I am going to get information about who you are thinking about, not who you asked me about.

I know that people in general are full of secrets. Sometimes the secrets are so deep that we don't even recognize that we are keeping them.

We may think we can keep a secret from our loved ones, our family, even ourselves.

In the spiritual realm there are no secrets.

Question: Why can't psychics predict lottery numbers?

Answer: Some may be able to do this, but basically, what I have decided, is this.

The place where I get my information is in the world of symbols. Receiving intuitive information is a right brained activity. The information is coming in the form of pictures, sounds, smells, words. In a way I am listening to Spirit and then saying what I hear. But sometimes I am getting images or thoughts that are not easily expressed and that I have to formulate words for.

Numbers are a left brained, logical activity. This information comes from a different place in my brain. I guess if they wanted to, my Guides could give me numbers. However, sometimes winning the lottery is not in the best interests of our souls. We would bypass all our lessons if we had access to anything we wanted through intuitive guidance. Our Guides are not going to allow us to bypass our lessons by giving us information which would take us off our designated path.

We can choose to go off our path on our own, but our Guides are not going to participate in that.

What about people who do win the lottery?

How many of them are able to actually keep the money? Research shows that the percentage of people who win the lottery that are able to hold on to that money is relatively low. That is because their individual vibration was not the same as the vibration that the money holds and that maybe having lots of money is not on the path that will give them the most valuable lessons for this lifetime.

Question: How come sometimes Spirit does not warn us ahead of time when we are going to have a huge life changing experience? Maybe if Spirit would have told me, I would not have done.. (whatever)..

Answer: If Spirit told us ahead of time every time we were going to make a mistake in judgement, or every time a life changing experience was coming our way, what would be the purpose for us incarnating into this lifetime? If we knew ahead of time every little detail of our lives, we would miss all of the wonderful lessons we learn from just living our lives.

One of my favorite mantras is this: "Everything I need to know is revealed to me."

I wish I knew every time I was going to make a mistake or a wrong turn. I wish I knew ahead of time if something bad was going to happen. Sometimes, if something is ahead on our path that will completely change our lives, and our paths are supposed to go in a particular direction, we will get a warning. But not always.

Sometimes I will get a warning that a client is about to go through a challenging experience but most of the time Spirit will not tell me what the experience is. Sometimes our challenging experiences are the catalyst that we need to make life altering changes that later we will look back at and thank the Universe for.

Just for today, thank the Universe, your Source, or whatever you call your Higher Power, for all those challenges that are making you who you are. Learn from your challenges, so that you don't have to repeat them. Don't ask a psychic for winning lottery numbers. Don't ask a psychic (intuitive, sensitive, whatever you want to call someone who hears messages from Spirit) about one person if you really want to know about someone else.

At some time in the future I will address other questions. Feel free to message me if you have one and I will connect with Spirit and see if I receive an answer!

Strength

Look at today's tarot card, the card called Strength:

I love this card, for several reasons:

The woman in the picture is gentle on the outside, but obviously strong on the inside. She has found the strength within herself to tame the lion in the picture, who is obviously enamored of her.

She is not in a struggle with the lion.

To me it almost looks like the lion is trying to lick her, signifying his complete devotion.

I love the figure 8 above her head, representing infinity and infinate possibilites. The number 8, which is the number of the card and also is depicted above the woman's head, signifies abundance, prosperity, harvest, plenty, and almost any good thing you can think of. It has been my favorite number for many years. Before I was aware of the power of numbers, I started noticing that good things always seemed to happen on "8" days. When I was still a devoted church attendee, a preacher once even commented on the power of the number 8 as it related to starting over, new beginnings, and changes for the better. The eighth day of the week is the start of a new week, after an old week has passed.  Musically the eight starts a new octave. I could go on and on about all the wonderful things that have happened to me on "8" days, or how I have been given signs of eights, but I think you get the picture.

Taming a lion represents overcoming obstacles, and even making them your friend. When an enemy becomes a friend, both are benefited.

I think sometimes we tend to like that "us against them" mentality. I never liked the term "war on drugs" or "war on ANYTHING".  My thought is that when someone or something ceases to become an enemy, we can accomplish anything. When I cease to have need of whatever it is that I could call my "lion", then I can befriend it. For example, when I cease to have the need to be right about something, then I can look at all possibilities. When I cease to consistently give away my power and for once make my own needs known to those who are in the habit of "needing" me for whatever reason, then I can truly benefit the one who is asking for help.

Sometimes it is only a matter of taming that lion "just for today." I like to say that in my blogs frequently, because many times thinking of making a lifetime change is too daunting. But if I can say, "Just for today, I am going to not smoke a cigarette, or lose my temper, or apologize for something that is not my fault, or (you fill in the blanks). Then your inner strength is brought into the forefront of your life and that lion will melt in your arms!

What is it that you have need of taming, just for today? If you could name that lion, what would you call it? For me it is, giving away more of myself than I have time to replenish. (at least, this week, this is my lion.)

Have the strength within yourself to say, "just for today, I am strong within myself. I choose to tame the lion of ..............., and make it my friend and ally."

Imagine yourself holding that lion in your arms and seeing its eyes look up at you in admiration as you exude your own inner strength. You may want to print out a picture of this card and keep it somewhere where you can meditate on its wisdom.

Yay you as you tame your own personal lions!!