Inner Revealings Tarot

Sometimes You Just Can't See

I'm in it today.  Have been stirring deep in all the ways I limit and block myself, and have been for a while, but this week it has hit me hard.  Woke up this morning and decided to pull some cards to reveal just what this self blocking is about.  I pulled the Ace of Swords, the Three of Swords and the Six of Disks.

I stared and stared at them.  Trying desperately to open to their message, it just wasn't coming.  Then I switched gears and tried to just acknowledge the usual meaning for these cards.  Nada. Nothing.  I'm looking at them now, and still its like I'm looking at fuzzy almost meaningless cards.

Sitting a while longer with them, I tried to just let go.  After all, I'm at this place because of this resistance and blockage I'm dealing with.  It makes sense that I wouldn't be able to get a clear view of what is going on, particularly since as of late I have been diving deep into the roots of things.  Its just felt like such a cold stone wall I kept hitting every time I looked at the cards.

So I'm sitting with it all.  Surrendering to the fact that I am not yet ready to see this.  Whatever it is.  Its frustrating, and I'm clinging to the practice of self compassion and gentleness, because I am truly feeling the frustration of being stuck in these areas and so desperately want to move out of it. 

The three cards remain on my altar, not speaking to me, or I'm just not really seeing them.  Either way, I open to the wisdom needing to come through and hope it comes through soon.

Telling The Future or Telling The Present?

I have had the privileged of doing quite a few readings in the last month along with some amazing ongoing email dialogues with others who are learning to use Tarot as a tool for their own spiritual evolution.  A question that keeps coming up in a variety of forms is "Can you tell me the future?"  Getting a chance to write my answer out in a variety of emails over the last couple of months has been incredibly helpful for me in learning to articulate what it is that I do and how it is that I view the usefulness of the Tarot.

There are readers that do in fact read for the future.  These are amazingly gifted readers who use the cards as their tool, but also have the gift of sight and see or sense the future and are able to make predictions based on the information they receive.  They provide you with the picture.  The answer to what will happen, and this is more often then not what we all want to know, and what we ask for.  Its interesting to note that if we get an answer that we like thats the end of it.  Its only when the outcome isn't favorable that we think to ask, how we can change things.

My work with the Tarot and my gifts lie in the ability to see what dynamics are at play in a situation in the present.  Often this insight will come with very clear awareness of what will happen in the future, but more often then not, my focus is on what is happening now.  I believe this comes from my commitment to empowerment, and living as conscious and present a life as I can, while facilitating and holding space for others to do the same.  Its very much my karmic path this time around, and it imbues everything I do, including Tarot.

The difference I feel between telling or giving the querant a picture of what the future looks like and giving the querant a picture of what is happening in the present is that revealing the dynamics at play today, inspires the querant to ask what they can do or what they need to do.  This creates a sense of responsibility and ability to shape their lives and make different choices.  It immediately places a person in the seat of ownership over their lives.  And how exciting is that?  Its truly part of a healing we all need in varying layers throughout our lives.  Waking up to the reality that we choose, we are the roots that create the future, and through carefully looking and assessing these roots we can navigate our lives is an amazing revelation.

It continues to be my lesson that whatever beliefs, unconscious agreements we have, and energetic dynamics we move in the world with, shapes not only our present, but will surely set up our future.  So under the intention of being consciously empowered to self assess and make new choices today regarding the life we are going to create, having a reading that can bring to light things you are not seeing is an invaluable tool.  And this is why I read for the present. 

Both methods serve to be sure, and I have had readings for the future and readings for the present.  But as I progress along my path, I have turned more and more towards unveiling the present in order to gain better understanding of myself and why things are as they are for me.  And this is why I read as I do.

Summer Solstice Tarot Readings

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, the daylight has been growing.  The Sun's strength in our lives continues to build as the fire energy reaches its climax on Summer Solstice. Its the longest day and the shortest night of the year.  For us in our journey we have come to a place in the year where all the seedlings we had been nurturing to grow through the Spring has reached its full bloom. Its the pregnant Mother at her 40th week - full, round, at the last height of her cycle of creation before giving birth.  Those seedlings or babies are the intentioned ones and the unconscious ones.  All of it reaches the apex of energy at this point of the year.  The fire of Summer Solstice brings it all up to a boil before letting the temperature slowly drop again as we move towards Autumn, birthing forth or harvesting the fruits of our creations.

We live in rhythm with the cycles of the Moon, the Sun and the Seasonal fluctuation we experience, no matter where we live.  All of it is a metaphor for the journeys of growth our souls take. This Summer Solstice is about actively Seeing what has been gestating in your life, savoring those blossoms in all their aspects and consciously making choices about how you will assimilate or harvest them into your being.

A Summer Solstice Tarot reading is a specific seasonal reading that will tell you:

~What has reached its high point in your life right now?  What are the blooms?

~What lessons are there for you to focus on regarding those dynamics that are at their high point that you may have been a unconscious about?

~What do you need to do to begin preparing to harvest or assimilate this blossoms in your life, as the year's cycle begins to wane?

This reading is specific to the Summer Solstice and is intended to be a guidepost for your personal soul journey this Season.  Inner Revealings Tarot Readings are intended for those who have an established practice of self facing and deep self inquiry.  It will provide you with insight and questions that want to be explored by your deepest self in your personal work. 

I will be doing seasonal readings as well as regular readings throughout the year.  You can find more information on Tarot here, as well as my bio and further information on the Readings I do.  

For your reading, please include your name, date, time and place of birth and an email address I can send your PDF reading to. Also if you want to add anything or any questions to the above list of questions please do.  Any questions regarding how you are feeling at this seasonal change and the things going on in your life will serve to provide you with better details.   My turnaround time is currently 3 days and cost for this reading is $57.

You can click on the paypal link below, or go to the yellow "Buy Now" button at the top of the sidebar.

The Artist Nina Pak

The video above was created by an amazing artist named Nina Pak.  I first found her through her Myspace page and spent hours pouring over all of her photo albums and links.  Her music, her art, and her daydreams serve as inspiration for me over and over again.  Of her art she says this:

"I was greatly inspired by the Italian Renaissance and the philosopher Pico who spoke about the "Magia Naturalis" which combined art and science , and various enlightened methods of natural magic.  This paradigm embodied the virtue and actions of natural forces and their effects on others.  It was otherwise referred to the marriage Earth and Heaven.

This concept best describes my process as well as my perspective on the purpose of art.  The "Magia Fausti" (magical elements) have always been incorporated into my art.  Incorporating unorthodox amalgamations which are symbolic and sacred.

At times wholly palpable and otherwise ethereal, my work reflects the natural world and the dream world.  Art for me is an attempt to make physical what we see inside or in dreaming.  It is an attempt to capture the elusive and make it tangible. 

I believe that nature should be befriended.  When we surround ourselves with natural beauty or uplifting elements,  they compliment and balance our lives, thus invoking a presence of well being.  Such an environment, filled with objects of art that inspire us, will improve our disposition and our health.  I want to create works of art that have this effective potential.  Art and nature have been intertwined throughout history.  The symbolism of four elements pervades both.  These archetypes are imprinted on the human consciousnesses.  I am deeply moved by them.

Her words, and how archetypal her images are, speaks volumes to my soul, and to that part of me that works in symbols, visions and dreamtime language.  Its the language of the Tarot as well.  And I share Nina Pak with you as an opportunity to immerse yourself in images that speak to that intelligence within you.  Beyond mere mental intelligence that anchors itself in the linear patterns of logic, its the intelligence of the soul, the body, the eye that sees the unmanifest and the story that swirls around what is manifest.  Its the intelligence and language of imagery, feeling, intuition and personal mythology. 

Enjoy this lovely morsel.  I can lose myself in her sites for days at a time, just aching for more.  And somewhere in one of her Myspace photo albums she has images she began creating based on the Tarot.  Here is the link, although you may have to make her a contact or at least have a Myspace account to see the album.  I am actually not quite sure.  Its worth the sign up just to see what she has there.

Enjoy... and Aloha!

A Small Break

Hello.

I have quite a bit on my plate for the next couple of weeks.  I am taking a short break to attend to other things, but will be back to our regularly schedule program soon!  In the mean time, be well and savor the delicious sprouting of Spring!

Tarot Readings will continue with a 3 day turn around.

The Question

Its a big one, no?  ;) 

Tarot Thursday: The Magus/Magician part 2 (my homework)

This card has really hit me.  I had a fairly clear idea of what I would share last week about this card.  I sat with it in a meditation, pulled out my notes to get my thoughts together and then BAM!  The thing is that I lack the words to really share with you what is going on with me clearly.

I have been in a deep practice since Winter Solstice.  And after doing this work for over 4 months now, I literally feel that there is a physical, spiritual, mental transmutation.  And there have been layers, some very clear and tangible and some incredibly illusive and frustrating.  When it came time to prepare for writing about the Magus, all of a sudden all of the keys to unlocking specific doors within me began to leap out at me.  What I understood about this card before, somehow coalesced with all this other information that I had stored, but never integrated with this card.

So ideas and notions about manifestation, chakras, alchemy, individuation, mastery, command, and power are swirling around in me and all I seem to want to do is chant more and draw more.  Its as if  the program is still downloading into my being.  I know this sounds crazy, but what happened with I began pulling information together to write about the Magus was in many ways an answered plea for deeper movement.  And now... I'm still in it.  Coming here and trying to deliver this card to you in a neat package feels completely impossible.

We are only on the second card!!!!  Can you imagine what the rest of this will be like???

And I suppose in some ways this is a Tarot Thursday lesson in and of it self.  These cards are keys.  Keys to unlocking a treasure trove within ourselves.  And also keys that let us into the repository of truth that is the collective unconscious.  They are not just for telling the future you know!  :) 

So in an effort to try and bring together a bit of what is going on with me, I will write this:

I know that the alchemical formulas to turning metals into gold are in me.   I know that the ability to conjure, manifest, make real, bring forth and birth have always been in me, and have already been used by me throughout my life.  I know that the reason I felt unable to access these alchemical formulas in the last couple of years has been about me hitting up against a deeper wall that wants to be transformed.  A wall that has required me to make different choices and commitments about the type of internal work I am willing to do.  I know that this card is trying to reconnect me with the miracle of magic that I hold within me.  I open and allow this to come forth.

Things have been quiet round here.  And I have been terrible about returning emails and responding to comments.  This next week will open up a bit more for me, and I look forward to checking out how you are all doing.

Blessings.

Tarot Thursday: The Magus/Magician part 1

Personal note:  Ah my friends...   This Magician has got me on a ride.  I had most of my notes ready and then pulled out Jung and Tarot: An Archetypal Journey, and have been spiraling down the rabbit hole all evening long.  This card is coming back to me now with some very powerful lessons that relate to what I have been doing in my 4 month long spiritual practice.  I found that the hidden dimensions of The Magus that sit just below the surface had escaped my conscious mind, and it wasn't until today that I felt hit in the face with it.  I want so desperately to coalesce this into words so that I may share it with you.  I am still in it.  So what I give you here is the first layer.  Correspondences, connections...  Next week... we go deeper.

Keywords:

Action, conscious awareness, concentration, singleness of purpose, power, intention and understanding it, directed will, realizing /knowing your potential, vitality, creative, planning, focused energy, precision, harnessing power, producing, manifesting.

Archetype:

The active masculine principle, the ultimate achiever, driven by the motivation of control and mastery.  He taps into the universal forces to use them for creative purposes.  His efforts and production is external, manifest and tangible. This archetype can be found in both men and women. 

Symbols:

The following are common symbols to this card and will vary from deck to deck.  Again I encourage you to dive into the imagery of your own deck to see what it reveals to you in its commonality and in its uniqueness in relation to the list below.

~Wand: directing of will

~White Inner Garment:  purity of purpose

~Red Cloak:  Power and the running and harnessing of his own energy with mastery

~White Lilies:  spiritual truth and abstract thinking.

~Right arm skyward and left arm to the ground:  this symbolizes the receiveing of higher energies with the right arm and grounding it or transforming it into something manifest with the left arm.  This is hugely significant because this speaks to the energetic practice of manifesting in our tangible reality.  There are several systems that speak of this and although not all cards have the Magus in this position, the energy and meaning behind it is still in the card. (more on this next week)

~Lemniscate:  This is the infinity symbol, the figure 8 on its side.  This is timelessness, the interaction of the conscious and the unconscious, the regeneration cycle that is endless.

~Urobus:  The snake swallowing its own tail which creates a circle, and reminiscent of the Fool's 0.  Again, eternity, cycles, regeneration and the mystery that out of death new things arise.

~The Four Suits:  In most decks the Magician has with him on this card the four suits of the Minor Arcana.  This is the only card in all of the Major Arcana that contains these symbols.  These are his magical tools and through them he opens the worlds fo the 4 suits and literally opens the 4 worlds and these tools align him with the 5 element of Spirit.  The are as follows:

            Cups-water, preservation, emotion

            Wands-fire, renewal, passion, will, wand,

            Pentacle-earth, form, form, protection, manifest

            Sword-air, activities, intellect, mind, logic

Alchemy:

~Type:  Metal

~Name: Mercury

Hebrew Letter:

BETH ~ The image of the Hebrew letter Beth (Baith, Beith) is a house, a tent, a dwelling. The house is the dwelling of (the body of) man in the world of duality and illusion. A house also gives protection and shelter. A house is a containing form. In the spiritual sense it contains the Light, the Spirit.

Runes:

FEHU is the first rune. It indicates possesions, income won or earned. Wealth which must be calculated wisely to be of any relevance (be it social or monetary). Karmic wealth invested wisely.

Homework:

1.  I haven't given you a lot with this post.  But already with this information and the card sitting at my desk in front of me, I feel an electric crackle all around, and in my brain.  This card contains ancient alchemical truths that unlock our power.  Are you willing to open yourself enough to unleash the power within yourself to manifest the destiny you long for?

2.  Create a mini altar for this card.  Take 10 minutes each day to come to it and sit infront of it with a soft gaze.  Just breathe slowly and deeply allowing this image to speak to you.  There are lessons to be learn in this place of our journey.  And given what information is already in this post see what comes up for you throughout the week.

Bohemian Knitted Lariats

 

I have finally posted my Bohemian Lariats on etsy! 

Go check them out at Lunar Adornments!

Tarot Thursday: The Fool

Keywords: 

Adventure, innocence, trusting, independent, free spirit, awakener, originality, faith, optimism, new

Archetype:

Depending on what you read, you will find that The Fool is attributed to the Wanderer, Child, or Trickster archetype.  For me over all with the deck that I use, and the symbology of the journey The Fool takes, I really resonate with the Wanderer.  Which leads me to remind you that although I will give you as much information about each card as I can, we are still dealing with an imagery based sub conscious system, that we are trying to put into linear languaged description.  So this becomes just a template from which to work from.  After spending some time with The Fool, what archetype speaks to you most?

Themes Of The Fool

The Fool is an innocent, happy-go-lucky fellow full of wonder and flies by the seat of his pants.  He represents a new level in our evolution from a more primal being to a modern human being.  This is symbolized in various ways in depictions on decks (dog, alligator, tiger, birds...).  He embodies faith that life is good and worthy of trust, and is open to whatever may come his way. He is willing to take risks because he has no fear, and his curiosity of the new, of the endless possibilities ahead are what drive him forward.

There are many layers to this card.  The Fool is blank slate or vessel (0) but also complete in his integration of the masculine and feminine, shadow and light.  There paradox here is that he is at the beginning but also at the end, he knows nothing but knows everything.  Its the point at which we all start as children, then spend the rest of our lives relearning to arrive at the same place of wisdom, innocence and wonder at the end of our journey.  For this reason The Fool can be found at the beginning of some decks with the number 0 or at the end of some decks as the number 22.  Both Karmic numbers and both that connect the end and the beginning endlessly in a circular cycle.

The Fool functions from within, not influenced by forces outside of himself.  He is lead by his impulses, sometimes impetuous and careless, but instinctual and without hesitation.  He is free, and he revels in that freedom as this is purpose.  To go out and experience possibilities, lessons, opportunity. He is unpredictable and he is a mirror for our own innocence, impulsiveness, daring and foolishness.  We must make room for the renegade aspect of ourselves and admit The Fool to our inner counsel, which means psychologically that we must admit to him.  Doing so, can open up a wellspring of fresh ideas and new energy to our lives. 

"His impulsive curiosity urges us on to impossible dreams while at the same time his playful nature tries to lure us back to the laissez-faire childhood days.  Without him we would never undertake the task of self knowledge, but with him we are always tempted ot dawdle by the wayside."  ~ Jung and the Tarot

(I want to point out here that there are always positive, neutral and negative aspects to all cards.  Determining which is coming up in a reading depends on whether it is up right or reversed, or where it comes up in the actual spread you are using.  I won't be writing too much on reversals, as I don't use that tool at all.  For me the cards tell you exactly what they are trying to say based on where they are in the spread, what question was asked, and what cards it is surrounded by.)

For me, The Fool is the reminder to risk heading into the unknown, to stay open and fully engage the moment as it comes without trying to figure it out or control it.  I always remember one of my favorite moments in the movie The Matrix, when the Merovingian comes to a huge confrontation that was so out of his intended plan, and with cool detachment said, "Very well... lets see where this takes us."  And it really stuck with me after all these years.  It was such a moment of surrender, embracing, curiosity, openness...  He was just on for the ride.  And this cards speaks to that for me.  An opportunity to see where life will lead.  And the Fool is so complete and so void of lifes fears and cautions that he merrily moves forward, because the moment is all he/we really have.

Numerology:

The 0 is the empty and full vessel.  Beginning and end is the same here as the cycle is perpetual. There is a blank slate with no karmic debt in this number  There is so much to really be absorbed in that truth.  It is also important to notice that being at the number 0, The Fool doesn't fit into the 3 rows of the Major Arcana progression.  The Fool stands apart with a clear view of all the other cards or stages ahead of him.  He can come and go as he pleases. 

"The power of zero is inherent in its circular form.  To experience the essential qualities of this form, it is helpful to contrast the feel of a circle with that of a square.  Suppose that you wanted to draw a perfect circle.  First you would set one foot of your compass down at the spot which is to become the center of your circle.  Now you are ready to draw the circle's circumference.  But until you have pinpointed its center, you cannot begin to draw a circle.  There is no chicken or egg about it; the center comes first, is in fact central to the whole concept of circle, a fact not true of any other geometric figure"  ~Jung and the Tarot

Astrology:

The Fool card represents the planet Uranus.   This is one of the outer planets... the fate planets.  Uranus is change, liberation,  and freedom.  Its an itchy restlessness and rebellion against those imposed norms by society and culture.  It brings up the need to break out of those ruts and strike out onto an original path.  Surprising events that lead you on a roller coaster ride of unconventionality... That is Uranus.  And you can see how this is reflected in The Fool. 

Symbols On Cards:

Every deck of cards is different, so each card will vary in how the traditional imagery is conveyed.  I am going to list some of the most common imagery for The Fool here, but I encourage you to really study your card and then do some research of you own into what different colors and objects may mean on your specific card.

~Animals:  usually a dog or an alligator which speaks to The Fools inner primal innocent knowing

~Bird/Eagle or Feather:  an elevated view, seeing the full picture from high above and also closer to the spiritual heavenly realms.  Elevated divinity.

~White Rose:  Purity

~Wand or Staff:  Free will

~Flute:  Like the Pied Piper, a merry fool leading others astray

Again each deck will have different elements and may contain some of these symbols or not.  Its important to make not of what is on your card and familiarize yourself with the language that you deck speaks to you through.  This is another way of sensing whether or not its a deck that is well suited for you.

Alchemy:

~Type:  Element

~Name: Air

Hebrew Alphabet:

ALEPH, which is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet signifies the head of a bull.  Not the whole body, as the rest is still unmanifest and in another dimension.  This letter is the beginning of unity.

Rune:

WUNYO signifies bliss, joy and pleasure.  It is the embodiment of merriment.

*Runes and Kabbalah symbols are later additions to the Tarot.  There is quite a bit of information online about both.  Neither are systems that I work very closely with so I have very little information to share about it.  I recommend doing some research, especially if these symbols are included in the deck that you are using. 

Homework:

Spend some time looking at this card.

1.  Make note of what comes up for you as you look at it.

2.  What sense do you get from his "personality"?  How similar or not similar to that are you?

3.  When faced with an abrupt change in course how do you instinctually respond?  How does that serve you?  If its different then what The Fool would do, how would it be for you to approach something new the way the Fool does?

4.  What thoughts or feelings come up for you when you think of doing that?

5.  What are some ways in which you can embrace characteristics of The Fool in a way that enhances your life experience?

6.  Now lay out the cards of the Major Arcana the way we have been.  Knowing the Fool the way you do now, imagine how he would approach each step along the path as depicted by each card.  Note any changes in how you view the journey given what you know now.

Until next week... Blessings to all of you.