Just thought I would do a reading on 3 cards I drew at random, tonight. These are from the 'Tarot of Reflections" by Francesco Ciampi, I love them. Watercolors, soft and dreamy. Yet detailed, and easy to understand what they are saying.
The 5 of Swords, the 6 of Cups, and the Lovers. The first thing I see is the woman, beaten up, bloody, giving up. She just doesn't have any strength in her to fight for what she thought she wanted any more. The house by the lake stands out, and the children playing. Go back to simpler times. Relax. Remember what you love, ( the Lovers ) and do that. Play with life. And stop trying so hard.
Sometimes I forget that everything I need is right here. And watching a child play, can give me hope, they are so innocent and trusting. They are real. They cry when they are afraid, they laugh when they are happy. They know how to feel. They get right back up and keep on going. After a nap. Keep it simple. I also see the arms of the Lovers reaching out, to others outside the card. Share what little you have, and it will multiply. Baby steps...I think the Swords are the words that come to me that hold me back, the fight is in my mind, and manifests outward. Change your thoughts, change your life. How true. And the Lovers, remembering what you love can be hard, sometimes everything around me changes and I change. And I have to think, what is it that would really make me happy? And it is something I am surprised by. And maybe a little afraid of. But, that's ok. Play with it, and have fun. That's why I love the Tarot, it is one of my favorite things. I think I will do something brave this week. And tell you next week what it was. Bye....

The Wheel of Fortune. Since I last posted here, my computer has
been very sick. I feel like I've been on the bottom of Lady Fortune's favorite 'top ten' list. I could go on and on. But I shall spare you. Look at the difference in the size of the man and the woman on this card. Not fair. And He is fully clothed, even wearing boots and a hat. She wears a white cloth, and a wide, festive red ribbon in her hair. Naked, confident, trusting, open. He seems to be grasping her hand, as she lifts him up, higher on the wheel. A beautiful chocloate butterfly flits over the scene. Announcing change....can be a good thing. Maybe rocky, may land off target, out in the field. May accidently land right where you want to go. She is not the enemy. She is the change that comes constantly to each of us.
I remember hearing once, that if you can learn to thrive on rejection, you have it made. I laughed, and thought, how true. I believe change is another given. We all change, I call it evolve. Or we should. Those that are stuck in the past, will never pass the tests life sends us, to help us remember who we really are. We are powerful beyond what we know. We have the ability to change our selves, change our world. I think it is true, that when God put Adam to sleep to take his rib to create Eve, he never woke them up. We are still alseep to what we can really do. And Lady Fortune, Ms. Change herself, spins the wheel to toss us into life. Ready or not.
What do you think you are here for? To keep things the same as yesterday? NO. To create, to sing, to dance. To laugh and embrace life with all it's ups and downs. Enjoy the ride.....

The Hermit. Number 9. This is the Archeon Deck by Timothy Lantz. Dark, artsy, edgy. I love them. Some days the airy, fairy decks just don't resonate with me. I want to go in this card and walk with him for awhile....

It's dark, lonely. Icy cold, snowy. A gate is closed behind him, the path feels rocky and uneven ahead of him. He has a heavy dark brown woolen blanket wrapped around him, and a dimly lit lantern to guide him. One step at a time. Looks like he has a cane, or maybe a shepherd's crook in his other arm. Not carrying much. Leaving it all behind, it wasn't what he really wanted, anyway. His head is bowed, he is tired and cold and where the hell is he going? He really doesn't know, just is letting life show him the way, as he gets there.

If we were hanging out together, what would we talk about? How nothing is as it seems. How he had it all, and none of it brought him happiness. Just stuff. Maybe Jesus was right when he said the kingdom of God is within you. Everything you really need is right here inside your heart all the time. You just need to run down all the flashy paths that tell you what you think you want to hear. Dead ends. He would be quiet, and when he does speak, it is with the sad voice of experience. Sad, because he would not listen to anyone trying to guide him, and now, no one will listen to him. Ha. Welcome to Planet Earth. When you finally do find the answer, no one wants to know, they think you're crazy. John the Baptist crazy. Maybe that's why John lived in a cave, alone, and ate locusts. Sounds pretty peaceful to me. If you act crazy enough, most people leave you alone.

He would tell me that it's only when you get alone, and quiet.....all the answers you seek, find you. Just appear, easy. Stop running around, thinking everyone else has the answers for you. You have the answer. You are the answer. If you stop chasing it, it finds you.
Contemplation...'to consider or ponder thoughtfully'. This is the Hermit from the Lovers Path Tarot by Kris Waldherr. Love it, although it is hard to shuffle, for me. He seems to be painting, writing, and has a musicial istrument there. His own quiet place to think, wow, no tv, no traffic, no other people to distract him from his thoughts. I believe everyone needs a room of their own. Just a place to hide, think, daydream. Some may think he is lonely, I think he is happy. Has found a place full of new discoveries, knowledge, ideas. Answers. Find a Hermit card from your favorite deck and keep it with you today. Some of the new little decks are fun to do this with, just keep this card around to remind you to look for him wherever you go today. He will show up......just watch.

Strength. See a common theme? All three of these Tarot Cards are wrestling with something. Something bigger than them, something that could kill them, something that is not like them, does not think like them, and something that takes courage to even go in the ring with.

Some call this card 'Force', or 'Fortitude'. I see it as something everyone faces every day, in some way. One deck designer calls this card 'Fortitude'. I see these people are not afraid to reach out and grab whatever it is that is their greatest fear. They are struggling to win, and the opponent looks like the battle could go against them at any minute. But, they are still fighting. Power Struggles. I hate power struggles, confrontation, fighting. But maybe this is all part of life. I really had no parental examples of anyone that stayed around and 'fought' to make things better. The path of least resistance was the easiest. Just leave. Let someone else worry about it.

I believe strength can be developed. Little by little. Facing just one fear at a time. Many things have happened to me that were my worst fears, ( and no, I don't believe that what you fear you draw to you, and it's your fault you are going through whatever it is that your 'Job's comforter' friends would squalk at you, you ask for this......NO). What if you had a tiny premention that this could happen to you someday. And what if you seen other people go through this same 'fear' and overcome it, even turn it around to be a blessing. Ohhhh, what a thought. What if we are all facing fears every day and we need each other to hold our hand and remind us that we are not alone. Ever. What if that is what these 'lions' are, a gift to remind us of how strong we really are, and when the fight is over, we feel so good about the whole mess, even though we dreaded every minute of it. I have a magnet on my frig, that is a picture of Eleanor Roosevelt saying...'Do one thing every day that scares you.'

So, getting transparently honest....what is it that scares me? The war. I have a son that they could draft. They say they won't do that again, but I don't trust them. I know many of my clients have children and husbands over there, God be with you. I hate war and don't believe it's the answer. Lets kill them and show them they shouldn't kill each other. What is that theory???? Crazy. Another fear...dating. Love, the kind that rocks your soul. Letting a man get close enough to me to hurt me. Am still pretty bruised from the last go round. Thanks for that, Roger.

On to this last card I am placing here for you to see. I love this one. She has the lion eating out of her hand. He is even wearing a necklace of roses. And liking it. The fence posts are adorned by roses, and no barb wire anywhere. NOthing to fear. She has faced her fear and even befriended it. Look how high up the mountain she is, she has risen above the fear and appears calm and serene. I like the red stone in her necklace, a ruby? Like the ruby red slippers Dorthy wore in the 'Wizard of Oz' movie? She had the power all the time, just didn't know it. Love that movie.
Watch what crosses your path today, and see what form your fear takes. And befriend it. And watch it purr.

The next card I am journaling about in the line up of the Major Arcana Cards, is the Chariot. Things with wheels. Things that go places. I am adding another image of the Chariot card below this writing, from the Lovers Path Deck, it is called Desire, and is the story of Tristan & Isolde. I rented the movie that just came out with the same title. How romantic. And tragic. If you get the chance to see it, do so. They were drawn to each other, could not stay away from each other, life took them miles and miles away, and yet they always found each other. Somehow.
If I were to draw this card in a reading, I would see it as....
Goals, travel, vision, focus, where are you going? And how do you plan to get there? What is it you desire more than anything, and how much are you willing to give to get it? Most of the Chariot cards show a person driving. If you are at the wheel of life, where is your life going? Are you giving someone else the power to steer your path? Or will you take responsibility for where you end up. Is there a plan, or just random, maybes, and then anger at what you have, right now, and whose fault it is for who you are, or where you are. Stop the chariot, and find the directions. Or rewrite the directions. Make your own map. Set a destination and go in that direction. The card is a number 7. 7 days in a week. Why not give yourself goals that only reach one week at a time. Or even one day at a time. Remember, the journey of a thousand miles, starts with just one step. Where do you see yourself in a week? A year? 3 years? 10 years? Or have you sadly given up and just feel powerless, just crawling in the floorboard and let someone else drive. And they will. Some days the chariot just stops, out of gas. Time to rest, fill up on fuel, and do an internal checkup. Trace back to what monkey wrench may have fallen in the gears, and remove it. And start over. And over. See you on the path.....hey, if I am broken down under a shade tree trying to fix my own chariot, would you stop and help me? Hope so...

The Lovers Card from the Durer Tarot Deck. This is one of my favorite versions of the Lovers Cards. Pan is playing his music to seduce the lady in the green gown that seems to be falling from her body. He is about fun and choices, frolicking in the woods, letting nature take it's course. And the two gentle love birds, the doves that snuggle behind the lovers, the male bird is protectively laying his head on the female. She appears happy and sleepy. Safe. Another image in this card is the tree right behind the lady, it is 2 trees joined together, growing strong, yet rooted in the same place.
When this card comes up in a reading, I see it as something you would love, or a choice you must make to bring whatever you love to you. This is more of a playful version, most others are more serious. But I believe you need to have fun with this. If it is meant to be, it will be. Don't hold on so tight. Love should be joyful, not all a struggle and painful. Looks like these two have found time to play and remember that if they don't put their relationship first, they won't have a relationship. So, make time to play with the one's you love, and tell them how you really feel. Sadly, none of us are mindreaders. So, love someone today. ok?

Just in case you wonder what I am doing when I am not doing Readings....I would be playing at the pool with my grandson David. I go for the younger men....

Number 5, the Hierophant. Most readers are confused about what they think this card means. My slant is one that comes from being raised by very strict Pentecostal Grandparents. God was someone to be feared, dreaded, appeased. I followed that path, even raising my children in that belief. Until I had a nervous breakdown. This was a view of a God I could never please. And He didn't even like me, I thought. When I fell in love with the Tarot, I had a hard time with this card. It reminded me of the traditional beliefs that hold power over so many of us. I had to just sit with this and think about what this card meant to me. Today....
I see him as an Ancient Soul that has walked every path imaginable. He radiates unconditional love and understanding. He is a safe place to go to lay my head on his big broad shoulder and cry and question. Surrounded by candles, prayers of fellow travelers on this uncertain path, he is the place to run to that is always there.I see his robes and ornate headress as costumes and props to let us know he is a Holy Man. But he is who we can be, if we take the time to talk to God and learn to listen to the still small voice within our hearts. He is a cool card to draw, like, your prayers are heard, everything is in Divine Timing, he's got your back. Relax. He's your friend in high places.