Gaian Tarot Artist's Journal

7 of Water (Cups) - Gaian Tarot Card of the Week

What do we most need to know for the coming week?

7 of Water

In the RWS 7 of Cups, we see a man gazing at seven cups, each one holding a symbol that represents different dream or illusion.  One way to read that card is to say that the man can’t make a choice — he is overwhelmed by potential, or by delight.  Or maybe he is caught up in daydreaming or fantasizing.  In any case, he is immobilized and takes no action.

I’ve reframed this image a bit to show the moment of choice.  This fellow has chosen one of the cups and is taking a long, cool drink.  Here’s what I wrote about it:  

A man has chosen one dream out of many possible dreams, and is drinking it down. He has let go of dithering over this fantasy or that option and has made his choice. It's the moment of commitment for him. Perhaps he listened when a life coach encouraged him: “Say no to the good, in order to say Yes! to the great."

That quote is from Jack Canfield, the Chicken Soup guy.  And what a profound statement it is.

I already know how it’s going to shake down in my life this week (I have plans, oh yes I have plans).  I’m making room in my schedule for more art time, and for more of the kind of web design client that I want to attract.  In order to do that, I have to release some of the clients and activities that are keeping me way too busy for way too small a reward.

How can you, dear Reader, say No to the good this week, in order to say Yes to the great?

Elder of Fire (King of Wands) - Gaian Tarot Card of the Week

What do we most need to know for the coming week?

Elder of Fire 

This morning I pulled a card that I can’t show you, because I haven’t finished painting it yet. (It will be done in another month or so.)  I can describe her, though:  She is an Hispanic woman in her 70’s, a curandera (healer).  She squats on the earth, a desert scene in the background. She holds a handful of burning herbs in one hand as she moves the other to direct waves of energy that dissipate the foul and bring in the sweet.  She lives in la época del mito (the Otherworld, the time of myth) as much — or more — as she does in the world of consensual reality. Her gaze, directed at the viewer, is potent and challenging.

Whew.  This is an intense card and I am so looking forward to bringing it to life. 

As for the coming week, the card brings up a number of associations for me.  It’s a reminder, first of all, for me to embrace my “elderhood” and also to embrace the witch/healer within.  Sometimes I feel like I’m teetering on that edge between the “queen” stage of life and the elder stage; some days I’m one and some days the other.  (Not so much the maiden or mother anymore.)  

It’s also a reminder to open up to the Otherworld, the world of energy patterns and spirits and Invisibles.  A reminder that we can shift our own inner reality, which then shifts our outer reality as well. 

I’ve been rereading Forests of the Heart by Charles deLint and one of the characters, Bettina’s abuela, is a dead ringer for the Elder of Fire.  Makes me want to go back and again read the sections about her. 

In other synchronicities, I recently reconnected with two old friends, both Latina, on Facebook — one was my college roommate and the other was a friend from the southern California Goddess community in the 80’s.  I haven’t seen one since 1972 and the other since 1989. Both had gorgeous black hair now turning silver. Both have the same first name. I’m not sure if this means anything at all, I’m just noticing the synchronicity.  There’s something there . . . what is it?  

This week I’m preparing to teach my Tarot workshops at Pagan Spirit Gathering and packing for the journey, while tying up loose ends for clients.  It seems to me, however, that I need to set aside time to meditate, go within and have a little conversation with the Elder of Fire in preparation for next week at PSG.  Every immersion into a gathering of the tribe has its own gifts and the potential for epiphanies and healing.  It seems to me that I’m being asked to prepare this week, in order to receive the magic and messages that will come my way next week.  Oh yes, and perhaps I should plan to spend a lot of time at the Sacred Fire Circle.  Blessed be.

What about you, dear Reader?  Can you receive a message from my description of the card?  Have a blessed week.

High Priestess - Gaian Tarot Card of the Week

High Priestess

Mmmm . . . one of my favorite cards.  And a bit of a surprise really, as I expect this coming week to be quite active, as I work on projects for clients, refine my marketing materials and prepare for the Tarot workshops I’m going to be teaching at PSG.  And the weather here is so delightful, it’s more in tune with the Sun card.  We are having a run of days full of sunshine that just make you want to dance!   I think of the High Priestess as more in alignment with cool, rainy weather, when it’s easier to withdraw from the world and go within. 

So perhaps this is what the High Priestess asks of me this week:  to make sure that I take breaks from my work schedule to feed my spirit and to listen to the voice of the Invisibles, as Sister Kim Mermaid calls them.  To practice mindfulness, wherein I give my full attention to whatever I am doing, moment by moment.  To be aware of the currents of energy that run just below the surface.  To catch the movement happening just beyond the scope of my vision.  To listen to the music just out of range of my hearing.

I started rereading one of my favorite novels last night, Forests of the Heart by Charles deLint, and it does take me directly to that in-between-the-worlds kind of place. 

Listen to the voice of the wind, she says, and the voice of your dreams. Be on the lookout for signs and omens as you spend time outside. What is the voice of the river beneath the river, the sea beneath the sea?  Can you understand the language of the birds?  The language of the flowers?  

And how about you, dear Reader?  What does the High Priestess ask of you?

3 of Fire (3 of Wands) - Gaian Tarot Card of the Week

What do we most need to know for the coming week?

3 of Fire

What a joy to see this fiery woman appear in my reading last night.  She just made me break out smiling.  She’s empowered, she’s passionate, she’s creative.  Goodness, gracious, great balls of fire!  

I’m looking forward to a dazzling, creative week of design work and artwork.  Hey, I think I’ll throw in a little bit of dancing too!

And how about you, dear Reader?  What does the 3 of Fire say to you?

Epiphanies from the Readers Studio

(Note:  I started writing this blog entry last Wednesday, May 6th but didn’t finish it until today.  It’s long!)

I’m still in recovery mode from my two weeks on the road and especially from the intensity of the Readers Studio.  My body thinks it’s still on the east coast and I’m craving unhealthy foods — yes, I even started eating french fries and ketchup Sunday evening in the bar. (It’s all Thalassa’s fault. Not.)  I’ll make a green smoothie in a bit and my body will thank me for it.

Once the rain stopped, the lush Northwest landscape (the proverbial thousand shades of green) took me to its heart and wrapped me up like a patchwork comforter.  Home.

For the moment, I am not noticing all the weeding and yard cleanup that needs to be done.  Just drinking in the green.

I think this was my favorite Readers Studio of all, so far.  I had a lot of fun socializing, made a pretty penny at my merchant table, and had a number of personal epiphanies.  What more can one ask for?   (For those of you who haven’t seen my photo albums of the RS on Facebook, you can click through here:  Thursday, Friday, Sat/Sunday.

The Sun - Gaian Tarot Card of the Week

What do I most need to know about my experience at the Readers Studio?

The Sun

Now, there’s a fabulous card to pull for the coming conference.  Joy, happiness, dancing, gratitude, shining like the sun.   My roommate Julie Cuccia-Watts just pulled this card for me and I thank her for it!  It’s an especially good omen for both of us, don’t you think?

One of the things I noticed while I was in Maine was how happy I felt.  It was mostly due to being around the kids, especially Gracie.  Nothing like spending time with your grandchild to have your heart open wide like a sunflower, turning its head toward the sun. Time slowed down, too.  Everything revolved around Gracie’s schedule and there were hours when there was nothing to do but go for walks, read books, play with crayons.  I felt so blessed and grateful to have that time away from my usual packed schedule.  A clue to happiness:  living a slow, mindful life.  I’d like to bring more of that back into my life when I get home.

The more I meditate on the Sun card, the more I think its message for us is to really consider the source of our happiness.  What truly makes you happy?  What brings you joy?  How can you incorporate more of it into your life this week?

I always look forward to hearing what you have to say, dear readers.

Explorer of Earth (Knight of Pentacles) - Gaian Tarot Card of the Week

What do we most need to know for the coming week?

Explorer of Earth (Knight of Pentacles)

Hmmm . . . yet another Explorer.  What’s up with that?  Well, by my definition Explorers reflect the “young adult” energy of exploring one’s options, heading out on a quest, looking for adventure, testing oneself.

How does that apply to me right now?  Last week I kept those fiery spinning orbs crazily swinging, yet managed to hold fast to my center.  This week, I’m wrapping up details of work for clients as I prepare to make a journey to the east coast to see my beloved family, including my grandbaby Grace.  The week after that, I’ll visit friends in Brooklyn then it’s off to the Readers Studio. An adventure to be sure!

The young woman in the image is a tracker, someone who intimately knows the ways of the forest and its creatures.  As she examines the earth for animal tracks, she looks up quickly when she hears a bird make an alarm call.  What does the bird signal? Will she notice the rare white deer behind her?   

Even so — how am I intimately connected to the natural world, and what might I be missing?

When I look at this image, I feel a sense of loss.  I’m not spending nearly as much time outside as I used to.  I tell myself it is because I have much less unstructured time than I had a few years back, which is true.  And yet that is my choice, is it not?  I am choosing to put my energies in different places.  

And yet I am exploring a different kind of earth energy — the earth energy of finances and business — as I work with Elizabeth Genco Purvis in her Abundant Business Mastermind group.  I’ve had such grievous financial losses over the last year that I am determined to increase my income, make up for those losses, and experience abundance in my financial life.  

And yet, and yet . . . on this fine Spring morning, the woods are calling my name . . .

And what about you, dear Reader?  What does the Explorer of Earth say to you?

Explorer of Fire (Knight of Wands) - Gaian Tarot Card of the Week

What do we most need to know for the coming week?

Explorer of Fire (Knight of Wands)

I’ve had a rough few days with a website project for a client.  I’ve been fighting with code and throwing up my hands more than once in frustration and even despair. I worked straight through the Easter weekend.  My choice, but necessary if I want to finish a certain number of projects before I leave for the east coast in nine days.

Late yesterday afternoon I turned up this card, the Explorer of Fire, for the week to come.  My first thought was a jaundiced, “watch out! she’s gonna get burned!”  Then I began to think about the skill and the focus necessary to keep those flaming orbs going.  If the firespinner gets upset or pulled off center, she’s going to lose control and very well may get burned. 

I began to re-vision myself as calm, cool and collected even as I keep those fiery balls spinning — the balls of course being a metaphor for my many projects, including the difficult coding.  I stopped working, went for a walk, cooked a lovely Easter dinner of stir fried veggies, tofu and rice with Craig.  Took the evening off and of course everything looks so much better this morning.

It’ll be a busy week, for sure.  But I’m confident I can stay calm and centered and keep those fireballs spinning through the air.  

How about you, dear reader?  How does this card apply to your life?

Temperance - Gaian Tarot Card of the Week

What do we most need to know for the coming week?

Temperance

Mmmmm, I love this card.  When this card turns up in a reading, I always ask myself:  what is the sacred third that is made from blending or synthesizing a set of opposites? 

Blue and red make purple, rain and sun make rainbows, water and fire make steam.  No surprise that this card then is the signature card of both healers and artists.

What are the “opposites” I’m working with in my life right now, and how can I synthesize them? 

Craig and I were in a mortgage broker’s office the other day, applying for a loan so that we can finish the purchase of Rainbow Cottage. We initially signed the contract for it in the fall of 2007, when it was worth $100K more than it is today.  “Chaos and opportunity go hand in hand, like yin and yang,” said the broker.  “You’ve experienced the chaos (of the current downtrend in housing). Now it’s time to experience the opportunity.”

Hmmm . . .  I like a broker who knows about yin and yang!  We are still in the midst of this “opportunity” and do not yet know the outcome, yet I am still trusting that all shall be well.  The synthesis of this situation will be as beautiful as the swirling colors in the Temperance card.

As I meditated on the card this morning, I thought about other sets of opposites in my life:  web design work / Tarot & art work;  staying home / traveling;  physical exercise / meditation & contemplation.  I’m sure there are more.  So I’m thinking about how an artist or a healer might find the blend, the synthesis, the sacred third. 

The last few days have brought brilliant sunshine to the grey and rainy Northwest, and everyone has rushed outside to go for walks, dig in the garden and turn our faces to the sky to be warmed.  It’s the deep contrast that makes us value the sun so highly.  It’s the dance of rain and sun that is more beautiful and precious than either one alone.

During the coming week, I’ll be working on websites for several clients, preparing to vend at the upcoming Readers Studio (I’ve made cool new Tarot amulets to sell — stay tuned for photos!), and going down deep as I work through the necessary questions for Elizabeth Genco Purvis’ Abundant Business Mastermind Group.  The monthly Tarot Meetup is this week too and a few other odds and ends that need attention, including another round at the mortgage broker’s office.  Hmm, what lovely shade of mauve or purple will arise from the chaos (nay, opportunity!) of this coming week?

How about you, dear Reader?  What does the Temperance card say to you?

Gaia, the World - Gaian Tarot Card of the Week

What do we most need to know for the coming week?

Gaia, the World

Yet another encouraging, hope-filled card for discouraging times!

It is also the third Major Arcana card I’ve pulled out of seven since I began this Card of the Week feature, a fairly high percentage. If the Majors truly represent our soul challenges, I can see how the lessons of Bindweed, the Canoe and the World are an accurate reflection of my own life right now, as well as that of the larger community.

Last night as I shuffled my deck, I looked ahead to the week to come. I was thinking mainly about my upcoming journey to the Santa Cruz mountains toward the end of the week.  I am headed there for my naming ceremony with the Sisterhood of the Silver Branch, and I am expecting an initiation into the next phase of my life, a phase of renewal.  At least that is what I am sensing. 

But my journey to the Boulder Creek / Felton / Ben Lomond area is also a “coming home” of sorts. I fell in love with that redwood-filled valley as a teenager and vowed to live there some day.  I never pulled that dream off, but as a young wife and mother living in the East Bay, I often took my boys camping at Big Basin Redwoods State Park.  I remember one camping trip in particular, when each night after dinner the four of us would gather round the fire and I would read aloud from the just-published “Mists of Avalon.”  What a magical setting in which to read such a magical book. I had just come out of a toxic decade in a fundamentalist church and was floundering for a new spiritual direction.  That book in that setting led me to the path I have walked ever since.