March 2007 Modern Oracle Newsletter

March 2007 Newsletter




Regal blue and snowflake wings
Lady Winter glides
Chinook winds and warm exhale
A cherub’s birthing cry
Tender green and buttercup wings
Spring is a child
By Lady Winter’s side

From “Triquetra: A Dance of Worlds”….a booklet of Nature and Spirit inspired poetry coming soon to www.rondasnow.com Poem “Spring Child” copyright 2005 Used by permission.


Penseive:

It would be cliché to say spring is a time of renewal. It has been said a million times before…only because it is true.

But like everything else, spring and renewal are a balance of opposites. Spring is a combination of winter chill and summer warm. It is also a season of “re” – replenishment, release and renewal.

Renewal too, is a combination of things…refreshing and releasing.

Classically, it is a time of re-nourishing the body after a winter of limited food and dwindling resources. It is only in modern times that we have access to fresh fruit and meat at this time of year. Herbalists often recommended using red, warm nourishing “blood building” herbs like sassafras (most of us would recognize this as the flavor in root beer).

We see this re-nourishment idea reflected in the re-invigoration of nature. Life and warmth are re-introduced into the plants and animals we see around us…even in our urban yards and parks.

But a constant pouring in of nourishment and energy isn’t renewal. It is pollution, and engorgement. For there to be true renewal, replenishment must be combined with the other half of things: release.

We see this in the seemingly innate need for “spring cleaning”. To brush away the accumulated dust of winter inactivity. This is as vital as bringing in new things. If we release old things, then there is no room for the new. Zen philosophy teaches us that you can’t fill a full cup. Only an empty cup can be filled.

Let’s take a cue from the old herbalists, and from traditional Chinese medicine. Whenever something is lacking, it is built up to bring things into balance. Whenever something is in excess, it is also balanced.

As you look for renewal this spring, find the balance.

If you feel tired, deprived or worn out from a long winter, then nourish yourself. Not treat yourself to hollow excess, but real deep nourishment. Solid nutrition, a little extra rest, get outside as the weather begins to permit it. Fill yourself with fresh air and the wonder of nature…these are all excellent ways to replenish after a bout of wintertime ‘cabin fever’.

But by the same token, if you are feeling stagnant, and covered with emotional dust from a long stagnant winter, then a good spring cleaning might be the thing. Literally organizing your surroundings can open the way for a lighter mood and new opportunities according to the principles of feng shui. Some old school naturopaths used to recommend brief fasts, or eating clensing foods like salads of spring greens to “clear the system” of toxins and prepare for the greater activity and greater food availability that comes in the summertime.

Of course, this is all general information. It is up to you to adapt these thought to your individual situation, and of course consult with your doctor or holistic professional before using any special diets or herbs.

Spam in a Can:

LET ME KNOW WHAT YOU THINK!

A friend gave me a way to create html newsletters. I would like to know if any of you are interested in getting a more graphic / visual version of this or would you like to keep the low-tech text only version? Send your vote to newsletter@modern-oracle-tarot.com.

NEW READING UNDER DEVELOPMENT!

Would you be interested in a reading that combines intuition with Native American animal tradition or “medicine”. I have a limited number of these available by mail. The first five purchased by mail will receive a blue wristband style bracelet from “Wildlife Warriors”, the wildlife conservation foundation began by Steve and Terri Irwin. In addition, $5 from each “Animal Spirit” reading sold will be donated to Wildlife Warriors Worldwide. If you would like a reading, just send your name, age, address, question and check or money order for $45 (US) to

P.O. Box 13143
Pittsburgh, PA 15243

And you will receive a full written report of your SEVEN card reading by mail, and for the first five requests, you will also receive the wristband bracelet.

SPEAK YOUR TRUTH!

What is your opinion? Have a controversial idea you want to vent? A spiritual idea you want to give voice? Virtual Sanctuary is a bulletin board style discussion group for spirituality. All spiritual topics are welcome, but spam and religious proselytizing will not be tolerated…making this a safe cyberspace safe space for your ideas…a virtual sanctuary for a meeting of minds. Check it out, and join if you like. It is found at http;//groups.msn.com/virtualsanctuary. Just copy and paste the address into your web browser. See you there!



One Card Tarot Meditation:

This month’s card is the 6 of cups. This is a card of innocence. Ok, I know…you’re thinking “wait a minute, isn’t “the fool” really innocence, didn’t we talk about this before?”

Yes, but context and tone means a lot in reading tarot cards. That is why we have the Penseive element first. It helps set the energy context for the newsletter and also the energy context for the tarot reading as well. I never draw the card until AFTER I’ve written the Penseive for just that reason. That is why I love the way the cards always seem to resonate with the earlier thoughts. For those of you who watch the tv show “Mythbusters”, it is like the times when Jamie smiles at something blowing up…”proof of concept”.

And here we have proof of the concept that we can bring meaningful messages out of the cards with our intent to do a meaningful, helpful reading.

The concept of innocence fits into the context of spring and renewal. But here we have a subtle difference. This is a minor arcane card, and carries a lighter energy a feeling with it. There is less a feeling of “major life lesson” and more of a feeling of “life’s little reminders”. In this context, there is less of a profound beginning to a major life journey, with overtones of choice and potentials that we see with the Fool card. Here, the artwork on the card literally shows flowers and children at play. This card has more overtones of life’s simple, innocent pleasures, and a gentle reminder to find and appreciate these simple pleasures. Such innocence is available to us year round, but they seem more evident in the spring: birds returning, subtle colors of nature reawakening, the crisp chill in the breeze and the warmth of the sun, chocolate candy and hard boiled eggs. This card draws our attention to little details that add to the energy of the season.

Innocence is associated with children…the ones who most enjoy spring and all its chocolate coated egg-rolling celebrations. Innocence has to do with the simple wonder of childhood, nature, and all the newness they offer. Children are the renewal of life, our species, and our hope.

Innocence also speaks to simple, uncomplicated pleasures…like the kind of simple pleasures that can bring us into balance…that can enable a true renewal. Innocent pleasures are essence of this card today.

Think what simple, innocent pleasures that spring can bring. Which of these can help bring you into balance?

Do you need more activity in your life? Do you need to nourish, and replenish yourself for the activities to come?

Or do you need to release old build-ups and experience the simple pleasures of a spring cleaning well done?

Whichever path this card shows you, may it be a colorful, refreshing, and renewing one!


Love and Light to you all!


Ronda “Baihu” Snow

Feb. 2007 Modern Oracle Newsletter

Modern Oracle Newsletter

February 2007

“What is in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet

The Pensieve

Happy Valentine’s Day!

You got to love any day that gives you an excuse to eat chocolate… especially with the gusto that this one does. Cards and candy all around! As you’ve probably guessed, I love the momentary indulgence and hedonistic aspects of all the major holidays. But you still have to wonder how we got here. How did we get from a day were everybody stands around and goes “Awww” at young sweethearts to a celebration of everyone and every relationship with cards, chocolates, flowers and all the pink and red trimmings?

One quick Google search and you will find a variety of legends around the origins of Valentine’s Day. Some say it dates back to 270 CE, when Valentine, a priest in Rome, married young soldiers in secret contrary to the Emperor Claudius’ orders. He was, of course, killed for his defiance, but not until after he had sent letters to the jailor’s daughter who was kind to him during his imprisonment. He signed the letters “from your Valentine”…and thus began the tradition of notes and cards between lovers in mid-February. A more likely scenario is that it was an attempt to Christianize the Roman pagan holiday of Lupercalia, an early fertility celebration in preparation for spring.

Just as with YuleChrisHannaRamaKwanzaadan…this holiday has grown, and evolved over time. Grown for the better, in my book.

The day is no longer limited to undercover sweethearts. School kids make nice with the whole class, and share note cards and sweets with everyone. Couples that have been married for decades still exchange tokens, and appreciate the little things that brought them together in the beginning. Sure, it is a pretty sour time for those who are single and not in a relationship. But that is up to the individual in a sense…it could be seen as a chance to celebrate the other relationships and friends they DO have. Or at least be lonely with extra fervor – after all, there is always chocolate!

Things happen for a reason, and so I think it is with this expansiveness of holidays. There is a lesson to be learned from all those pink and red hearts we see this time of year.

This can be an opportunity to celebrate human emotion, relationships, and above all our innate impulse to love. It doesn’t matter if the relationship we celebrate is a romantic one, a family one, or a social one. We all have various relationships in our lives. Sometimes we are spouses, sometime children, sometimes friends. ALL of these relationships have value.

Our culture may slice love up into little compartments, like the little cups that hold the individual candies inside those heart shaped boxes. Love for family goes here, love for spouse goes there, love for friend goes there, and all the other emotions get their little cubby holes too.

But whatever name you hang on it, the individual candies are part of the whole box…and the whole holiday.

By whatever name you hang on it, love is part of the greater whole of human experience. By whatever name, it is still sweet. The heart of Valentine’s Day surrounds it all. Even love of self. So if you are alone this year, why not make friends with yourself, and celebrate that relationship? It will make way for more relationships of the other kind in years to come.

If you have lovers, friends and family in your life, you are a fortunate one! Let us celebrate all who we care about. Isn’t that what holidays are for?

Well, that…and chocolate!

So no matter what holiday it may be, no matter what name we hang on it, the emotion of love is the same, and it is abundant. It is a rose that by any name always smells sweet.

Spam in a Can

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Please visit www.modern-oracle-tarot.com/phonechat for details.

Or if you want to do a per-minute phone reading, I have those available at a LOW $2.00 through my “Virtual Office”.

You can get an appointment for these to reserve a time that is convenient for you, OR you can just look for me online. I’m signed on to the virtual office most weekday mornings, eastern time, except holidays and local no-school days. Kasamba terms and conditions apply.

One Card Tarot Meditation

THE FOOL

This month’s card is the first card in the Major Arcana. As you may know, the Major Arcana cards are thought to reflect the stages of life and the major lessons we learn along the way. The Major Arcana cards have the richest and most complex meanings of all the Tarot cards.

The fool is a card of beginnings. In modern terms, a better name would be “The Innocent”. The word fool has many negative connotations…one of recklessness, ignorance…indeed foolishness. That isn’t the tone of the card we see today. The main word here is innocent. Not naive, which is a very different thing. There isn’t a lack of experience or a lack of judgment here…there is a lack of judgmental-ISM! This is a card of innocence in its most Zen sense. Here we see an energy of open acceptance, without judgment. It is a pure enjoyment of life, taking experience at face value.

Connect this with the Penseive for this month. Love is not something to be labeled, measured, or judged. It is to be experienced, treasured and given lavishly. Love is an emotion to be accepted at face value. Love is a thing of innocence, given and accepted openly, honestly, and without reservation or judgment. Is your spouse all that and your best friend too? Love them like that. Do you have a friend who is as dear to you as any genetic sibling could be? Love them like that. Honor the emotion you genuinely feel, with all the innocence of our not so foolish card, The Fool.

Love and Light to you all,

Baihu

www.modern-oracle-tarot.com

January 2007Modern Oracle Newsletter

January 2007 Modern Oracle Newsletter

“Time is but a toy for the minds of man”

- From “Triquetra: A Dance of Worlds” by Ronda Snow

The Pensieve

Happy New Year everyone!

Whether it is on the solar calendar, the lunar calendar, or an ancient agrarian one, everyone celebrates the turning of a new year. It is a time of reflections, a time of hope, and a time of renewal. It is no small coincidence that our modern New Year’s observance is tied to the idea of self-improvement and weight loss resolutions. After all the feasting and fun of the Holidays, a little detox is needed. It is the ebb and flow of things…nature finding its balance.

But this balancing act doesn’t end when January ends. This kind of ebb and flow and natural balancing happens all the time. Each season has its own tempo. Every sunrise offers a chance to begin again. Renewal surrounds us, any time of year.

If ebb and flow, yin and yang are ever present, what is the flip side of all this hopefulness and renewal? Disappointment, discouragement. New Years can unmask these things as well. Another year gone, another year without change, time slipping by…hangovers aside; it is easy to see the down side to this New Years thing.

So if you are feeling hopeful, ready to rock and roll with your new resolutions, BRAVO! Hurray for the dawning of a new era! I wish you all the best!

But if you are feeling the downside, remember, New Year’s Day is just like any other. Depending on who you talk to, it’s not even the same year. For some people, New Years is still weeks away! If you don’t like that one, you could always go back to the old tradition of celebrating in April, the beginning of the agrarian year with the spring planting. Time and calendars are just tricks of mind and social convention. We exist in a magical time called NOW, it is renewed every moment…no need to wait for glass balls to drop or fireworks to fly. Hope springs eternal. Now is the closest part of forever. NOW is your time, and your hope, no matter what the calendar says.

Spam in a Can

Not much going on here in Modern Oracle land. A new yellowpages.com add will be up and running in the next couple of weeks for you folks in the Pittsburgh area.

Keep an eye out for New Years and Grand Opening specials on the website over the next several weeks!

Holistic Health:

It isn’t too late! With the nice weather here in the East, the cold and flu season is getting off to a thankfully mild start too. So it isn’t too late to build your immune system in case things take a turn for the cold later…

Some studies suggest that taking vitamin C…older Lancet reports from the early 1990s worked with doses up to 4gms to lessen a cold if you can catch it in the first stages…when you feel it “coming on”. The trick is to take it either in a time release form or to take it in lower doses frequently. Vit. C is water soluble and too much too quick is just washed away. Of course you have to adapt this to your own situation…make sure that Vit. C doesn’t interfere with medications or other supplements, and so on.

Zinc Gluconate, and Echinacea are also well known short-term helps to keep a cold on the mild side if you catch it early enough. All three of these are worthy of your investigation and consideration.

If you are healthy, and want to stay that way…astragalus helps build your immunity so that you don’t catch the cold bug to begin with. Consult with your own herbalist or health care practitioner to see if this herb is a good choice for you.

Too late? Already got the stuffies? No matter whether you choose mainstream medicine or the chicken soup approach, your own immune system is what will make you better. All the rest is just to help keep you comfortable while your own natural healing does its thing. Eucalyptus oil is one of my favorite congestion busters, diffused in the air for a pleasant scent or used in diluted form (such as good old fashioned “Vicks”) topically can be just the comfort you need while nature takes its coughing and sneezing course. Rest and fluids is never a bad idea either. Even mainstream medicine is starting to learn the value of a good night’s rest in immune system function!

The Modern Oracle: Monthly One card Tarot meditation

Three of Cups

“A merry heart doeth good like medicine”

I have no idea where that quote comes from…Old Testament, Shakespeare, Patch Adams, something like that. I dunno who said it, but boy are they right!

This card so fits the theme from The Pensieve and the holistic health notes…

It is well and good that we feast and make merry at the end of one year, and the beginning of another. Happiness is born of merriment, whether it is there when the party begins or not. Even if our celebration is nothing more than a moment of quiet reflection…ANY act that brings comfort and joy is worthy of the New Year.

ANY act that bolsters our spirits will bolster our physical well being too. The mainstream guys call it “psychoneuroimmunology”…meaning that happy people have healthier immune systems and that there really is a mind-body-spirit connection.

The three of cups is a reminder to allow ourselves these moments of relaxation, satisfaction and happiness…whatever form that takes for you.

For me, right now, it is the CUP of warm cinnamon coffee that I raise to your health and prosperity in the coming year!

Love and Light to all…

Ronda aka “Baihu” Snow

For tarot readings please visit

www.modern-oracle-tarot.com

For holistic health information please visit:

www.rondasnow.com

December 2006 Modern Oracle Newsletter

Modern Oracle Newsletter

December 2006

“The future is YOURS to create. Tarot reveals the possibilities” ...Baihu

The Pensieve

Merry Yulehannakamas and a Happy Ramikwanzaadan!

I love Christmas! So crisp, so cozy, so merry! Every culture, every belief all around the world seems to have SOMETHING to celebrate this time of year. I love the idea that festivals of light and spirit are almost universal those six weeks or so either side of the winter solstice. I say we turn the whole planet into one big celebration. It is a busy time of year…and it is hard to find time to bomb the daylights out of each other if you are too busy doing stuff that makes you happy.

What I don’t like is the nausea that comes along every time I hear a certain group of people getting all crazy about what greeting stores use for the holiday season! If I’m going to get queasy, I’d rather it be from too an overindulgence in eggnog than from toxic exposure to self-indulgent, self-righteous judgementalism and bigotry. Yep…nothing makes me want to break out the 50-cent vocabulary and go on a rant like one religion acting like they think they are somehow better than everyone else.

No matter what happened 2000 some odd years ago, all we have is right here, and right now. Life goes on…people and societies evolve. I like to think we’ve grown up enough that we need to add one more holiday to our list. I don’t care what you call it…happiness is the same by any name…but I really believe we have over time created a SECULAR Christmas that co-exists with the Christian one. Let’s throw that shrimp on the Barbie for a minute…who’s to say that we can’t all have a celebration of lights, trees and family FREE from religious overtones? Wouldn’t that be more aligned with the principles of the first amendment and well worth closing the post office and banks over? Then anyone and everyone can join in the tinsel-strewn sugar-laden egg-nogged chocolate-covered fun!

Whether it is defined by bloodlines or by emotional closeness, we all cherish our families. We all love and cherish our children. These feelings are deeply human and truly universal. So are love, compassion, generosity, and all the other human traits associated with this time of year. Specific religious dogmas are not universal. A rose is a rose by any name, and a celebration of the human heart and spirit is the same - no matter what you say when you walk through the front door of Wal-mart!

Light is a potent symbol. Many different holidays incorporate lights this time of year. What better way to celebrate the enduring human spirit than lights and candles during the longest, darkest nights of the year?

If love and light and human compassion are so universal, insisting on one particular phrase over any other is just nonsense! Pure Grinch-atude that would make Ebineezer Scrooge flinch! BAH! Celebrate the whole darn shootin’ match! So light the tree, break out the corn, pass the dates and milk, get some honey for Caozhun, and save some of those chocolate coins for me…it’s ALL good! So YES! By all means have a very Merry and Blessed Christmas. May you also have a Merry Yulehannakamas and Happy Ramakwanzaadan! Xing ne hao!

Oh yeah…by the way…

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

AND now for our monthly dose of Spam in a Can…

Just a quick reminder that white-tiger-wellness.com has been deleted, and any of the e-mail addresses associated with it, like white_tiger_wellness@yahoo.com, will soon become inactive as well.

I have new contacts that are more service specific…

For Tarot, cartomancy and any psychic / intuitive readings, please contact me at rsnow@modern-oracle-tarot.com or visit www.modern-oracle-tarot.com for details.

For Volunteer public speaking in the Pittsburgh, PA area, Intuitive Aromatherapy, Bead Meditation tutorials, Reiki or any holistic health / ULC ordained information…please contact me at ronda_snow_naturalhealth@yahoo.com or visit www.geocities.com/ronda_snow_naturalhealth for more details.

I will be closed for the holidays Dec. 24, 2006 through Jan 2, 2007 to be with my family and do all the life affirming celebration possible!

The circulation for this newsletter is still small…so please! Feel free to forward it and share it with any family and friends you think might like it.

Tarot Meditation

The card today is STRENGTH. Not just physical strength, but strength of character, strength of spirit…in short, our INTEGRITY.

I have a poster that says “Nothing is so strong as gentleness, and nothing so gentle as true strength”. I find this to be very true. It gives us a hint to the two aspects of this card.

Lets look at the card in its general sense. It is a major arcana card, hinting that it is associated with major life lessons. Every card has its positive and negative aspect. Some tarot readers take into account whether a card is placed upside down or right side up when doing a reading. I believe that the various aspects of the card are always present, so it really doesn’t matter how it lands on the table, the message is inherently the same.

What is the flip side of strength? Weakness? What defines weakness of character?

I take a Star Wars approach to this question. It isn’t about all the little dos and don’ts we learn as children. It isn’t about sin and redemption. It is all about fear and anger. They really do lead to the dark side. When we act with strength and integrity, we very naturally act with compassion and love. When we are unafraid, it is easy to be loving. But when we feel weak or vulnerable, that is when we become angry or afraid and can hurt ourselves or others. This can be literally or emotionally. So you can see…strength is a very important life lesson to learn.

It is interesting how this ties to my little rant this month. If we are strong in what we believe, and what we love…then the little things like being told ‘happy holidays’ instead of ‘merry christmas’ aren’t important. When we are strong in character and live with integrity, it is easy to be tolerant of those different from ourselves.

This card asks us to think about the complex duality of strength and weakness. What are your strengths? What are your weaknesses? Where are your fears and vulnerabilities causing you to act or feel in a negative way? How can you become stronger? Can you allow your strength to make you tolerant and gentle? Where can you be more patient and gentle with those who are weaker than you, or just beginning to learn?

Whatever life question you have on your mind now, how can acting with integrity help you meet your goals, and find what you want?

And there you have our December newsletter! I hope you all have a healthy, happy and wonderful holiday season! May love, light, and integrity prevail!

Baihu

www.modern-oracle-tarot.com

November 2006 Modern Oracle Newsletter

A Modern Oracle : November 5, 2006

“The fastest way to prosperity is to live simply” – anonymous

Pensieve

Happy New Year!

I’ve heard that in the old Celtic / Druidic tradition, Samhain was the New Year celebration as well as the harvest celebration and the time when the spirit world draws tantalizingly near. This is also the time of year when we see more similarities among cultures and religions than we see differences. Yom Kippur heralds a New Year, renewal and atonement. Dia del los Muertos reverences those lost to the physical but forever with us in spirit. Some dogmatic (some would say fanatic) religions may try to suppress these natural celebrations, but even they recognize this as a season of gratitude, and Thanksgiving. Magic is everywhere. There is always a sense of refreshment and renewal when the coolness of autumn replaces the heat of summer. There is a thrill of anticipation with the beginning of a new school year and the approach of the holidays. What better time to get the ball rolling with the first real edition of a newsletter.

When I first started this, I was sitting on the front porch, wrapped in a black hooded cape, handing out trick or treat candy and contemplating all things magic, Celtic and the like. What better setting to come up with profound words and deep thoughts for a newsletter?

Turns out the real idea would come days later, in broad sunlight, right after doing a Tarot reading at a friend’s house.

The whole concept is trust. If I were a smart girl, I’d sit down and draw up several months of topics before announcing this project. But no, I felt drawn to it and intuitively trust that the right idea will come along at the right time.

I was asked how you know when something is really intuitive. Trust. Some call it faith. I see it as the firstborn of faith and good sound judgment. When it FEELS right, and stands up to logic and common sense too…why not trust it?

Starting each new year is a leap of faith, whether it is the western calendar, the lunar one or the old Celtic one. So is starting a business and a newsletter. Thanks for coming along on the leap…I have a feeling none of us will be too disappointed in the long run.

Spam in a Can

Here’s the plan, as it stands now. I hope to get this out the first Tuesday of every month, or as close to that as time and inspiration will allow. I intend every edition to have an interesting quote, “Penseive”, a name that will be recognized by J. K. Rowling fans, will be a short essay about SOMETHING. It may be Holistic Health topics, spirituality, just a few blog-ish thoughts or an all-out rant. We’ll just have to see where the swirling mists of the Penseive takes us.

“Spam in a Can”, as you can see, is just news and updates from the world of “A Modern Oracle: Tarot by Ronda Snow” and my holistic health practice currently housed on “White-tiger-wellness.com”. As I get more organized, this part will shrink dramatically. But for now here are a few tidbits I’d like to share with you before we get to the final section of the newsletter…”Modern Oracle”…a one-card tarot daily meditation.

First, I have NEW E-MAIL for the newsletter…rsnow@modern-oracle-tarot.com. Please adjust your e-mail settings to allow it into your inbox. The old email will be in effect for another six weeks or so, but the WTW part will likely change after the first of the year.

Keep an eye out after New Year’s for new contact information for Reiki, Natural Health, Intuitive Aromatherapy, and Bead Meditation.

Second, the newsletter will also be posted in the modern-oracle-tarot.com blog on Yahoo, on the “modern oracle” myspace.com page, and on the MSN group “Virtual Sanctuary”…all of these will serve as an easy archive for old newsletters if you ever need them again.

Speaking of Virtual Sanctuary… feel free to check that out and join…it is a FREE to join group on MSN groups. It is an open discussion on all things spiritual. Any topic, any tradition. Now for the good stuff…

Modern Oracle

I was hoping the card would come up to be something trust related, and ohhh wouldn’t I look clever for writing about that! But this is an honest reading, and I shuffled and drew the card just now TRUSTING that the right card would come up…the one that would give the most needed lesson. And here it is…

The card this month is the 10 of wands

The suite of wands does denote magic, and goes with this time of year. I typically associate the whole suite of wands with our internal journey, our spiritual growing. This card does have a spiritual lesson to it: selflessness.

Let’s not look at this in a put other’s first sort of way that we are all taught as children. We hear that lesson quite a lot and it doesn’t need re-hashed here. Let’s look at this in a more subtle way.

This card is asking us to do something far harder than wait our turn or even to try and serve others. It is asking us to take ourselves out of the equation entirely …and in so doing, look at the big picture.

It is very easy this time of year to get caught up in doing things for others to the point we let ourselves get stressed and worn out. Is that really selfless? Is that really good or right or nobel? The easy answer is yes…the harder answer is the one the 10 of wands asks us to contemplate. WHY do we do these things? What purpose does it really serve? What is a better way to serve our fellow man? To be selfless can also mean to take a step back, look at the big picture, listen to the others around us. It means much more than just doing things for other people. Selflessness asks for something much more. It asks for listening, and respecting other people too. It asks for judgment, and wisdom, and yes…trust. Trust that we will know the right thing to do…when to act for others, and when to nourish ourselves…when to serve fellow man, and when to be still and simply listen and love.

Think about the role you play in your life. Selfless isn’t the same as sacrifice…it is the same as compassion. Look for subtle ways to be selfless…subtle but important ways like simply listening, loving, and observing instead of DO-ing. There is much to learn from this seemingly simple card. Perhaps we will see it again.

That’s all for this month’s “modern oracle” newsletter! Please let me know what you think, and if you think this will be helpful to you. Please let me know some topics you want to hear about!

Take care, and best wishes to all!

Ronda Snow

www.modern-oracle-tarot.com