Mythic Tarot
The Empress speaks to the creative, fertile, nurturing and natural aspects of ourselves and our lives. In the big picture sense she represents our home, Earth.
The Empress can be found without exception within every species that replicates itself. She is the true Demeter of Greek mythology, an environmental and Mothering principal interwoven within all human stories, an archetypical constant. The Empress is bountiful and full, like a pregnant woman in her last trimester, heavy bodied and glowing with life. She is also sense oriented living more closely within the body, like the way every woman knows her baby's intimate and gentling scent. This is a wisdom that is deep, ancient, and truly eternal. Fertility and creation also extend beyond the biological act of creation; we nurture and care for the planet, our friends, our ideas, our adopted and even furry children. The Empress is so bountiful she is greater even than the biological mothering principal, any act of nurturing and care also represented by her. 1. This is what mothering/motherhood means to me... 2. I care and nurture the following in my life... 3. I care and nurture my planet by... 4. Being sense-oriented looks like the following in my life and I practice it by doing the following...
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The Sharman-Caselli Tarot
5/swords depicts a man who has 5 swords while two others face away from him in defeat. The man is vibrant in his victory and cares not one iota that the cause of his happiness is also causing the misery in others. 5/swords is about self-interest, selfishness, possibly unethical behavior, and open conflict.
As much as we would like to think that we can justify our behavior all of the time, being human we have all done something in the past to get ahead, something we may not be proud of. Rather than forget how we have trespassed against others, the mark of spiritual and personal growth is to own our actions -good and bad- make amends (ourselves included) and move forward having learned the lesson. While it is easier to not think about times we are not proud of ourselves, owning up to our faults with compassion and mindfulness allows us to learn from from our mistakes. We can condone ourselves as good people while at the same time feel shame about our actions and commit to acting better moving forward. 1. What is something you have done in the past that you feel guilty about? Have you done any work to move past how you feel about what you did? If not, what is stopping you? 2. Write briefly about a time where you did something against another and made amends, what happened and how did you feel? 3. How can using mindfulness (instead of justifications, excuses or ignoring what happened) help youtpo
Tarot Maximo
It takes great courage to face opposition and stand your ground. Fighting for our truth against a sea of others united against you is so romantic, so difficult and yet so beautiful that it is the premise of 90% of the stories coming out of Hollywood.
The challenge of the individual is truly an enduring story that Americans love hearing because it is part of the American cultural topography. 7/wands is about holding your ground, being defiant in the face of adversity and fighting off those who seek to gain what you have worked so hard for. While it is something we all love to hear about, the underdog-hero fighting against great opposition, we often do not commit to speaking our truth when our own feet are put to the fire. Many times the pressure to conform or give in is so great that we do not feel it is worth the fight. One of my favorite quotes (though I do not know who coined it) is, "Which hill do you want to die on?" By picking our battles, fighting for what is truly important to us, and letting go of other petty squabbles we gain in nobler qualities such as discernment, wisdom and self knowledge. 1. What disagreements are you currently engaged in that you really should let go of? 2. In what areas of your life do you need to take more of a stand? What is stopping you from doing so? 3. In the areas where you need to take a stand, what are you prepared to lose? What is worth the fight? 4. How do you deal with bullies, passive aggressive or controlling behaviour by others?
Prairie Tarot
9/cups has a traditional meaning of wishes being granted. This card can also indicate a time of great personal satisfaction, enjoying sensual and earthly pleasures, goals met and after a period of effort now is the time to kick back and enjoy the fruit of your labors. This is considered one of the most positive cards in the deck and speaks of satisfaction in all areas of your life.
Sometimes we struggle with just enjoying the things we have worked so hard for. We instantly leap to the next goal, the next item on the list without truly taking a moment to congratulate and celebrate our successes. 9/cups is also about feeling pride about what you have done; you made that the world is a better place because of your efforts, you deserve to pat yourself on the back! 1. Do you allow yourself time or energy to celebrate your successes or do you just move onto the next thing. "Yes I did lose 10 pounds, but I have 10 more to go..." Can you just feel good without tacking on what more needs to be done? 2. Write about a time when you really felt a wish came true, how did that feel? What was the wish? Were you careful about what you wished for? 3. This card is also about feeling gratitude, what are you grateful for in your life right now?
Robin Wood Tarot
You awaken in the middle of the night from some disturbing dream and find you cannot go back to sleep. In the darkness and quiet all of your fears, anxieties and guilt come tumbling out as surely as if they were monsters under your bed.
Thoughts and beliefs you shove deep down all day long finally have a chance to dance about your head as your lay there trying to regain a sense of control. 9/swords is about the misery we put ourselves through. When day comes we walk through our day bleary eyed and incredulous about the horrible feelings that dissipated with the rising sun. 9/swords calls us to face those nasty little night terrors and work to put them behind us because there is no use or good or healing in making ourselves feel horrible. 1. Sometimes I lay awake at night and have these kinds of thoughts... 2. On a scale of 1-10, how silly are these thoughts of yours? What would you say if your best friend told you the exact same thing about herself? How do these thoughts continue to hurt you? 3. 9/swords can also come from a feeling of helplessness about an aspect of our life, what do you think this might mean for you and do you think its true? If the thoughts are not objectively true, why are you still having them? 4. Feelings of guilt can spring from something outside of your control, or is a call to action. Think about any guilt you harbor, which one is it?
Silver Era Tarot
Today's card up for your reflection is the Queen/Swords. In traditional Rider Waite decks there are only three swords in the whole deck that are pointed absolutely upright, this Queen's, Justice, and Ace of Swords. Like Justice, this Queen embodies and symbolizes the ideals of honesty, truth, transparency and an intellectual life devoted to cutting away illusion.
This Queen dispels any attempt at coercion, dissembling or manipulation as she cuts to the heart of every issue with her keen and clear thinking. This Queen often comes up in readings when we need to take on the Queen's characteristics; undertaking to resolve an issue and most importantly, when we are not being treated fairly by others. This Queen has very healthy boundaries and is not afraid to let others know when they have crossed the line. 1. I need to shore up the following boundaries with others in my life... I need to do that by... 2. When someone is being dishonest or unclear with me I handle it by... 3. Women are often socialized to 'play nice' and not share outright feelings or opinions if it may be disruptive to others, this is how it has affected me... this is what I need to share... 4. I need to bring clarity in this area of my life... I am going to do that by...
4/cups rides a fine line between being introspective and being self absorbed. The positive aspects of 4/swords are the times when you are reflective, meditative, quiet and usually in deep contemplation; all wonderful qualities! Sometimes though that contemplation can mean a personal absorption so self-focused that we miss other important messages literally being handed to us.
It could be the person who wants to be your friend but you are too busy to notice. The elderly neighbor who would love some company but you are too busy. A job or potential mate is available but because we have been so focused on what we think we want we cannot see the wonderful thing being offered just right of center. Being Now-focused helps with seeing what truly is outside of ego. Take 10 minutes today to be present focused in the company of others, I bet you will see something you did not notice before. 1. Lately, I have been distracted by the following issue... I know I have not been paying attention because... 2. I have a feeling I should bring my focus and attention on the following... 3. Today I took 10 minutes being Now-Focused, this is where I was and this is what happened. 4. Today I took 10 minutes to turn off any electronics that took me out of the present moment, here is what happened...
Tarot of the Boroughs
Monday's 5 minute Tarot connection brings you the Knight of Cups! Knight in general in the Tarot mean action, youthful radiance and exploration. The Knight will whisk ladies upon their horse for a gorgeous and inventive night of romance and refinement. This Knight represents romance, sensitivity, imagination and action into one delightful whole. Most of Disney's Princes would fit the character of this Knight of Cups.
1. When was the last time you had a romantic night out? 2. What does romance mean to you outside of 'red roses, moonlit walks'? How can you include more romance in your daily life? 3. Knight of Cups represents the active giving of romance vs. the passive receiving of it, when is the last time you created a romantic atmosphere for another? Do you know that you can create that atmosphere for friends and not just for lovers? 4. Refinement is a word we do not often hear in our modern lives, do you
Tarot Maximo
Like the proton and the electron, 2/pentacles is stable, repeating movement in respect to one another. In every other suit, the twos suggest stability but with the pentacles, the twos take on a dynamic action suggesting that while the situation is energetic it is also sustainable.
2/pentacles keeps on your feet by injecting a sense of change, flexibillity, and working within your flow. Sustaining 80% of your capacity is 2/pentacles. 2/pentacles usually has a person juggling both pentacles, while active and engaged she is not straining, in fact she seems to be enjoying the momentum and her ability to compensate and adapt to the ever shifting conditions. 1. What are you juggling in your life right now, does it fill you with energy or dread? 2. In what ways are you an agent of change in your life and in others' lives? 3. Are you sustaining 80% capacity in any area of your life? When you are working at that level, how does it feel and what are the typical outcomes? 4. Is there momentum in your life you are currently engaged in and enjoying? If not, does change create anxiety for you? What do you do to mitigate the anxiety you feel in change situations?
By Darin Shock
What are you making of this (maybe?) one life you've been given? That, to me, is the ultimate embodiment of the Magician. While the photo I chose is tongue in cheek, the Magician in the Tarot sense is not one who pulls rabbits from hats or pulls a half dollar from behind your ear. However, the wonder and mystery that one feels when in the midst of truly magic work are all in active play.
The Magician is the active principal, the alignment of what is in the ether: your thoughts, your goals, your values, your sense of self, and the creation of that Being into the real and active world. This is the great principal behind "The Secret", that we can use the very act of our focus to create the things we want on our lives. We can align how we think about ourselves in the world with what we want. The Magician is powerful, unwavering, and committed. Through our will we can manifest great change and transformation. Gandhi was a Magician. Leonardo di Vinci was a Magician. The woman who bootstrapped her way into getting a degree with three kids in tow is a Magician. 1. What are you Magicking into your life right now? 2. What requires your total commitment and focus? 3. What is it that you truly want to create in the world, and are your thoughts, values and will in alignment with that, if not, why not? 4. Tell me about a time where by sheer dint of your determination and effort, you became/won/started something others said was impossible or unlikely? 5. Do you realize how truly, tremendously and completely powerful you are? |
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Jenna Matlin
M.S. in Organizational Psychology and Leadership CategoriesAll |