A Modern Oracle: Tarot for the 21st Century

Today's Tarot - 7 of Coins

2012-01-09T15:12:00.002-05:00

7 of coins: Persistence is seldom futile. "What you give to the universe comes back to you." "You get out of it " as the sayings go.

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Today's Tarot - 10 of Wands

2012-01-06T14:12:00.001-05:00

Selflessness is only a virtue in the middle. Too much or too little leads to problems.

www.ModernOracleTarot.com

Is Tarot Effective?

2012-01-05T12:04:00.000-05:00

Q. Is it effective?

A. That was the sum total of the question in my inbox. I'm guessing they mean is "are tarot readings effective".

Just pure common sense says that it depends on what you mean by "effective".

Is chicken soup effective as a tasty meal? Yes.

Is chicken soup effective as a cure for the common cold? Not a lot, but it helps a little by adding fluid intake.

Is chicken soup an effective cure for baldness? No, not in any way.

So what "effect" do you want Tarot to have?

Some still expect Tarot readings to have the very old-world, earth-is-flat "effect" of predicting the future in exact detail. If that is the expectation, is Tarot effective? No.

If you embrace the more modern understanding...based on probabilities, observed outcome, time as the fourth dimension kind of popularized physics...that your choices create the future, so psychics can't predict the future...in that way of looking at things, is Tarot effective? Sometimes. "When they change their mind, the vision changes" (Jasper Cullen in "Twilight")

If you look at Tarot esoterically then the answer changes again. Tarot is a folk-art expression of common-sense advice, and a creative tool, that helps us explore alternate ideas and solve problems more creatively...if you define Tarot in those terms, is it effective? YES, TOTALLY!

Wishing you a day that doesn't need Tarot's problem-solving.

Doctor Who quote and psychic predictions

2012-01-03T10:43:00.000-05:00

Anglophenia blog on BBC America has a great post of Doctor Who quotes for the New Year...got to love that! This is one I particularly like because it says, in another way, much of my philosophy about time and psychic predictions...

“People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but actually if you look at it from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it’s more like a big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey… stuff.”
Tenth Doctor, Blink

THAT is why I think predictions are for fun at the very most...Psychic tarot readings, even the ones that seem to make predictions, are just ideas and signposts to help you navigate forward through life...your future is YOURS to create, not for another person to predict.

www.ModernOracleTarot.com

Tarot "Predictions" 2012

2012-01-02T14:23:00.001-05:00

Remember those 'fortune tellers' that kids fold out of paper? That's about the level this is at...just tongue in cheek fun...on one hand. On the other, if we collectively stop and think, if we collectively choose more wisely, then together we can create a better future, no matter what psychics "predict" here at the new year. Yet it is a fun game we all play at this time of year.

As you know from the lack of posts lately, I've been on blogcation from cyberspace. I haven't read any of my favorite blogs or other yearly predictions. I did see a tweet from one of my favorite mediums and astrologers....Joy Star....that she has posted her predictions with a particular eye toward numerology and astrology. Numerology and astrology are not my strong points, so if you are any smidge interested in those things please feel free to check out www.psychicjoystar.wordpress.com

For me, its all tarot. What I'll do is what I call my "four seasons" reading. Each of 4 cards represents each of the upcoming four seasons to give a look ahead at the coming year. It can start at any time of year...it doesn't have to be at New Years.

Shameless self promotion: If you want a four seasons reading personalized just for you, send your name, age, questions and "four seasons 2012" in an e-mail to ereadings@modern-oracle-tarot.com. No appointment needed...available by e-mail only. You'll be invoiced a low total $20 for the reading via PayPal for your privacy and security. I never see your private information other than your email....and you have the reassurance of using a nationally known, secure way to pay. I'm an "identity verified" vendor with them, so you can order with confidence.

Now that the business is done, back to the fun. This reading with be done with the idea that it will apply globally, but keep in mind I'm an east coast American, so I probably will be a bit more dialed into the path and energy here in the U.S.A. But keeping as wide of a focus as possible, as I shuffled the cards, the question in mind was "show me truth for 2012".

Being at the beginning of winter, the first card will relate to winter...now through roughly mid-March or early April. The winter card is the 9 of wands. This has to do with acceptance. I always remind everyone when this card turns up, that there is a difference between "acceptance" and "acquiescence". It is the difference between taking a pragmatic, realistic approach to what is happening and giving up, giving in, blaming others and hiding from the truth.

Wands have to do with our inner, individual journey and personal growth.

When I apply the 9 of wands to a general, collective look...my mind is drawn immediately to American politics...to politics of any democracy. Wands is internal, individual...the nine is accepting the reality of things-as-they-are. The message here is for each individual to trust their own evaluation of reality, of things as they are here and now...DISREGARDING THE PROPAGANDA AND "MAINSTREAM PARTY LINE". Trust your own evaluation of the situation, accept it is what it is, not necessarily what you want it to be...and then act and vote accordingly.

Here is where my personal bias shines bright...Republicans have been lying through their teeth and out their backside...look at the facts, look at the data, accept the reality of things as they actually have happened over the past 10-12 years. See and accept reality...not the story and spin. Whether it matches your hoped-for reality or not. In spite of any get-Obama sentiment you might have, look at the historical facts and numbers.

This card is encouraging all of us to ACCEPT THE FACTS of our situation and deal with it pragmatically in a realistic, practical sort of way over the next several months, at least.

SPRING, March through May basically has drawn the "Wheel" card. The sense I have of this card is twofold...first that things will change because of the pragmatism of the winter season....we collectively take that cold, hard look at the way things are, and begin to act, feel and believe differently because of that. The other is the momentum caused because of that...first we 'hike up our skirts' and MAKE things better, then further change is brought about because of that initial action causing a chain-reaction of optimism. Things finally start to change for the better and we get a collective glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel...the tunnel being both the economic concerns that have been going on since 2008...and in general spirit, spiritual growth, a sort of brightening of the collective spiritual consciousness as we shake ourselves free of the propaganda and mental shackles . The phrase "THE AGE OF THE FREETHINKERS BEGINS" comes to mind. I deeply hope this is true. It is my wish that all people be free from suffering, both physical problems and mental / emotional oppression.

Summer is the Tower card. It generally means chaos, but the feeling with this card continues in the mental - internal- philosophical - perception tone set by the first wands card. I don't see it as any sort of uprising or physical chaos. My sense of it is more an upset of the old guard of thinking, rather than outright war and conflict. The idea of the occupation of Iraq finally ending, and the potential for drawdowns inAfghanistan begin to take root in the world psyche, and peace again becomes at least a viable IDEA. This throws the old-school 'war hawks' off their guard. The shift toward peaceful freethinking make those with the fundamentalist mindset feel like the world is in chaos, or even coming to an end. 2012 isn't the end of the world...it is the beginning of the end of certain ways of looking at the world. "NEW AGE" comes to mind...not so much the 'woo woo' spirituality we know from the 70s and 80s, but a true new age, another renaissance that to some is the beginning of something wonderful...to others, it seems chaos, mayhem, disaster.

Either way, spring and summer are dynamic, energetic, full of change. The tower card reminds us that when things seem chaotic, and when we feel like we have lost our bearings in an unpredictable, changing, chaotic world...perspective is the solution. Climb the tower, get the overview...FIND THE BIG PICTURE TO FIND THE SOLUTION. This will be the lesson and tenor of the summer.

Fall is calmer...the Page of Cups. It has to do with reconciling old thoughts, with the new thoughts, and finding balance. It has to do with soothing the chaos that change has brought over the spring and summer. There is still a thread of the reality-pragmatic approach. This card has to do with "dealing with demons"...we pay for past mistakes, but that allows us to let them go and move on. Political chickens come home to roost in U.S. elections. Those who believe in the 'end of the world' notions become nostalgic, think of what they might loose....a "bucket list" mentality for some, bittersweet nostalgia for others. For the newly freed freethinkers, there is greater compassion for those on different paths. Maybe a little more unity as we move past the elections and move into the next holiday season.

Moving away from the cards to general impressions: Still politically-minded, I get the mental image of a U.S. map, no state lines, just the national outline, filling with blue from the west to mid-west, some in the northeast, but the southeast being white, not red as is usual with the news graphics. When I look at that white, southeast region I get the words "empty" "crumbling" "old".

I see buttercups...and feel it is related to spring. Yellow, golden tones...often associated with wealth and money luck, but flowers may have more to do with spiritual renewal than physical wealth.

There is a feeling of quiet strength. Growing calm after the summer. Calm knowing, with a tinge of "I told you so".

I can't say for sure, but when I turn my mind to the natural world...it feels quiet. There is a sense of waiting and listening, as if Earth is waiting to see if we will act to heal, or continue to be mindlessly destructive. It is my wish that we all act to be ecologically responsible....green green greenie green green...it is the path to life for Nature and humans alike. As the children who have been raised to be more ecologically aware over the past decade or so come of age, ecological protection, renewable energy, green jobs becomes easier, more natural, presumed, matter of course...not the hair tearing debate that some have made it out to be in the past....again that idea of the old guard falling into chaos, while a calmer, more pragmatic, truth-seeing, spiritual (not dogmatic or religious) generation comes forward.

It is the end of the world...for those who hate. May it be so.

Feels like a quiet year externally...with much energy internally, with change and chaos in the individual and the collective psyche more than anything.

Was watching the Rose parade earlier I think their theme captures the tone and direction of 2012 perfectly...Imagine.

What we imagine, hope and work for can be made manifest, if we stay focused on our better and compassionate nature. That is where the "zone" will be. Those that hold on to the past, embrace divisive, or bigoted ideas are in for a rough year, with questioning and doubt and chaos as old followers awaken to a new way.

Imagine a better place, and act to make it true. Deal with the old demons so they can be let go to make room for a kinder way of thinking.

May this truly be the year that the world of hate, division, bigotry, and violence comes to an end. There is a world of truth and compassion waiting to take its place.

Wishing you a happy, healthy, abundant, magical, imagination filled new year!

Happy 2012

2012-01-01T11:59:00.005-05:00

Spending the day with the family, and making a big pot of jambalaya...why that? Because (gasp) I don't like sauerkraut.

Tune in tomorrow morning for the 2012 just-for-fun "predictions".

Have a great New Year's Day everyone!

Happy New Year 2012 - The Wheel

2011-12-31T21:47:00.000-05:00

The Wheel: change.

This card is the "New Year" card in my mind. Others attach the idea of "fate" to the card, or the "wheel of fortune". Either way, these are topics at the front of our minds as we turn the calander to a new year.

It is a time where we long for a glimpse to the future, it is in our nature to want to know what the new year holds in store.

I'd like to focus more on the 'change' aspect of the card more than the 'fate' or future aspects. The change of year is purely artificial. It is roughly attuned to the change of season, which makes sense. In the circle of the year, in the four seasons, we need to pick a start/finish line...any one will do, and has, for one culture or another through our history. For some the year changes in the fall, at the harvest. For others, it is the spring...with the new births of animals and the planting of a new crop. Summer and winter do just as well. It is all arbitrary, an idea placed on Nature to let we humans work with nature and each other in a coordinated way. Nothing more. It is social convention, not magic. The power of the New Year comes from all of us putting our energy into it together. If there is change and magic in the coming of a new year, it is because we, together, in our culture, make it so.

Every day is a new day. Every day is a chance for change. New Year's Day is no different in that respect. No more and no less powerful than any other sunrise. It is all in how you welcome it, feel about it. Any day can be New Year's Day if you choose to make it so. It has everything to do with the way we recognize, accept, and adapt to change. Change in calendar, change in ourselves. It is inevitable. How you deal with change is an important, personal, spiritual journey. New Year's day celebrations are a reflection of that. Do we welcome the new year with hopes and high intentions or do we send away the old year with a 'good riddence' and nothing more than a caution to not let the door hit it on the way out.

I've felt both ways, depending on the desires of the year, the judgements I've hung on events big and small.

This year I think I'll welcome 2012...who knows what it will bring. The old year was a good/bad year, just like any other. Pick a day, any day, and follow the events for the year that follow it. There you find a mixed bag of events...the same as the melange found from Jan. 1 to Jan. 1.

Hope is as eternal as change. So I hope that the time between January 2012 and January 2013 is happy, hopeful, healthy, playful and prosperous for you all.

Happy Holidays

2011-12-23T13:01:00.000-05:00

Will be spending time with family the next week or a bit more. Blogging will be way down on the priority list during that time, but will post when I can. Next post will probably my annual foray into the world of predicting the future. I don't expect any of it to be right, and an flat-out amazed when there are any loose associations to stuff that happens...so I just chalk the whole thing up to entertainment and call it a day. If you are up for a little light entertainment, please give it a read. Then we can watch together to see if there are any grains of truth in the "predictions" as 2012 unfolds.

Whatever holidays you celebrate, may the Season be filled with light, delight and joy.

Happy Holidays!

www.modern-oracle-tarot.com

The Sun - Winter Solstice

2011-12-22T13:41:00.001-05:00

It isn't the first thing that comes to mind on a cloudy cold cookie-baking kind of December day, but the Sun has every association with the winter solstice. SOLstice. Without the sun, there wouldn't be one.

Solstice, technically, is when the sun stops or holds still....that what solstice is. Because of the tilt of the Earth as it goes around the sun, sunrise and sunset seem to drift north and south on the horizon. At the beginning of Summer and Winter, this 'drift' pauses ... is at solstice...before starting to go the other way. We are taking a pause before the sun comes north again. From here to June, the days get longer again...the sun grows.

Pagan Yule celebrates the birth of the Sun-god at the solstice. I've seen pictures of lebkuchen (spice cookie, "life cookie") molds with sun motifs. More sun for today.

One legend is that the Christ legend was assigned to this time of year as a way to c0-op the pagan traditions and make conversions. I don't know enough about comparative religion and anthropology to go there, but no matter what middle-eastern town they appear over, stars are suns, the sun is a star....so we're all one big happy galaxy,yes? But that still gives a sun-association to the holiday season.

The Sun is a great card for today. It is about hope and positivity and light and security and all the things we associate with this time of year.

May the sun warm your Solstice day, no matter what your weather may be.

Winter Solstice 2011

2011-12-21T11:24:00.001-05:00

May the long night and every day be filled with light of love, happiness and abundance.

Happy Holidays to all!

2011-12-19T12:49:00.000-05:00

One persons stuck in the mud is another person's day at the spa. Are you really stuck, or is life just telling you to rest or change directions?

www.modern-oracle-tarot.com

2011-12-15T10:27:00.000-05:00

2 of swords is associated with "mystical unity".

It is one of my favorite sword cards for this reason. As a whole, swords talk about outward connections...our relationship with society, our relationship with authority. The two card takes that one step further... it talks about our relationship...our deep connection to the cosmos - the "everything-ness" or the "all-that-is" of existence.

It hints to the highest levels of cosmic connection. I think that is especially relevant here at the holiday season. So many cultures have holidays of one sort or another this time of year: yule, christmas, hannuka, kwanzaa, bodhi day....to name a few. I have to think that there is something larger at play here...all these holidays point to larger ideas and feelings that transcend the individual philosophies. "Christmas"....religious or secular...or whatever holiday you celebrate...points to something greater.

It is all about life. The light of the human spirit transcending the darkness. It is about hope, and children, enlightenment and a celebration of all it is to be human. We celebrate each other in the face of the longest, darkest nights of the year.

Wishing you light and love throughout the year.

Today's Tarot - 2 of Cups

2011-12-13T10:09:00.000-05:00

The path to inner peace and harmony is ultimately a solitary one. What brings peace to one may disturb another. In the end, only the individual can decide if they are at peace with themselves. The path may be shared by many others, but only we can take the steps, no one can walk for us.

Wishing you Peace this holiday season.

Last Night's Sunset

2011-12-06T12:33:00.001-05:00

I watched the sunset last night.

It was a pretty sunset,

Scoop of sherbet in the western sky.

I don't know if anyone else felt it,

Warm, happy and content.

I hoped they did, but then,

The Sun doesn't care.

No matter who watches, or not,

What we think, feel or believe,

The Sun still shines warm.

It is enough that truth and beauty exists.

Last Night's Moon

2011-12-02T09:16:00.001-05:00

I watched the moon last night

It was a pretty little moon

Cheshire Cat smile in the western sky

I don't know if anyone else saw it

Or appreciated it, but then

I don't care.

The Moon didn't care that I was watching

It is enough that the Moon exists

2011-11-26T19:35:00.001-05:00

I rant endlessly about tolerance.

I've spent the weekend reading, when time allows, Penn Jillette's "God No". It's funny and insightful and hits one nail on the head..."I don't know what's best for other people". By the same token, other people don't know what is best for me. I have to know that, and learn that either by taking respected advice or by hard experience.

I also have to admit that "Black Friday" is one of those days where I struggle to keep my own ego and judgmentalism in check. I hate so-called "Black Friday". It's been years since I've ventured anywhere but work on the day after Thanksgiving. But I sucked it up and took my daughter to the mall so she could see for herself what all the fuss is about.

She was wide-eyed with the adventure, especially since we stopped at her favorite restaurant for lunch on the way. I couldn't wait to leave...the greed and materialism was palpable. I wonder what percentage of that mass of bargain hunters would be crowing in a few short weeks that "Jesus is the reason for the season" (God No!) and other self-serving hypocrisy after Friday's mad dash to the cash register. That's the down side to opening up to your intuition. Annoyingly-busy gets turned into the emotional equivalent of fingernails on a chalkboard and a soul-sucking walk through a swamp of cynicism.

So what does that have to do with Tarot? It is a wide idea that takes several cards to build. From the major arcana I'd have to say Judgement is relevant, along with a pocketful of coins cards...compassion, magnanimity, craft and service...to name a few keywords from that suite.

Ah well, that's life. It was an adventure for her and a two hour opportunity for me to repeat "people are more important than things" ad nauseam. Whatever the reason for the season may be for other people, I don't know what buying stuff on sale has to do with it. I'd rather have a small thoughtful personalized gift, and that's the kind I try to give. Soft slipper socks give me a great deal of pleasure on a winter evening, and music is the gift that keeps giving every time I fire up the ipod...and think of them when I hear it. That small, thoughtful, hand-made ethos is something well worth adopting from Kwanzaa.

(To continue a previous rant...that is another reason I like being a person instead of a religion. A freethinker can embrace the best of all of them while being unburdened by the worst parts of them)

Thankfully it is Saturday. I have a warm pair of slipper socks on, the "Firefly" marathon is on television and as soon as I'm done with this, I'm going back to knitting a beach bag for my niece at Xmas while I listen to a playlist of favorites.

I hope your friday wasn't black and that there are brighter days ahead

Baihu

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-23T10:08:00.001-05:00

Gratitude makes what we have more precious, what we don't have less significant, and the needs of the suffering more urgent.

Thank you all for reading Modern Oracle Tarot Blog.

Peaceful and Happy weekend to everyone, and good wishes to those in the U.S celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday. I'll be spending time with my family today through next Tuesday. The blog posts might be a little erratic through that time, and there may be some delays in delivering e-mail readings, so thank you in advance for your patience.

E-mail readings are still available, but there are no more private session or party appointments available until November 29. Happy Thanksgiving!

Baihu

Romance Reading: The Lovers and The Magician

2011-11-22T14:38:00.001-05:00

Q: I met a man who seemed to be all anyone could want...a little older, financially stable, professional, interested in me. But he could be pushy, too, and he pushed me to go on a vacation together, his treat. Turns out he is a horrible gambler. The whole trip was a disaster...shocking. I keep attracting men like this, and after this experience I wonder if I will ever have a good relationship. I had a career reading with you last year, and liked the way you look at things. Can you give any insight to the romance side of things?

I think you are right...this experience was shocking, but it got your attention. It helped you see a pattern, and to realize you want something different. As traumatizing as it was in the short term...in the big picture this may actually be a valuable experience.

There are two tarot cards that are exquisitely applicable to your situation: The Lovers and The Magician.

They are both major arcana cards...which speaks to the power and importance of the things your are thinking about.

The Lovers symbolizes desire, and The Magician represents transformation and manifestation.

Your experience with this man, and the way it felt inevitable, shows it is an important and powerful lesson: it shows you that what is deep down matters more than the initial outward appearance...and that the deep down important stuff is what matters to you. Now you know. This will give you a wonderful contrast...the shadow to show you what you want to bring to light.

You know, now, what you DON'T want to repeat...the next step is to define in your mind, very clearly, what you DO want in a relationship...what you do want in your relationships an in your life. The feeling I got reading the first part of your story is that your connection with this man grew out of expectations...your hope for a relationship and what other people define as a good prospect...stable, professional etc etc. That doesn't, as we see here, necessarily bring the intangible, subtle good things, like respect, caring, compassion, empathy....all those things that are REALLY important.

When I was younger, I saw a psychic, also wondering if I would ever be with anyone. She gave me an exercise...I may have mentioned this last time...that proved to be pure gold. Even if you've done this before...try again, start the exercise over, using your new insights and perspectives gained from the trip to vegas...

Make a list of all the things you want in a partner. What kind of relationship do you want? Marriage? Companionship? List every detail, literally, on paper. LIst physical things, interests, personality traits...anything, everything. Don't put negatives...don't say "not a gambler" put "enjoys ___________" That part is very important...the energy of the "not" might actually draw the undesirable trait to you rather than block it. Always list ONLY the things you WANT in a positive way.

Then release the list. Put it away, or, if you are inclined to such things, burn it in a respectful ritual of some sort. Whenever you feel the impulse, send a thought to the universe. Pray it...however it feels most powerful to you....not the whole list, just the feeling of desire for "the best of the list" or "husband for the highest and best"...something like that. Send the cry from your heart to the heart of outer space...then let go and trust the universe to guide you to the right path.

There are no time limits. There may be more things to learn along the way...but if you ask for the path to the best, you will find that journey, no matter how long it takes to get to the destination.

Today's Tarot - The World

2011-11-21T09:56:00.001-05:00

Neither worldly success nor spiritual growth is a spectator sport. To learn a Way of living, just live that way. Then you can make adjustments as you learn and go along.

"BE the change you wish to see in the world" ~ Mahatma Gandhi

Paranormal and Provocative: The Moon

2011-11-18T09:42:00.001-05:00

Whether you gaze at it alone or with others, the moon remains as it is. Our spiritual journey, the awakening of our soul, doesn't need group activity or organized religion any more than the moon needs us to look at it in order to be beautiful in the night sky.

www.ModernOracleTarot.com

Today's Tarot - 5 of Swords

2011-11-17T10:28:00.001-05:00

An error in judgement doesn't have to be permanent. It can be transformed into a lesson, a journey, a call to action.

Today's Tarot - 10 of Wands

2011-11-16T07:38:00.001-05:00

10 of Wands: Selflessness can be an expansive, liberating thing. When you realize there is more to the cosmos than just you, then you become part of the cosmos.

Today's Tarot - 3 of Swords

2011-11-14T14:19:00.001-05:00

Some of the best protection against the corruption in this world is your own honesty, integrity, wisdom and insight.

Today's Tarot - The Empress

2011-11-09T09:38:00.000-05:00

The Empress: Enjoying Nature is a simple thing, no elaborate effort, no words necessary.

You can appreciate nature anytime, anywhere...just look up. Even in the center of the biggest cities. Just look up. As Joss Whedon said in the theme to "Firefly"... "you can't take the sky from me". (Yeah, I'm a Browncoat)

It can be as simple as sunlight through a window...even a dirty one. It can be as small as as a watching a butterfly in summer, or snow in winter...just for a minute. You don't have to go anywhere, do anything, say anything...just look up, see, and feel. Nature asks nothing of us...but deserves every bit of our appreciation, care and preservation.

Today's Tarot - Strength

2011-11-08T12:22:00.000-05:00

When words hurt, Strength is silent.

When truth must be spoken, Strength roars.

Today's Tarot - The Lovers

2011-11-07T08:27:00.002-05:00

Unclear desire is like an unfixed compass.

You've heard that art imitates life. Remember Jack Sparrow's compass from the "Pirates of the Caribbean" movies? That is art imitating life in an esoteric way.

If you don't have a clear idea of what you want or need, then it is hard to go find it.

The same is true, to some extent of the 'moral compass'. If you don't have some idea of what is right or wrong for you, or to cause no harm, then the compass spins and we feel lost, even unloved.

The Lovers are a major arcana card for a reason. Desire contributes to what we attract into our lives. If we desire true love, like attracts like. If we focus on superficial things, we surround ourselves with a shell. If we navigate by compassion, we find compassionate seas.

Deciding what you desire is the first step in first step toward finding it.

Today's Tarot - 3 of Coins

2011-11-06T10:42:00.001-05:00

Make something. DO something.

Easy, simple, everyday tasks can free the mind and become a meditation

Today's Tarot Knight of Wands

2011-11-04T11:51:00.003-04:00

Self-confidence isn't automatic. It is earned by surviving life's challenges.

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Today's Tarot - The Devil

2011-11-03T13:25:00.002-04:00

The Devil:

Hiding in the light because you are afraid of the dark does not make the darkness go away.

Darkness is as much a part of life and nature as light. Fear and anger make the darkness stronger, puts things out of balance. George Lucas was right..."fear and anger lead to the dark side". The balance comes by seeing the shadow as part of the light, as part of the whole.

We can't see in total darkness, but by the same token, we can't see at all if our eyes are dazzled by light alone...we need contrast and shadow to see well. Light and dark together in balance is the way of nature. It is a hint for how things work philosophically as well.

Balance also comes by taking light to the darkness. Courage and compassion balance fear and anger. If we face fear with courage, the devil disappears.

The more pious and fundamentalist we are, the more absolute and powerful evil must be to strike a universal balance. If we admit there is a little light in the dark, a little dark in the light, then the balance is easier, just a little more loving toward everyone. If we admit there is a little darkness, a little or the "devil" inside human existence (as Halloween and Dia Del Los Muertos reminds us).

When we remove fear and fundamentalist piety, the devil is diminished. Instead of powerful and mysterious, the devil becomes mundane and commonplace - like dark woods on a bright summer day. Neither good nor bad, it simply is. For some, such darkness is cooling respite from summer heat. For others, the darkness of the woods is a source of fear and the unknown.

What the Devil tarot card teaches is largely governed by the emotion we bring to it, rather than anything it actually IS. For some it sparks a very deep visceral fear. For others, it is just "devilish mischief".

Here is where I might make you mad...this is the controversial part, so it is up to you to keep reading or not.

I don't like to talk about religion or politics because these topics are divisive in the extreme. The only time I "go there" is if I feel really compelled by intuition or "spirit" or the universe or however you look at such things.

When this card turned up, the 2011 new year's reading came strongly to mind. You can read the full 2011 New Years post HERE.

Here is the part that the Devil card brings to mind:

I get the feeling that things will go well for the Obama adminstration: people will begin to see what he has done and again see what is possible “he will have earned his Nobel prize” is the feeling. Americans, real, grass roots population will rally behind him…”have his back” against dark forces…more of a domestic threat than international issues. There is a black way, a dark and wrong possible future…only the voices of ordinary people can push it back, and choose the brighter way. “Don’t be fooled again” is the message.

As I see it, the dark way is the Republicans. Vote them back into Congress or the White House, and we are going to be lead down the primrose path...again. "Ordinary people" may be Occupy Wall Street, or it just might be your average voter. If you like how things are now, send a thank you note to the Republicans who have been manipulating and making noise since 1998, probably longer. If you want something better...vote for Democrats, Independents, Green Party...anyone else you think is qualified to do the job. The Republicans voted in the House of Representatives two days ago to reaffirm the "In God We Trust" motto ...when only a short time ago the Republicans refused to commend the military involved with Bin Laden mission because they wouldn't entertain "frivolous" or ceremonial issues.

After hearing about that vote, there was no doubt in my mind what the dark path in the reading was talking about. The Devil here is clear. Rather than facing them with fear, allowing ourselves to be bullied, we must use the brightest light of our democracy...our vote.

On a lighter note...

that celebrity wedding...don't know where the red color comes in, but sure sounds like that Kim Kardashian thing. If you like that kind of thing.

There were some more tarballs on the gulf coast this summer.

There was a low oxygen thing killing sardines near California.

That was fun...it always surprises me when those new-years semi-predictive, just for fun readings actually "come true". Who knew?

Be brave, vote for courage, vote for compassion, your vote can diminish the Devil.

Today's Tarot - 2 of cups

2011-11-02T09:16:00.000-04:00

Two of Cups: Loving relationships are built of two wholes joined, not two halves cobbled together.

www.modern-oracle-tarot.com
www.RondaSnow.com

DO something!

2011-11-01T11:16:00.000-04:00

It's November. We are moving from Halloween to elections. Politics are way more scary than ghosts and goblins if you ask me. I worries me that some people might actually get a vote, much less win office.

Here are a few favorite quotes to help get through the news cycle:

"Lead, Follow or get out of the way"...source unknown, some attribute to Thomas Paine

"Actions speak louder than words, but not nearly as often" ...Mark Twain

"For evil to flourish, it only requires that good men do nothing"...variously attributed to Simon Weisnethal, Thomas Jefferson, and John F. Kennedy

If you like the way things are, send a thank you note. If you want something better for yourself and your children, VOTE.

Happy Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T11:15:00.000-04:00

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Wishing you a day of magic...thanks for reading Modern Oracle Tarot blog!

www.modern-oracle-tarot.com

www.RondaSnow.com

Psychic Q&A "Is it all my imagination?"

2011-10-28T10:44:00.001-04:00

Was talking with my friend, the talented psychic Joy Star, about her latest newsletter. The topic was a question that she has heard from some of her intuition development students who want to know how to tell if their psychic impressions are "real" or "just my imagination". I've heard that question a lot too.
It isn't easy to answer, but I think J.K. Rowling said it best in "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows". It was something on the order of "Yes, Harry, this is all in your head. But why on Earth would that mean it isn't REAL" (caps mine). I don't know if that is an exact quote, but you get the idea.
Harry was unconscious, possibly dead, and we see his conversation with the now dead-and-buried Professor Dumbledore. That makes it a particularly potent example, especially at Halloween, when death and the after-life are such prominent themes. We all have some level of conviction about life after death, or at least some deep curiosity about it. It is an idea closely tied to the idea of intuition, psychic ability, spirit guides, guardian angles and so on.
Was Harry imagining the whole thing? Are we just "making stuff up" when we tap into our intuition? Is it just elaborate imagination? Maybe. My question to you is what difference does it make?
My answer is NONE. It makes no difference at all, simply because our minds...AND our imaginations...are part of the seamless whole. We, our minds, our emotions, AND our imaginations are all part of the universe, part of the great big cosmos, the all that IS...not to mention the time-space continuum that connects all that IS to all that was and will be to boot...
I think we draw lines in the sand between ourselves and the larger whole because of very old, very ingrained social customs. To get along, we distinguish between ourselves and other people. We know the difference between ourselves and our reflection in a mirror. This duality is projected to abstract ideas too. We distinguish between the material and spiritual - and "intuition" becomes the bridge between the two. That is normal, and necessary to function and survive. The problem comes when we put extra qualities on one or the other.
The religion-driven perception that the 'spiritual' or godly is somehow perfect or good while the physical is somehow tainted or flawed still persists. It is hard to shift to a more holistic, unified way of thinking. It is hard for some to realize that the spiritual, etheric, intangible, intuitive and emotional are part of the same unified WHOLE as everything else.
That includes your imagination. Even if you imagine it, the lessons that you learn from using your imagination are as real and valid as lessons you learn from "spirit" or anything you think to be separate or outside yourself.
Just ask child psychologists. Children learn from imaginative play...we adults can learn from flights of imagination too, if we are open to it, and keep it in perspective.
Your imagination is part of you. You are real. Your emotional response to what you imagine is real. The lessons you learn from your imagination are real too.
Other people can't see, react too, or have feelings about what you imagine...but you can. Just because something isn't tangible or "real" to the outside world doesn't mean it isn't valid to your inner experience of life.
Just like Harry gained understanding from his encounter with Dumbledore. It was all in his head...AND it was real.
So is intuition just your imagination? Yes - but that is what makes it real.

www.modern-oracle-tarot.com

Today's Tarot - Ace of Coins

2011-10-27T12:48:00.002-04:00

The small and humble can become great if managed with wisdom.

www.modern-oracle-tarot.com

Announcements October 26, 2011

2011-10-26T13:52:00.000-04:00

The King of Swords supplemental post "Q&A: What Religion Are You?" has been revised and expanded a little. Verson 2.0 is HERE if you would like to take a look.

I'll be appearing tonight doing tarot readings at the Halloween Bash at North Country Brewing, in Slippery Rock PA from 8pm to 11pm.

I'll be doing family-friendly readings at the Scott Library Halloween party from 6:30 pm to 8pm on Saturday, October 29, 2011. Please visit www.scottlibrary.org for more details.

Want a Halloween reading all your own?
Get the SAME reading as you would get live and in-person - at a $15 discount and with no appointment needed. Please click HERE for prices and ordering instructions.

Happy Halloween!

Q&A: What religion are you?

2011-10-25T16:06:00.000-04:00

Somebody asked this the other day when they called to ask about getting a tarot reading. I'm guessing they didn't like the answer, since they didn't make an appointment.

This question is what drew me to today's card. This post is sort of a "King of Swords supplemental...the many facets of a human being."

Nobody is defined by any one label, not even the "religion" one.

You might be a person who believes in X or practices Y religion, but it isn't the sum total of who you are. You might like to golf, but that isn't the totality of who you are, either. I like rainy days and science fiction. Choice of religion is no more defining than that. Some people define themselvesalmost totally by their religion. In my opinion, we shouldn't define other people by their religion any more than we define them by their favorite flavor of ice cream.

If religion is important to you, then knowing the religion of a psychic or tarot reader is a good question to ask. If you need a reader from a particular religious background in order to resonate with them and have a good reading, by all means keep asking until you find that match. There areChristian psychics out there if that"s what you need.

I'm not one of them.

I see spirituality as a very personal thing. That's why I treat readings with great respect. I'm honored when someone shares that part of themselves with me. That's part of why I won't read a sitter's love-interest in a romance reading without that other person's permission.

Personally, whatever spirituality I'm willing to share is already right here in this blog. Read the archives. It's pretty obvious that, while I don't participate in any given religion, I draw from the common ideas between a number of spiritual traditions: Taoism, Buddhism, Native American thought, Spiritism, even a little Wicca. My childhood was spent in a very devout Christian family, so I'm familiar with that mind-set, even though I don't agree with it much. I've read world religion books with overviews of Judeaism, Islam, Hinduism, Shinto...the major ones that books seem to cover. I may not know a lot about those, but I do know what is right for me...and I know that I respect your right to decide what is right for you. I have no intention of convincing anyone of anything...ever. The readings are what they are, my view is what it is....all I can do is share it. The rest is up to the reading public to decide...to take it or leave it as they see fit. Get right down too it, I'm a freethinker, and hope this resonates with other Freethinkers too.

I am ever grateful to those who do decide to 'take' the blog under consideration and give the posts a read. Thank you.

To label a person by their religion is, in my mind, the fast track to bigotry. To judge a person by religion is no better than judging a fellow human by the color of their skin. If you want to talk about your religion, that's cool. If not, that's cool too. It doesn't change the reading I do one bit, because there is so much else to talk about, so many other analogies to make.

So what religion am I? None. I'm not a religion, I'm a human being.

www.ModernOracleTarot.com
www.RondaSnow.com

Today's Tarot - King of Swords

2011-10-25T12:41:00.002-04:00

The King of Swords symbolizes "forging the spirit". It is no accident that sword-making imagery is used here. You can't forge a sword from fragile materials. Even when iron or steel is used, the metal is tempered and strengthened. No so much that it becomes brittle...that is an example of one thing (tempering) taken to an extreme and one thing (the strong metal) becomes its opposite (brittle, vulnerable, fragile).

The strengthening...growing...of the human spirit is much the same. Challenges make us stronger when we learn from them. Challenge beyond our individual ability to cope becomes stress. Stress makes us vulnerable to everything from illness to inattention to a bad hair day.

The human spirit is made of strong stuff. Like a well-made sword, it is bright, and beautiful.

Like a diamond, the human spirit is strong enough to have many facets. More facets brings out greater play of light and beauty...but takes more cuts, more challenge, more learning to achieve.
We humans are not defined by any one thing. We have more strengths and more facets than that. We are more than any one shallow label. To see the beauty, we must see all the facets.

Wishing you a day of strength and beauty.

www.ModernOracleTarot.com
www.RondaSnow.com

Today's Tarot -

2011-10-24T09:17:00.003-04:00

The World card is a hopeful, encouraging end to the major arcana. It speaks of career success, happiness, love, abundance. It hints at an ability to touch infinity, and draw what we need into our lives in an insightful, productive way.

This card is part of the major arcana because it also carries some potent reminders about success. Sometimes there are costs, balances that must be struck. Sometimes that balance is carried on the back of perception. Success comes and goes in an eyeblink when we shift our perception of our life and of the world around us.

The World card can remind us that success doesn't have to be huge or immediate in order to be valid, valuable, and enduring.

May you touch infinity and abundance.

www.ModernOracleTarot.com

Daily Meditation Tarot Reading - 7 of Cups

2011-10-21T11:37:00.001-04:00

If you are in the middle of a paradox, look for places where you need greater balance. A paradox is a cry for balance, not the need to eradicate one thing or the other.

www.ModernOracleTarot.com

www.RondaSnow.com

image: www.mayway.com, no copyright indicated at source

Today's Tarot - 10 of Swords

2011-10-20T10:32:00.000-04:00

How do you define defeat?

If you define defeat as failing to reach every original goal, then we have all been defeated at some point.

If defeat is giving up, giving in to fear and anger, or abandoning your vision, then victory is as easy as taking your dream in a new direction.

If that is the case, we all can win.

www.ModernOracleTarot.com

www.RondaSnow.com

Today's Tarot - Queen of Coins

2011-10-19T09:37:00.000-04:00

Queen of Coins: When doubts creep in sometimes they bring important lessons and new ideas along behind them.

www.ModernOracleTarot.com

Card Care

2011-10-18T13:08:00.000-04:00

Tarot cards aren't magical or special. They are just pieces of cardboard with pretty pictures on them.
The magic happens within the human mind, heart and spirit. The special part lies in our interaction with our environment: how we feel, how we perceive, how we react.

Tarot cards are a tool to help us access the intuition that we all have. It is a strategy for accessing non-linear logic, and symbolic thinking. That's all.

So there is no real reason to be superstitious about the cards, or afraid of them. Some people are un-nerved by the TV and movie generated occult mythos surrounding tarot cards. Sometimes they aren't comfortable because of their religious indoctrination. I respect that. People who avoid tarot readings because of religious beliefs are only doing what they think is right.

The key is that there is a difference between superstition and symbolism.

How you interact with Tarot cards symbolizes your attitudes toward your intuition, and your attitude toward the person for whom you are doing the Tarot reading...even if that person is yourself.
Blind faith in rituals, cards or something outside yourself without recognizing your part in the process is nothing more than primitive superstition. NOT all ritual or belief is superstitious. Just the mindless kind. Ritual is a tool, a symbol and a help, just like the cards themselves.

So on one hand, there is no real, concrete reason to treat the cards in any special way. There are some practical concerns. Not bending them is one. I'm not talking about the natural curve that comes from shuffling. I mean sharp creases that get in the way of shuffling. It isn't fair to the sitter (person getting the reading) if the shuffle is interrupted. It only seems fair to give the process every best chance to be truly random, and to be responsive to the needs of the sitter. The second thing is just plain keeping them clean. Not because of some voodoo hex that will get you if you don't - because smudges and dirt are distracting, can also disrupt the way the cards slide when shuffling. Messy cards interfere with the intuitive process for those reasons.

On the other hand, intuition is a symbolic, subtle energy, even spiritual process. Looking at it from this perspective, how you interact with your cards is important...not in a literal way, but from what that interaction symbolizes. If you choose to work with tarot cards, how you handle the cards becomes a symbol for how you feel about the intuitive process and how you feel about your intuition. If you do readings for others, how you respect the "process" of working with your own intuition is also a reflection of how you feel about them, about their life, and the sensitive issuesthey bring to you for help.

This reminds me a little of those fruit drink commercials on TV. Instead of "the pouch", respect the process...respect it!

Let's go back to that analogy of Tarot cards as a tool for accessing your intuitive knowing. Tools need a little maintenance every now and then. A little cleaning, a little oil, nothing obsessive (dare I say ritualistic?) but important just the same to prevent rust and keep the tools working well.

Tarot cards don't need that kind of work, obviously. All it takes to keep them clean and un-bent is a box. The box you bought them in is just fine. If they do become damaged, there is no hard and fast rules about how to discard them. My inclination is to recycyle them - giving them second life and usefulness is more respectful than sending them to the landfill by all means. After investing so much time and energy in a deck, it is hard to retire them, a little like giving up your woobie as a kid. If a ritual helps, they by all means use something. But there is no real imperitive to burn them like the flag, or bury them under a full moon or anything either. It is up to you and your, you know, intuition to decide what is best for you.

Here is where the Venn diagram of subtle energy and superstition get close enough to overlap a little. ANY object that comes in contact with a lot of people can imprint a little bit of energy...positive and negative. After a while, the object can become out of balance and take on more of one charge than the other. Very positive-charge objects "feel" good, "feel" magical and helpful. By the same token, negative accumulations can "feel" sluggish, off-putting, even toxic.

There are ways to keep cards as energy-clean, just like the storage box keeps them physically clean.
Which method you use is, of course, up to you. Being Reiki attuned, I'll just give Reiki to the deck after a series of readings or if a reading was particularly difficult or negative-feeling. Another way is to give a very light mist of a few drops of lemon oil and a pinch of salt dissolved in a perfume atomizer of water. Shaking it first mixes the oil and energizes this purifying mist.

Some people will leave the deck under the light of a full moon since the moon is strongly associated with intuition. Though less common, I suspect sunlight would work well too...it is touted as the best antiseptic. Blowing gently on the deck with the intent of clearing it can help. Smuding your deck and work area might be the right thing for you. It is ok to experiment, as long as you hold a clear intention in mind i.e. clearing negative energy and holding a space of compassion and truth.

However you do it: scents, salt, smudging, scheduled ritual or just going with the flow of you instinct...a little card care is a good thing. As you care for your cards, you symbolically care for own spirit .

Wishing you a day of positive energy.

www.ModernOracleTarot.com

www.RondaSnow.com

Today's Tarot - 6 of Wands

2011-10-17T10:36:00.000-04:00

6 of Wands: Persistence, hard work, and striving are essential but they must be balanced with thoughtfulness, planning and being at peace with things as they are.

www.modern-oracle-tarot.com
www.rondasnow.com

Today's Tarot - The Tower

2011-10-14T12:53:00.000-04:00

The Tower: Chaos and change force us to look at things differently. They are the seeds of a new vision.
This card was an attention-getter, even for me. It is a nice example of what I mean when I say synchronicity is the language of spirit / intuition.

This morning, I had the TV on in the background, as always, tuned to one news station or another. While I was checking e-mail, Twitter started lighting up with reports of small scuffles with police, people being checked for work ID just to be allowed to walk down Wall Street, some arrests. Maybe I'm wrong...but these are twitter news sources that have always proven themselves to be accurate in the past. TV news was a different as it could get. Network and cable both talking about trivial things. Intuitively speaking, it had a surreal, chaotic, Tahrir square, who-do-you-trust feel to it all.

I kind of squinted at the TV, thought something profound like "huh?" grabbed another cup of coffee and shuffled back over to the computer.

Just then I shuffled the cards to write "Today's Tarot", cut the deck right to "The Tower". On impulse, I thought I'd use a different reference than usual. Grabbed it off the shelf and flipped it open...right exactly to "The Tower" page. I think it's a hint. This is definitely today's tarot card.

Sometimes we misjudge things. Sometimes new sources turn out to be better than the old...and we have to re-think. And there is nothing like chaos, contrast and change to prompt that re-thinking and re-choosing.

Like the old knight in "Indian Jones and the Last Crusade"... I hope we all choose wisely.

www.modern-oracle-tarot.com

www.rondasnow.com

Today's Tarot - 5 of Wands

2011-10-13T12:49:00.000-04:00

5 of Wands: "confusion".

Let curiosity clear the clutter. In the face of confusion, try asking more and different questions. Good questions can uncover good answers.

www.ModernOracleTarot.com
www.RondaSnow.com

Today's Tarot - 3 of Coins

2011-10-12T11:08:00.001-04:00

Making something substantial or being of some service to others can lead you to a great treasure: satisfaction.

www.modern-oracle-tarot.com

www.rondasnow.com

Today's Tarot - Knight of Wands

2011-10-11T08:29:00.005-04:00

Knight of Wands: confidence.

Confidence in others relieves much fear. Confidence in self relieves even more.

www.modern-oracle-tarot.com

How do you know a psychic is real, trustworthy or ethical?

2011-10-10T15:58:00.001-04:00

Tarot, psychic, occult and paranormal themes are popular this time of year. So every fall I like to drag this one out for re-ranting. Hope it helps!

Recently a client asked: "There are a lot of crooks out there. How can you tell if a psychic is for real or not"
In other words, they wanted to know how to tell if a psychic wants to help people or just make a quick buck.

Good question. One everybody should ask before they pick up a phone or get online or drive to a "psychic" reading.

We are all in this business for one reason or another. And yes, we do ask either a set price or suggested donation for our work (after all, we need to eat too, but we'll explore this part more in another post). Just the same, here are some simple hints that say to me that a "psychic" is someone who is sincere about what they are doing.

SIGNS OF AN HONEST PSYCHIC

HONESTY: An ethical psychic will tell you up front if they can or can not answer a particular type of question. I don't work with medical questions. An ethical psychic will tell you what intuitive work can and can not do. No one person has all the answers for everything. No one is "100% accurate". The future is not fixed - it depends totally on you, your decisions, your actions, what you choose not to do - any dozens of things that make "accurately" predicting the future impossible.
So phrases like "100% accurate" or "guaranteed results" always make me suspicious. If it sounds to good to be true...it is. To guarantee results is to rob you of your freedom and free will. Sometimes we need to learn from our mistakes. Options are more helpful than specifics. An ethical psychic will give you a realistic idea of what to expect from a reading.
CLARITY: Does the psychic make the information understandable to you? Is the reading helpful? Can you USE it to make better decisions or make better sense out of your concerns? Psychic readings aren't any good to anybody if they make no sense. It is one thing to present options, not predictions. It is one thing to talk about probabilities instead of absolutes. It is another thing entirely to be deliberately contradictory and confusing. If a reader is honest about predictions and accuracy, then they don't have to hedge their bets or hide behind vague, obscure language.
WILLINGNESS TO ANSWER QUESTIONS: Sometimes it is hard to put the nonverbal images and impressions we receive into words. That is where the real skill of a psychic lies. We all have intuition and 'psychic' ability. The real gift is in being able to communicate the information in an understandable, helpful way. If you are in a reading, and you don't understand what is being said, ask. If you are working with an e-mail reading...send a follow up question. Most of us working with e-mail allow a follow-up question without further charge, or at least have some policy about follow-ups. Someone who really wants to help will be willing to make the reading understandable to you. Don't take what a psychic says at face value just because it sounds fancy, esoteric or educated. Ask them to clarify. If they won't or become angry or offended, you may want to re-think if this is the best psychic for you.
OPENNESS ABOUT PRICES AND POLICIES: The reality is, whether the psychic approaches the readings as counseling, spiritual guidance, entertainment or whatever - it is still an agreement between two people. Regulations vary from state to state how advertising can be worded etc, but however things are set up on that business level, there should be basic transparency and fairness. Prices should be up-front, as are other standard business-like concerns such as forms of payment, refund policies, hours, etc. Working with a psychic is just like working with any other professional. You know the costs and have no qualms about paying for piano lessons. Why not life lessons? You wouldn't think twice about donating to a minister that offers spiritual guidance...why not donate in kind for other spiritual guidance? You pay for face painters, magicians, plays, music concerts, and other entertainment, so the same principle applies to psychic entertainment. Dealing with a psychic or tarot reader should be no different than dealing with other professionals.
PROFESSIONALISM AND COURTESY: In my opinion, Psychic and Tarot work is all about helping people. More often than not, if someone seeks out a psychic reading it is because they have some problem, or concern. They are upset and vulnerable in many cases. An ethical psychic will not take advantage of a situation like that. A reading should never be frightening. If you feel intimidated, or belittled in any way, that should be a warning sign to you.
RESPECT FOR YOUR DECISIONS AND BELIEFS: You should be the one to decide when, if ever, you go back for a reading. Being asked to get "regular" readings is another is another suspicious practice in my book. Getting too many readings in too short of a time can be confusing and ultimately do more harm than good. Intuitive readings shouldn't ask that you believe certain things. Skepticism will not scare away or block "spirits" and lack of 'believing" won't keep you from getting a good reading. You should feel as if you are being treated with dignity and respect...not excluded from 'the spirit world' if you don't believe certain things.

UNETHICAL OR MIS-MATCHED?:

If you don't feel comfortale with a psychic doesn't mean the psychic is unethical, or in-genuine, or only in it for the money: Just like doctors and ministers, we all have our own specialties, our own styles, and our own belief systems.
For example, some people love to go to dramatic, flamboyant psychics - it makes the reading more interesting and fun. Some people need the extra drama to 'believe' and let themselves be helped by the reading experience. Other people like a more practical style. My goal is to be the "no drama", calm, reassuring type of psychic.
Different kinds of problems need different kinds of psychics. Some psychics work very well with medical concerns ( like the Carolyn Myss and Edgar Cayce, for example). The same is true with bereavement, or issues of life after death. Some are mediums and connect with crossed loved ones very easily, while it happens less often for others psychics.
Here is another example: I believe it is impossible to predict the future - so someone who only wants a prediction and doesn't want to hear anything about advice or spiritual guidance does not do well with my style of readings. They might do better with other, more predictive readers. By the same token, I would not do well with a reading from some one who work strongly with christian symbolism. Yet I have had many wonderful readings from psychics with a more metaphysical / eastern philosophy background. Even if they are totally honest and well-meaning, not every psychic is a good match for everyone. As long as you both have some clear idea of right and wrong, you will find the right psychic match for you.
Here are some things about psychic readings that make me uncomfortable, and make me wonder about the intentions of the psychic. But of course, you and the psychic themselves are the ultimate judge of that ...

claims of 100% accuracy
promises of a specific outcome: like "finding romance" or what have you
anger or agitation at questions
doesn't let you take notes or make recordings of the reading for later reference
unclear pricing ... free times, holding you online in a per-minute reading etc
demanding regular or "faithful" return visits or frequent readings
demanding that you believe certain things or the reading won't "work"

IN THE END, YOU SHOULD ALWAYS FEEL BETTER AFTER A READING THAN YOU DID BEFORE THE READING STARTED.

YOU SHOULD NEVER FEEL FRIGHTENED OR INTIMIDATED BY A READING.

Most of all, the best way to know if a particular psychic is a good match for you or not is to use your own intuition and street-smarts. If you feel like something is wrong, it is.

HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT PSYCHICS, TAROT, OR SPIRITUALITY?
E-mail it to me at faq@modern-oracle-tarot.com. You get a reply plus your question might be featured in an upcoming blog!

www.modern-oracle-tarot.com

FAQ - Why be a psychic?

2011-10-07T11:00:00.000-04:00

Last Tuesday, I did an intuition building workshop at the Whitehall Library. It was a great group, and loads of fun.

Most people just want to know how long I've been reading cards. It is a good question. They should ask things like that. People should be confident that a reader or intuitive teacher is right for them. If experience is what they need, then length of practice is a question they properly should ask.
Another common question is why I started doing Tarot / intuitive work in the first place. Also a fair question, it speaks to issue of motivation and builds trust. It is a good thing to think about and a great question to ask.

The answer? Well, that takes a little explaining.

To my mind, it begs the question of why does anyone choose any career? I'm firmly in the camp of anyone-can-do-this. "Psychic" ability isn't a special gift, it is a learned skill. Linear logic is a normal, natural function of the left part of the brain. Anyone can learn to do arithmetic. Creativity and non-linear logic is a normal, natural function of the right brain. Anyone can learn to listen to their intuition. From that perspective, the process of choosing to be a tarot entertainer is no different than choosing to be an accountant.

So why not be a nice, respectable accountant instead of an unpaid writer or fringe-element tarot reader? Because I hate detailed math, and have no talent at it. I might not like it but I could learn to do it. Able and enjoyable are two different things. I have the ABILITY be an accountant...but I also have the ability to shove flaming bamboo shards under my fingernails which would be just about as enjoyable to my mind.

AH-HA! That's why anybody chooses any career...because they like doing it. We tend to like things that come easily to us. We choose careers that have some sort of give-back, some sort of gain, otherwise, why do it? The work we do has some benefit, even if it is just a paycheck. Do you something you love and you take home more than just money. You take home happiness too.

The same is true of "psychics". We like working with people, talking to people, helping people. We just have a knack for taking that non-verbal, non-linear right-brain symbolic, creative, associative thinking called intuition and putting it into simplified, linear, logical language. The "psychic gift" comes from putting hunches and feelings into words that other people relate to on some level.

Not every enjoys that, just like not everyone has a knack for accounting. Or fixing cars. Or running a business. Or teaching children...or any of the other thousands of jobs we all do.

I enjoy it. It helped me in the past, and I hope intuitive work like tarot readings can help other people too. Sure, it is just "entertainment", nothing earth-shaking...but I see it as "entertainment with a heart". I think of it as a folk art form. Just like a song can lift your spirits and make you feel better, a reading can do the same thing. At the very least it is a temporary diversion from stressful times. At best, it helps you solve a problem creatively, and find a way forward that you might not have seen before. That in itself can ease stress. From that perspective, choosing to do tarot readings is a choice to help and heal...not unlike the impetus to go into the health field or work with holistic health education.

So there's the answer to that (somewhat) frequently asked question.

Wishing you a day of doing things that you love to do.

www.rondasnow.com

www.modernoracletarot.com

2 of swords: In Memoriam

2011-10-06T17:34:00.000-04:00

Humans are social creatures. We enjoy feeling like we are part of a group, that we have a connection to something larger than ourselves. That sentiment has been applied to everything from "star children" to religions to a favorite bar. We like it when other people know our name.
The 2 of swords has many meanings, but one of my favorites is "mystical unity" (Morgan, 2003). Most often the sense of this card is individual and internal. In a reading, it often speaks of our individual connection to the cosmic or to the divine. Today the sense of the card is different. It is about the connection amoung groups. There is the connections of one human to many others, the connection to that something larger. The connotation of this connection is one of universality. The sense if it is of something larger than all of us...something we all can get behind no matter what other ideology may separate us. It is like people of all creeds and walks of life being able to appreciate a good bowl of soup on a cold day: It is basic and transcendent all at the same time.
On of my favorite expressions this idea is when a meeting of like minds is not organized in any way, but rather is a spontaneous experience. That feeling of being a part of something greater is more powerful when it springs from a time of unspoken assent and wordless unison. It is a little like the way everyone cheered at the explosion of the Death Star at the theaters when the remastered Star Wars was released. No one told us to cheer. It was a shared cultural experience with a room full of random strangers who just happen to love the same movie.
I had another experience like that while camping with some college friends. None of us are particularly morning people, but we had to get up early to make it home in time to get to work the next day. The only sound outside of the tiny chime of a digital watch alarm was the morning birds. We all got up, and without a word just did what needed done. The camp was down and we were standing by our cars in half an hour. Even though we were friends, this was the first time and only the second day camping together for this group. It was a stuporous, coffee-less mind-meld of epic proportions considering the personalities involved.
It felt the same way last night when the first tweet came.
I'm a science geek. I like technology. I like twitter, smart phones, blogs, quantum theory, Carl Sagan and CERN. That is my "other". That is my like-minded peer group as much as tarot, psychics, intuition and spirituality. Maybe more so.
When the news broke last night of Steve Job's passing, you could feel a global moment of respect and silence. The universe gave way, we could sense the dent.
Everyone who was a tiny bit tech minded, especially those of us who remember the days of a blank screen and a blinking C prompt, touched a sort of cosmic ethernet of respect and condolence. In our hearts and our minds - some literally - we raised lighted iphones and ipads and ipods in silent, unified tribute.
In sympathy, and with condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of Steve Jobs.

Morgan, Diane. Magical Tarot, Mystical Tao St. Martin's Griffen Publishers, 2003.

Today's Tarot - High Priestess

2011-10-05T12:44:00.000-04:00

The mysterious is just an unexplored corner of the infinite.

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Today's Tarot - 6 of Coins

2011-10-04T09:49:00.000-04:00

6 of Coins: A generous and forgiving nature is a gift to all

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2011-10-03T11:19:00.002-04:00

The Emperor: True vision, healing, and leadership comes from within. What kind of person rules your inner Empire?

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Today's Tarot - Queen of Swords

2011-09-30T14:02:00.000-04:00

There are many different "meanings"...shades of connotation. So even though the Queen of Swords turned up fairly recently, there are still plenty of ideas to explore with this card.

When reading tarot, or learning to expand your intuition, it is helpful to have several books and resources. Many books about tarot give long lists of keywords that are more confusing than helpful. The trick to it, so I've found, is to find one main resource that resonates with your own understanding of the card...what your gut instinct tells you is the "right" meaning for the card, but have one or two others on standby. Sometimes, you will instinctually know that this primary meaning just isn't quite the right choice of words. Then you can go browsing...look up other meanings, use other reference sources, or just draw from your own insight until you find just the right-feeling meaning.

Sometimes, coincidence will point the way.

Today's card, the Queen of Swords, just came up recently...then, the idea from my favorite reference seemed to fit like a charm. Today, not so much...so I pulled out my other favorite reference and TA-DA there is just the right idea: sharpness of spiritual vision.

No only did that feel right, there was the added validation of coincidence. Just today I read a newsletter article by my teacher, Joy. It's hard to sum up her insight in a sentence, but the closest I can get is this: To have the best psychic insight you can have, be the best person you can be.

Psychic, intuitive, spiritual ability is a normal, natural part of the human experience. To have the spiritual vision, be the best you that you can be.

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Today's Tarot - The Innocent (aka the fool) major arcana card

2011-09-29T08:17:00.000-04:00

The first major arcana card is sometimes called "The Fool". That name has taken on new connotations over time, and can be misleading now. I think the name "innocent" is a much better representation of the card's feel and meaning. "The Innocent" card reminds us to look at life with freshness, to drop expectations and preconceived notions.

Every choice is a fresh start and every day is a new beginning

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Today's Tarot - King of Coins

2011-09-28T10:33:00.000-04:00

King of Coins symbolizes trust. Trust can not exist without honesty.

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Today's Tarot - The Lovers

2011-09-27T09:40:00.002-04:00

People are complex, and can not be defined by any one thing. True love loves the whole person, as-is.

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Today's Tarot - 5 of Coins

2011-09-23T08:37:00.000-04:00

5 of Coins: Compassion is the ultimate standard by which to measure any decision.

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Life, Lemons, and the 10 of Swords

2011-09-22T10:48:00.000-04:00

10 of Swords: The ashes of our tradgies is the birplace of our phoenix. Rise.

The 10 of swords isn't an omen of doom.The 10 of swords is an important card ... maybe one of the most important of the minor arcana. It touches a universal theme that has been ensconced in proverbs, adages, posters and mugs throughout the ages:

"Into every life a little rain must fall"

"Plan for the worst and hope for the best"

"Life is just one darn thing after another"

"Sh** Happens"

"Fall seven times, get up eight"

When (when, not if, you'll notice) life hands you lemons....

The 10 of swords isn't some movie occult evil prediction of tragedy...it is a reminder that no life is perfect, tragedy and defeat does happen, and asks us to think about what we well do when it does happen.

"There is no such thing as a problem without a gift for you in its hands" ~ Richard Bach

Another point of the triumph-from-tragedy, phoenix-from-ashes aspect of this card is the number 10 itself. It is the highest number of any card suite. It represents fullness, even excess. It is the tipping point where one thing begins to become its opposite. The 10 of swords is the tipping point, where tragedy can become triumph. It is the oven where we can turn those lemons into meringue pie.

Wishing you a lemonade kind of day

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Today's Tarot - Ace of Coins

2011-09-21T09:25:00.000-04:00

Finding contentment is success. Meeting your own expectations is success, even if that is a very different measure from what others expect of you. Allow yourself, and you succeed.

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The Sun #4

2011-09-20T14:20:00.002-04:00

The sun always rises, day always returns Humans are resilient. Learn, adapt, and calm stability will return as well.

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Today's Tarot - 7 of Swords

2011-09-19T10:41:00.000-04:00

Being lost, feeling lost is sometimes the perfect opportunity for accidental discovery.
When you are looking carefully, to find your way back, your sharpened perception might see something you would have overlooked under normal circumstances. Sometimes being lost breaks habits and lets new, needed information in.

That applies to thought and personal growth as much as to being literally lost. I'm not talking about dangerous-lost in the wilderness or a high-crime neighborhood. I'm talking about an accidental turn that shows you a shortcut for the morning commute, or lets you drive past a little hole-in-the-wall that becomes your new favorite restaurant.

If we feel lost in our lives, it shows us that something needs to change. The little jolt that comes when we realize we are lost, wakes us up enough to show things we were sleeping through. It can show where we are on auto-pilot. Getting lost and un-lost shows us new thought and behavior patterns that work better.
Sometimes getting lost is good, because getting yourself un-lost can be a real learning experience.

www.ModernOracleTarot.com

Today's Tarot - Judgement

2011-09-16T08:54:00.000-04:00

The Judgement card has many meanings associated with it. The Tarot deck evolved in Medieval Europe, so this card has many images and ideas drawn from the Christian notion of "Judgement Day". I'm not at all comfortable with any of those, which to my mind ring of bigotry and judgementalism rather than wisdom, reason or good judgement. I much prefer the more modern, universal, egalitarian conceptualization of it as "consequences and renewal".

Today, the consequences part is what jumps to the forefront. Not in a punitive way, but more in a cause-and-effect way. The things we do and say have consequences...to others and to the way our future unfolds.

There is a feeling of "advice" around the card today. The advice is to see things as they are before rushing to judgment. Nothing clouds reason and intuition, both, quite like heavy expectations.

It is a little less stressful that way too. It lifts two burdens from you, at least for a moment, when you look at things with that clear, Zen, as-they-are frame of mind. You spare yourself from making a decision, a judgement just at that moment. Plus you spare yourself from the weight of expectation. Taking a moment to see things as-they-are and here-and-now frees you from both the expectations formed by the past and worries about the future. Even if that frame of mind only lasts a moment, at least it is a peaceful moment.

Wishing you a day filled with peaceful moments.

www.rondasnow.com

Today's Tarot - 9 of Swords

2011-09-15T12:06:00.000-04:00

9 of swords: "useless regrets"...Thoughts matter. They can even neutralize and release old negative thinking when we catch ourselves at it.

If you find yourself dwelling on old past mistakes, dwelling on old hurts, re-thinking things you could have done better, fearing what might happen...then just firmly think "end" or "cancel" and imagine the no-good-whateveritis just evaporating to a nothing mist that can not harm you or anyone else. Set in its place a golden image of something better.

It sounds a little like some sort of shallow 'just say no to negative thinking' campaign. Taken alone, the first step is. Placing the prefered image in the place of the undesired image is an important part in my opinion. Both parts together speak to very old traditions and ideas such as "like attracts like", "the law of attraction", creative visualization, manifestation and so on.

Wishing you a day of thoughts that end well...no matter how they start out.
Inspired by @Joy_Star on Twitter.com.

www.modern-oracle-tarot.com

Today's Tarot - Strength

2011-09-14T10:02:00.000-04:00

Every path has had its crossroads. Compassion and wisdom isn't the easy choice, but it's the right one. Fear and anger only leads to more fear and anger.

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Today's Tarot - 6 of Cups

2011-09-13T10:04:00.000-04:00

Innocence denotes simplicity. Sometimes things are just as they are, to be experienced purely, simply, innocently. It is a gift to have a time like that in our lives, even for a day, or a few hours, or a few minutes. Time in a mindset like that can nourish our souls more than constant striving to learn grand spiritual lessons. There is a time to learn, but also we need time to just BE.

www.modern-oracle-tarot.com

2011-09-09T13:27:00.000-04:00

When I was drawing today's card, the news was playing in the background, naturally saturated in 9-11 remembrance.

I have mixed emotion about the whole topic of 9-11. On one hand, I feel for those specific bereaved families, and would not want to inflict any further upset onto them. I believe the love they shared with the family and friends they lost transcends time. Any act of remembrance is an act of love, from one person to another.

It is appropriate that we all show support for them.

On the other hand, as a total population, the vast majority of us did not lose someone close to us that day. As a percentage of the population, the injuries and casualties of Iraq and Afghanistan has caused more total impact then the events of 9-11. With all due respect, sympathy and compassion to individual tragedy, as a nation, as a whole, we are at a crossroads. We need to get over ourselves. For those of us not directly involved, there is a point where we turn their personal tragedy into a national wallowing in hyper-emotionality and self-pity. That, to my mind, is an insult to their losses and an insult to the memory of those lost. It is time for us, as a whole, to take a new direction or risk stagnation and darkness. It is time for us to honor those people and those events through courage instead of fear, peace instead of war, compassion instead of intolerance.

For some unknown reason, the last post about the Sun card has been popular. Given the historic context of this weekend, I'm not surprised that the Sun came up again today (all pun intended).

The sun is a symbol of LIFE, of LIGHT, of stability...
When 9-11 happened we could have chosen to react differently. Instead we collectively chose to be afraid, to be angry, to go to war, to villify those who protested the wars as 'unpatriotic', to spy on ourselves, to torture. We chose a world of pat downs and misnomered 'patriot' acts. Some even chose to use innocent military funerals as a means of expressing hate. Sure many, many individuals have acted with courage, vision,even selflessness...like the military, first-responders, NYFD, NYPD....heck, New Yorkers in general. But the national sway, in hindsight, was the opposite.

George Lucas was absolutely right when he wrote that fear and anger leads to the dark side.
Now, at the tenth anniversary, we arrive at a new crossroads. Yes, we should remember those lost...but maybe a kind thought for those lost to hatred world-wide might be order too. In my opinion, the best way to honor those lost is to live with compassion and courage.
Not live stupidly...reasonable safegaurds are, well, reasonable. Not live with war, fear and bigotry. Live with a compassion and courage that would make lost loved ones proud and make war-mongers quake. Down that path we might find the stability so craved since that day ten years ago.

Deep in the human brain, there is a cell cluster of special cells called the amygdala. If I'm understanding correctly, it has to do with dealing with emotions, conditioned fear responses...the pavlov's dogs kind of thing.

Perhaps it is time to reach deep within ourselves and reawaken our national amygdala, to learn to get over our fears, get over ourselves, to stop wallowing in self-pity over what happened. It is a time to choose a path of light instead of a path of darkness. It is time to shake of the dust of "ground zero", put aside fear and anger. If we remember and commemorate by way of compassion and courage, then the sun rises again over the world trade center.

Today's Tarot - 9 of Cups

2011-09-07T11:58:00.000-04:00

It is often said that "still waters run deep". Insight and intuition rely on stillness and deep understanding.

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Today's Tarot - King of Swords

2011-09-06T12:59:00.002-04:00

Self discipline is a little like ripping off an old adhesive bandage...it can hurt, but in the end it is better. It is hard work to step outside of your spiritual comfort zone, to grow, to change. Sometimes it is even painful. In the end, you and those around you will benefit.

www.modern-oracle-tarot.com

Today's Tarot - The Hanged Man

2011-09-02T12:40:00.003-04:00

Maybe "stagnation" is really a pause for reflection. To unlock the way forward, learn from the path that brought you here.

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Today's Tarot - The Tower

2011-09-01T09:09:00.000-04:00

When it comes to change, flexibility serves you better than fear. There is just as much chance the change will be for the better as anything else.

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Today's Tarot - The Tower

2011-08-31T09:08:00.001-04:00

Chaos, natural or man-made, teaches adaptability and inventiveness.

"Every problem has a gift for you in its hands" - Richard Bach

"Crisis is opportunity riding the dangerous wind" - Chinese Proverb

Quote source: www.thinkexist.com

Today's Tarot - Queen of Wands

2011-08-30T12:17:00.001-04:00

This is the mystical power found in our connection with the universe: Whether we choose to draw in, push outward or neither, something will come of it - either a life-lesson or a wish fullfilled.

Good Giants

2011-08-29T10:46:00.000-04:00

We stand on the shoulders of giants. The million little how-tos we've learned that make up the fabric of daily life all had to come from somewhere, from how to make your bed to the grandest bit of philosophy.

Sometimes we are the giant. We build on what we've learned before. Sometimes we re-discover things that worked, but we've let slide.

It is up to us to choose good giants. We each choose the advice we take, and the ideas we reject. Mentors and examples are there for us. In this age of tv, book, internet and more...ideas and advice are easier to find than ever.

Paradoxically, the need to find good giants is greater than ever. It is easy to find advice, mentors and teachers. More guidance is available than ever before...but that isn't to say it is of any good quality. Guidance is easy to find. Choosing what what advice to take...and not...is a vital skill for everyone. Choose wisely and find a good giant...and you will reach higher than you dreamed possible.

3 of Wands

2011-08-26T13:28:00.001-04:00

Foresight is where logic, experience, and intuition all meet.

http://modern-oracle-tarot.com/x-tras-and-how-tos/advice-about-psychic-predictions/

The Truth About Psychic Predictions

2011-08-24T14:04:00.001-04:00

The Truth About Psychic Predictions:

Today's Tarot - High Priestess

2011-08-23T13:26:00.000-04:00

High Priestess: Predicting the future might spoil a good surprise. Respect the process for a good result.

Today's Tarot - 7 of Coins

2011-08-22T09:54:00.000-04:00

It's getting to be that time of year.

Sure we are still thinking of warm weather, sun, fun, and Labor Day barbeque. At the same time farmers markets are overflowing with good things. The seeds that were planted in spring and allowed to grow over summer are coming to fruition...literally and figuratively. There is still some summer left, but harvest has begun.

The 7 of coins is often read as "reaping harvest". Many times this read in terms of "you reap what you sow"...cause and effect, chickens coming home to roost, that sort of connotation.

As with all the cards, there are other shades of meaning here too.

Today there is a feeling of "of course" or "naturally" there is a harvest. It is the way of Nature, the way things work. The world provides for us, naturally, effortlessly. So what is our role in the harvest?

First is to care for it. To preserve the good things that come. To take care of the environment that provides the harvest so generously. Second, perhaps as important, is to be grateful. It is no accident that the Thanksgiving holiday comes at the end of the harvest.

Being grateful for a beautiful day in the 'Burgh and wishing you a day of abundance & appreciation too.

Today's Tarot - 2 of wands

2011-08-19T16:58:00.000-04:00

Watching and waiting IS doing something. Observation allows events to unfold naturally.

"Being still is different from doing nothing"

... Mr Han (portrayed by Jackie Chan) in 2010's "The Karate Kid"

Today's Tarot - The Hermit

2011-08-18T12:05:00.000-04:00

The Hermit: The better you are at what you do, the less you have to tell people how great you are. Competence quiets. Owls are superior hunters, but they fly silent. Their silence is the source of that night-hunting excellence. There is interesting symbolism in that. Listening, observing, and quiet competence are powerful tools.

Today's Tarot - Page of Wands

2011-08-17T13:46:00.000-04:00

Page of Wands: Life is a get-out-of-it-what-you-put-in-it situation

Announcements 15 August 2011

2011-08-15T14:24:00.003-04:00

Normal hours resume today:

email readings 24/7 no appointment needed

Phone, party, private readings by appointment

"By chance" phone readings Monday - Friday 10am to 2pm

Please visit www.ModernOracleTarot.com for prices and full details

Today's Tarot - Knight of Swords

2011-08-15T13:52:00.003-04:00

Knight of Swords - Courage is useful. How can you know your limits if you don't give them a little push every now and then?

"You must do the thing you think you can not do" ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

Today's Tarot - 2 of coins

2011-08-02T09:23:00.001-04:00

2 of coins: Balance.

Balance is the simple answer to a lot of problems, but one of the hardest things to actually do.

Today's Tarot - 4 of Coins

2011-08-01T09:10:00.000-04:00

4 of coins - simple pleasures are life's secret treasures.

Happy Lammas to those who celebrate it. There is an energy of prosperity, harvest, hearth and handcrafting about today.

Just a quick reminder...I'll be on "blogcation" next week and there might be some delays in scheduling and e-mail readings. Thanks for being patient, and I'll be in touch ASAP on the 15th.

Thanks

Ronda

Ni hao! Xie Xie!

2011-07-28T12:52:00.003-04:00

Ni Hao!

The blog stats are showing 3 views from China.

I'm honored by all views...thank you all for reading.

The China views are fun because I love Taoist philosophy, wushu, taijiquan, lucha and dim sum. I have a black belt in bai long influenced kung fu, and my husband is a student of Nick Gracenin. He has studied in Beijing traveling with Master Gracenin.

Ni Hao Zhnongguo! Xie xie!

Learning the Language of Spirit

2011-07-28T12:47:00.002-04:00

Some say the best way to learn a new language is immersion. One of the best ways to learn the language of spirit is immersion in the living of life. Paying attention to the here and now can help.

Today's Tarot - King of Cups

2011-07-27T10:18:00.002-04:00

King of Cups: Listen to life and it will guide you.

Every student is a master, and every master is a student. Inspiration can pop up anywhere, any time and come from anyone. It can even exist in little pieces of cardboard (like Tarot). Carl Jung called these meaningful coincidences "synchronicity". Synchronicity is the language of spirit, inspiration and guidance.

Wishing you a day of happy synchronicity.

NEW on www.modern-oracle-tarot.com and Modern Oracle Blog for KINDLE...

"Old West ESP: How psychic readings really work"

Today's Tarot - 7 of Swords

2011-07-26T10:13:00.002-04:00

Experienced navigators still look at a compass, maps, satellites - they get the information they need to do their job well. The same principle applies to people and intuition...even the most spiritually advanced still can benefit from guidance and validation. That is one of the best uses of oracles like Tarot.

Today's Tarot - Temperance

2011-07-25T07:53:00.000-04:00

Temperance is the "everything in moderation" major arcana card. It has developed a little negativity around it from the old "temperance movement" of the early 20th century. It isn't about pretentious austerity, or militant piety, or painful self-denial.

Today, the part of the card that steps forward is akin to one of my favorite lines from the new version of "The Karate Kid"...."being still isn't the same as doing nothing." More on that in a minute.

Temperance is about balance. In the west, we often connect old-fashioned balance-type weight scales. In the east it might be the yin-yang symbol. For now, let's focus on the balance scales, like we saw last week on the Justice card.

On scales like that, if you have something big, like banning alcohol, it takes something equally huge to balance it...like the crime and crime enforcement the Temperance Movement of the 1920s ultimately fostered.

If you have something light on the scales, it takes less to bring things into balance. That is where we start getting back to the idea of "being still isn't the same as doing nothing."

Instead of piling on weight after weight to balance a loaded scale, as we see in the historical example of Prohibition, another solution is to take stuff off the loaded side.

Summer has a bit of a reputation for frenetic relaxation. We want to do stuff, fast. We want to have fun NOW while the weather is good and we have time off from work. We have a tendency to equate "doing nothing" to wasted time. Being still isn't wasted time.

Sometimes the answer to heat and activity is stillness. For effort to be productive, it has to be balanced with passivity. For our frenetic schedules to work, we need to be still every now and again, and be still with gusto - remember it isn't like we are doing nothing.

Being still is tough. Letting things go, being aware of the here and now..."mindfulness" is a good way to put it. Bring your mind to the task of being quiet, being relaxed, being here, thinking about only now.

Stillness is relaxation dynamite. If you are genuinely still, you aren't doing nothing...you are recharging your batteries in a big way. Five minutes of stillness is a vacation compared to whole day of striving to relax.

Vacation hard. Work, play, enjoy the summer in whatever full-throttle way you enjoy. But don't forget to balance that with a little stillness too. Done right, stillness can be its own kind of extreme.

Wishing you a day of balance, and stillness when you need it.

Today's Tarot - The Magician

2011-07-14T16:36:00.001-04:00

In honor of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2 (one of the best book series ever, for readers of almost any age) opening at midnight and as a nod to the magician's convention in Pittsburgh this weekend....

The Magician...

A magician's real power is in seeing potential, setting intention, and finding the wonderful, even in the most mundane things.

Today's Tarot - 2 of wands

2011-07-13T08:30:00.001-04:00

2 of wands: Times of rest are as important as times of action to get the desired result. Sometimes we must simply allow the seeds we've planted time to grow.

Today's Tarot - Ace of Swords

2011-07-11T11:08:00.002-04:00

Swords are often associated with pirates & knights & all sorts of swash-buckling heros. The Ace of Swords is associated with spiritual awakening. It takes real courage to walk a spiritual path that is genuine, honest and authentic, especially if it is different from friends & family. More so if it is different from the path you have walked before. Be your own swash-buckling hero. Dare to awaken.

Today's Tarot - Ace of Swords

2011-07-11T11:08:00.001-04:00

Daily Meditation - King of Cups

2011-07-08T09:29:00.000-04:00

You can learn as much being a mentor as having one. Share your wisdom as much as your knowledge.

Sizzle

2011-07-07T09:15:00.000-04:00

Like Monty Python used to say...and now for something completely different.

They seem like completely different things, but believe it or not, Psychic Tarot and Holistic Health (Alternative medicine ) are actually quite close to each other. That's why I do both. Holistic health strives for healthy body MIND and SPIRIT. Tarot is one way to help stress, to work toward that healthy mind and spirit part. But today I'm going to put on my Ph.D. hat and talk about a common problem that we all have, no matter how much we are told not to do it. Sunburn.

Was laughing at the news this morning...some study had found some molecule that they think accounts for the pain of sunburn. While it may lead to better pain control down the road, what does that do for you if you overdid it at the pool yesterday? Not a lot.

Why monkey with molecules if there are no-nonsense, inexpensive, safe ways to do the same thing? What good do molecules do if there is no common sense in using them?

Of course, the best thing to do is, as always, prevention. It sounds like that old Henny Youngman joke, I'll grant you. "Doctor, it hurts when I do that...do don't do that" . Hurts to get a sunburn? So don't do that. Take it easy, build a base tan, know your limits, and yes...use sunscreen. Zinc oxide is a mineral that tends to do the trick if you want something gentle and more natural. The downside to natural is that it isn't convenient. You have to re-apply the natural stuff more often.

But everybody makes mistakes, and it is very easy to miscalculate or give in to impulse when it comes to outdoor fun. So what if you get singed despite your best efforts?

For the minor burns, there are loads of nice home remedies. It may take a few tries to find the one you like. One trick is a spray bottle filled with half water and half aloe juice. It is cooling and soothing, especially right after it happens. Another home remedy is the spray bottle with water and vinegar. Of those two, the aloe is my favorite. Vinegar always makes me feel more crispy, like a crunchy-skinned turkey right out of the oven. There are reasons they put that stuff in marenade, right?

After a little aloe at the start, I like to move on to an oil or lotion based remedy. Lavender is a classic...it even combines well with the aloe. If you are prone to sunburn, it might be worth while to have a spray bottle in the refrigerator with half water, half aloe juice and several drops of real lavender essential oil (available at most health food stores...Good Life Market is a favorite source of mine if you live in the South Hills region of Pittsburgh).

One of the best kept aromatherapy secrets I've found for sunburn and skin care is German Chamomile. I tried it for the first time just this summer. The oil is a bit pricey to make a blend yourself, and I've only found it in one commercial after-sun lotion...but that lotion was worth every penny. For a home mix, grab some of your favorite unscented lotion...like a cocoa butter or shea butter lotion, and for every 2 oz of lotion try about 10 drops of Lavender and 6 drops of the beautiful blue German Chamomile.

Of course there are lots of ways to sooth the sizzle other than this combination, but it's my favorite so far...aloe, lavender, German (not Roman, it's a slightly different plant) chamomile. Of course this has the bonus of any aromatherapy home remedy...it smells good!

Have fun, play (like the 7 of cups post) and if there is a little too much sizzle, cool it down and keep it soft and soothed with your favorite sunburn remedy.

Today's Tarot - Queen of Wands

2011-07-06T08:40:00.002-04:00

Nurturing means giving what is really needed, not trying to impose our desired result. It is an act of compassion.