Turning of a Wheel is the image that comes to mind. So let's have a Wheel of Fortune card.

My biggest accomplishment in the last two years regarding Tarot (and other divinatory practices) studies is learning how to frame questions. It's similar to techniques used when interviewing someone to elicit stories and detailed information. Since this was an area that completely stumped me for the longest time, it feels good to have "parted" this particular curtain to a certain extent. I am still no where near adept, but I am definitely in this previously hidden room of ability.

I have been highly creative lately, beginning a blog, finding other bloggers, communicating via e-mail with tarot designers/writers, and generally seeing how Tarot has become the hub in the multi-spoked wheel that is my life. I became a subscriber to Joanna Powell Colbert's newsletter. Her most recent issue is informative about what she is doing in her life and with the Gaian Tarot, and includes information about an event in April 2009 called the Readers Studio, hosted annually by The Tarot School. Now, see, probably most of the rest of you already knew about this event, but I'd never heard of it.

Also, I was catching up with some podcasts that I had missed hearing when they were first published, so finally caught up with Leisa ReFalo's Tarot Connection interview with Thalassa (Episode # 89), who began BATS, Bay Area Tarot Symposium. Thalassa is witty, hilarious, dramatic, entertaining and very enjoyable to listen to. In preparing for our trip to SF in December, I found Fields Books, one of the best metaphysical bookstores in the country. As one of those spooky synchronistic events, Thalassa was giving a talk the night of the day I was checking out Fields' event calendar.

So back to the newsletter by Joanna - It was an excellent example of a style to emulate for my own newsletter to be rolled out in 2009. I am gearing up to begin new strategies in marketing my massage practice. I recently read an excellent Massage Magazine article called "Marketing in Tough Economic Times" and checked out the online extra called "6 Tips for Writing Your Own Newsletter." Joanna's newsletter had it all. I have a lot more study and homework to do!!

Spokes on my wheel: Growing my business, learning tarot, magick, creativity, art, writing, healing myself and others, living with love and compassion. I am sure I have a few more (how many spokes can there be on a wheel and it still functions?). To discover that Tarot is central to it all was an interesting and important revelation.

Archetypes and Notes

For the longest time, I have my best and most interesting thoughts and ruminations when I am otherwise occupied - just waking up from sleep in the morning, in the shower, on the bus, at lunch, working out at the gym. And I have the worst luck with training my mind to remember what the heck I was thinking about so I can continue to work on it, sort it out, meditate on it (if I choose to meditate, that is).

I began a 5-year diary some months ago. It helps. I find if I don't do it daily, the special thoughts and/or notes of the day still get missed. So this leads me to discipline. Which circles me back to the thoughts I woke with this morning. I was continuing my thoughts about discipline, and my decided lack thereof. I have lived in total frustration for years that I have such a difficult time with self-discipline, instead living a profligate, indulgent and hedonistic life. I had done some studying on what I call "The Path of the Warrior" several years ago, and one of the key elements of the Warrior Archetype is self-discipline and focus.

I'm great at routine. But routine is an anathema to the Warrior. Routine allows me to perform mundane daily tasks without having to think about them much. It also helps with finding stuff - if I always put my keys in the same place, my glasses in their case in my backpack, and my bus pass in one particular pocket of same backpack, etc., then I have a better chance of finding these items when they are needed. If I deviate from the routine, I fail, utterly. I hadn't put my Rx glasses in their proper case one day, and they went missing in the house for weeks. Finally found them in the bookshelves in the bedroom - OF COURSE!! Why hadn't I thought of that sooner? (strong inflections of sarcasm with this last!)

I got to thinking about archetypes. Caroline Myss, in Energy Anatomy, discusses various archetypes, as does the father of the archetype discussion as it relates to personal psyche, Carl Jung. I got to thinking, all of this still in bed as I was waking up, about my not exactly fitting the Warrior Archetype, never have, nope, and likely never will. I can see that I have Warrior elements: I have enormous courage, I can be truly focused, I am steadfast and trustworthy, I am responsible and diligent (for others more than for myself).

But I couldn't help thinking, the Warrior is just not me. It's not even that I'm not a martialist, I'm a long-time pacifist. But the whole archetype is not resonant, and I don't think it truly ever will be. I can learn from it, and ask to have the strengths of a Warrior when needed, but I'm natively something else. So that leads me to the next question: What am I?

The first concept, one I've not particularly encountered before, that popped into my head was "Courtesan." Where did THAT come from? My history and lifestyle, my zodiac sun sign, and much about me leads me to think this is a true calling. I am good at making others happy and loved. I am a Mirror, a Reflection Back, and while I do share myself in a true and intimate way, in the past I mainly hid behind a mask. I don't (consciously) hide anymore, but being authentically me is one of my "prime directives" for life. Honest to the best of my knowledge is another.

I started a list of other archetypes (Stephen Covey's 7 Habits had me list out my "roles" and these are part of this structure): Helpmate, Servant, Tyrant, Teacher, Healer, Traveler, Student, Monk, Novice, Priestess, Gardener, Mechanic, and so forth. It felt like I was creating a whole new set of Major Arcana cards for a Tarot deck. That's what the Tarot does: brings into focus certain archetypical characteristics in ourselves or others around us to help us sort out questions, decisions, ideas.

On a final note, this 2008 Thanksgiving Day, I am an enormous gratitude list of and bountifully blessed in so many ways, it's almost embarrassing, and I am rich beyond measure with love, family, friends, health, sanity, emotional well being, meaningful work, opportunities to grow and learn. May all of you enjoy the same.

Happy Thanksgiving World!!

Looking forward; looking back; staying present

11/22/08 - This is the anniversary of my maternal grandfather's birth. Happy Birthday, to my dear Grandpa, whom I adored and loved with every fiber of my being. Carl Swope, I love and miss you, and you are never far from my thoughts or my heart.

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I've been "really" studying Tarot this last two years, compared with the dabbling I did when I first discovered Tarot at age 14. Now I feel like such a dolt that I didn't make use of the resources available to me while I lived in San Francisco, but that was then, this is… whatever.

What I find fascinating is how Tarot can draw out from the depths of one's psyche intuitive and perceptive ways of viewing issues, obstacles, characteristics and creative solutions. It is an amazing window to the mind, spirit and soul of one's life. Or can be. I'm much happier being a student of Tarot than a reader of the cards. I love reading on-line blogs (Owl's Wings, Beth Owl's Daughter wonderful Blog) and am especially fond of The Tarot Connection podcast (Leisa ReFalo).

Joanna Powell Colbert is the author of Gaian Tarot, my favorite deck (Revelations Tarot by Zach Wong is my second favorite). Joanna's website and newsletters (just got one last Tuesday!! - she's an inspiration) are always interesting, and I use her online Gaian Oracle frequently. It always helps clarify my thoughts and feelings when I am doubtful, unsure and second guessing a situation or decision (like the upcoming bathrooms remodel project).

This morning I met with my friend, G., to go over ideas about being exercise buddies. We're both menopausal women with arthritic knees, who need to lose weight and are struggling with motivation. We want to be healthy, but it feels like such an uphill battle at this point. I spent a bunch of time and money this year at the gym working with a personal trainer. Ended up getting injections in my knee and an inflamed shoulder. However, on the positive and joyful side, I began practicing and studying qigong this summer and wanted G. to join me at the Tuesday night classes and free Saturday morning practice in the park near my home. She just left with our week's plans firmly on the calendar and a few borrowed DVDs to watch. I came back to the computer to continue catching up on blogging, e-mails and Tarot study materials, working on ideas for my study group postings and the meeting I'll be leading in February. The Gaian Oracle was on the screen. So, what better time to pose this question: How do I get back on track with exercise and fitness? I have listed the author's descriptions of the cards below my thoughts and what the reading brought up for me.

The Opportunity Card describes precisely where I've been physically and emotionally most of this year: I have stepped back from "busy-ness" and am living entirely in a fallow time, which I know as a gardener is crucial, imperative and beneficial. I am keenly aware that I am not in charge of any part of the duration or timing of this process. What I am in charge of is seeing it through and being present with my feelings, allowing them a voice, if you will, which ties in with a qigong workshop I took for Women's Health called Radiant Lotus, which was all about vocalizations and using the voice. I am feeling my entrance into the Crone phase, where my time is now to be spent on creative pursuits. I feel the hand of the Crone upon my back, at my belly, touching my crown chakra, rocking me, prodding me, nudging me, insistently.

The Challenge Card - the Awakening - has certainly been a big theme for this last year. We started recycling a year ago, a practice I've done most of my adult life, But I had difficulty getting family participation for whatever reason. Some how, some way, a year ago everything fell into place to make it a regular household program. This process reminded me it's hard to change long standing patterns and set new habits - where to throw certain trash and how to handle it, etc. Then this summer we took a free composting class offered by Denver Urban Gardens, which was one of the more exciting classes I've ever taken. More habits and patterns to change. Then, I realized I had become a daily flosser, after years of struggling with not being able to carry it forward for more than a few weeks at a time, typically just before a dental hygiene appointment. Then wham! I have been flossing daily for over a year. The awakening is happening, but it does upset apple carts when old habits go away and new habits are begun. Disruption Shakes The Tree. Another concept that comes to mind is that the path of the warrior steps outside habitual patterns and looks at why one does things a particular way. Can habits be given up? Should they be changed? What is worth my time and energy? What is important for me to focus on? What is to be my legacy? The Crone whispers – is she speaking to me or to herself? Is there any difference?

Along comes Temperance in the position of Resolution - HILARIOUS. "THE" card for this Libra, more so than the "Justice" card, by far. The author's explanation is so spot on, it totally rocks (and rolls). This Temperance card is so ME it is scary. And we come full circle with the reading. Bringing outer in and inner out, change and flow, being present, looking forward, looking back, seeing change as a stream or a cloud. The journey is the point, not the destination, I get it. The journey is evolving, and I am finding tremendous joy on the path. qigong, creative pursuits, studying Tarot, gardening, healing through shamanism, massage therapy, meditation, writing, communicating, and then just plain having fun. It's all there in the flow, and I can join and step back as I need and want.

Reading from Gaain Oracle 11/22/08
Opportunity
12 - the Tree - Letting go
You have the opportunity to release attachments and surrender to the flow. You are no longer in charge of your life. It isn't a time to resist, for everything is out of your control. Give it up. Your world may feel like it's been turned upside down. You can fight this reversal — you can go into it kicking and screaming — or you can surrender with grace and take it as an opportunity to see your life from a different perspective. It is a time to take no action, other than meditation and prayer. Learn to be still. During this time of suspension and waiting, you may discover within yourself the gifts of inspiration, enlightenment and unconditional love.

Challenge
20 - Awakening - Getting conscious
You are being challenged to raise your consciousness and "wake up" in some way. Perhaps you will make a commitment to eating locally-grown organic foods, or perhaps you will begin a new spiritual practice. You now perceive yourself to be part of the global community. You know that your choices and actions affect the entire web of life, and you live your life accordingly, as best you can. As you continue to open yourself up to the life of the Spirit, your heart is filled with compassion and you begin to let go of the judgments and criticisms you have made in the past. To live in alignment with your deepest, most authentic Self is not possible without the help of spiritual allies. It's this knowledge that keeps us humble. You know that your life has purpose and meaning, and this gives you deep joy and peace. Service to others may not have been part of your life in the past, but it is now. When each person gives their own unique gift to the world, the entire fabric of the planet is strengthened and enriched.

Resolution
14 - Temperance - Combining opposites
Resolution comes with finding the serenity of the middle way between polarities. You are ready to embrace the different parts of your personality, both light and shadow, that combine to make your own unique self. Your inner, spiritual life harmonizes with your life in the workaday world. You have discovered that your whole life is a work of art. You may be in need of healing on a spiritual or physical level, and the Winged One — a descendant of the ancient Bird Goddesses — is here to facilitate that for you. She may also aid you as you move into the role of healer yourself.



All Gaian Tarot images and writer's interpretations reprinted author's permission 11/22/08

November - after the election

It feels odd, the election over, the results were, in my view, good, and having to wait until the switch in leadership is accomplished. Kind of like waiting for the other shoe to drop.

After working a ton last weekend, and a busy week, we're taking time for relaxing, resting and restoring mind, body and energies. We will be busy enough soon enough.

Setting aside time for crafting and working on rattle towards the end of the month. After the first of the year, will be going into Kashi Kari for mosaic studio time wwith Abbas and his daughter.

We are really excited about our upcoming trip to SF. Can't wait.