Disaster in the Gulf…
I don’t think there is one person in the aware population of the world that hasn’t at least heard something about the sad state of affairs taking place in the Gulf of Mexico region of the United States today and over the past 58 days. One would have to be blissfully separated from the realities of the everyday world not to know the sad truth of this horrific event. Be that as it may, my weary soul tells me to write about it here, if for no other reason than to join the multitudes of mad and helpless Americans who feel frustrated in the wake of this terrible thing.
XIII. Death ~ Sedna ~ Meaning: transformation, rebirth, renewal, new beginnings.
Just a few weeks ago I received a phone call from my sister-in-law. Her voice was frantic. “Has the oil reached your beaches yet? We are so worried…”. Well, no. Not yet, that is. As absurd as her question sounded at the time, it is becoming more and more of a reality here and everyone I know and meet are scared to death of this big, black oily monster headed to the Florida coastlines and beyond. I watch with tears in my eyes as the horror stories unfold in the media of how the wild life and the ecosystems are being destroyed, one after another after another. the residents of these areas are crying in pain and fear over the loss of their lands and heritages as they are consumed by the crude. My heart sinks at every report and my heart cries out in disgust at the images revealed by every news report, the by-product being unadulterated anger. How can this happen? Why did it happen? But most of all, why are the people responsible for this, and those who are their supporters (and visa versa), not doing something about this? I cannot imagine if this were to happen in another country the outcry our country would be emitting if the shoe was on the other foot. How sickening.
Having recently moved from the coast of Lake Michigan to the coast of the Atlantic ociean, and having grown up on or near natural water ways my whole life, I thought I was “aware” of my surroundings and its delicate nature. Only now, in the wake of this catastrophy, have I begun to realize just how messed up things can be – especially when man gets his fingrs into the works.
The waterways are medicine for our souls. Every human sense is stimulated by it. The smell of the water, suntan lotion or a barbecue; the feel of the ions in the air and the sand between our toes; the sight of the wild life and the colour of the sea, the awe as we watch a surfer catching a wave; the taste of the salty water on our lips when we swim; the sound of the gulls and the crashing waves, the air horn of a passing ship, and the laughter of children being carried upon the winds of the shore; the lifting of our very souls when we are near the water…all these things we take so much for granted will be silenced by the greed of other men, men in power and hungry for more and more money, so much money they don’t even know what to DO with it all. Makes me sick. Makes my heart cry out for justice and resolution to this awful thing that has happened.
XI. Justice ~ Maat ~Meaning: judgement, balance, legalities, making decisions
I know I am not alone. I can feel the presence of a multitude of other souls just like mine carrying the heavy burden of this unspeakable thing that has happened within them. And more closer to home, the looks on the faces of every resident and visitor that we pass at any given day or evening tells the story. No need to be psychic to know how everyone in our area is being effected by this event. Which may have an upside, and this might give me some hope that this oil spill will help to set guidelines and the implementation of safe guards for future generations, and – better yet – spur the development of cleaner energy solutions and get us away from our dependence on oil and its byproducts. Just think of it: this is just one oil well in a mighty plethora of them all around our planet. This is a warning and a reminder that we need to work harder and faster at adopting better and wiser fuel and energy choices. Now. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Now. What more needs to happen to open our eyes?
What really angers me is how we as individuals are trying so hard to make wise choices, and to consider and use alternative energy in our daily lives. We ride bikes,walk or take public transportation instead of taking the car. We recycle and reuse and reinvent uses for things we would normally toss into the trash. We are urged by the media (and the powers that be) to do our best to make lifestyle changes to make a difference, one little person and one little household at a time. And then along comes some mega company (BP) that just throws caution to the wind to save a few extra bucks (while they are the ones who have more money than they know what to do with! *see above*) and the end result -> Catastrophe. Doom. Poison. Suffering. Waste. Loss. Death. And all in huge proportions. Every American I know does what they can and sacrifices when and where they can to make a difference. But to what avail when in one fell swoop a huge corporation screws up so astronomically as to wipe out every little effort we make? How can they do such a thing?! I am deeply appalled…
XXI. The World ~ Gaia ~ Meaning: the state of wholeness, self-awareness, oneness with all living things.
So…where do we go from here? What do we do? I, for one, am not going to let this break my spirit. I am stubborn. And I am not a real fan of big business nor big corporations. My household has decided to not do business with BP any more, which is a bit of a Catch 22. Surely, they need our support to clean up the mess and fix this problem some may argue. But I really have no sympathy for this corporate monster. The oil companies are no different than the pharmaceutical companies or the tobacco companies where their commerce and ways of getting money from people are concerned. They don’t need my help. The world, however, does. So this is where I am starting. With the world, and especially my little world. Our household has already vowed to step up our awareness of the earth, our environment – especially the immediate environment – and make our best effort to clean up our act even more. We will continue to remain ever diligent of our way of life and how we impact our surroundings, both immediate and beyond. We will show respect to the earth, ourselves and especially others by being mindful of what we are doing and what we are leaving behind during and after we are doing it. We will be more aware of where we are putting our money and more educated about the companies we are doing business with, both on a local and more wide spread scale. We will donate to wildlife and environmental friends more often. They so need our support. And, finally, we will be keeping the soul of the earth and all its inhabitants in our thoughts and prayers in an ongoing way, so as to aid in the healing that is so desperately needed at this time. I encourage everyone who is reading this now to do the same. Don’t let all that anger and frustration go to waste! Convert that energy into healing prayers and thoughtful and loving action for our planet and thus ourselves and our plant, animal and elemental families. Let’s make a difference now more than ever! I hope you will join me in this…and thank you for listening to my rant.
Namaste, my friends…
[*note: The Tarot used in this blog is from the Animals Divine tarot by Lisa Hunt. She is a tarot genius! ~L.]
St. Augustine…
- The Victorian Flower Oracle
At long last and after much, much planning and effort, I have finally made the move to my favourite place on this whole planet…St. Augustine, Florida!
Flying South…
XX. The Sun ~ Fairie Tale Tarot
Well, as some of you may have heard, fir the last year and a half, I and my significant other have been working, planning and striving to make a move from Grand Haven, Michigan to the warmer climes of Florida. I am happy to announce that the move is almost complete! This whole project has been such an exercise in determination, it has brought to us a sense that we can do absolutely anything as long as we put our minds to it! We couldn’t have done it alone, however, and have had much needed and greatly appreciated help from some very wonderful and caring folks.
First off, we have a couple of super-human real estate agents on both ends of the move. Both real estate agents have gone above and beyond the call of duty where coordinating our relocation is concerned, what with selling one house and buying another and all in sync with our busy lifestyles, is nothing short of a miracle. My daughter has been an extremely helpful life saving sort of angel where all of this moving business is concerned. Add to that the rest of our family and friends, well…I cannot express enough gratitude to make me feel satisfied that they have been praised sufficiently, but I can begin right here and now with this blog.
The reasons for the move are many, but boils down to a couple of nutshells: the economy and the cold. Economy-wise, Michigan is in trouble. Hardly anyone in this state has any money and it makes them desperate and grouchy. Weather-wise, it’s just too blasted cold. The summer last year was so chilly that the lake never did warm up enough to actually be able to get in at all. Temps in the low to mid ’70′s all season was very depressing. Folks in Michigan wait a long and cold winter for a nice warm summer to play in. To be deprived of that is really a cruel joke of nature. And I always say: If ya can’t stand the frost, then get out of the freezer. So, I am following my own advice.
Another thing that I have found disconcerting is the lack of tollerance for alternative lifestyles and outside-the-box thinking in general in all but the extreme eastern part of the state (read Detroit area) which I really don’t have any desire to live there. Not knocking the Motor City scene, but it’s just not my cup o’ tea.
It all started winter before last. I had just endured a harrowing trip through a raging blizzard to bury my older brother. I felt like a frozen popsicle for days, never really being able to warm up ever since. I said to my partner, “…we gotta get outta here!” And so we set forth and made a plan. We would save up our funds, put the house up for sale, and move about this same time next year. We weren’t sure how we were going to make it happen, but every journey starts with a single step. And so it goes.
We started doing exploratory trips to the Sunshine State in October. Initially we were interested in the Fort Lauderdale/Miami beach area, but after spending a few days there, discovered that the area was nearly as depressed economy-wise as the Michigan area. So, we headed north. Now, my family is from the Ozark, Arkansas area initially. A dear friend of mine had mentioned we should check out the St. Augustine area, raving about how nice it is there. Needless to say, it took all of one day to realize how right she was! We fell in love with the oldest city in the country and the rest is history.
Even though the housing market is severely depressed, we managed to sell our home in a near-record 18 days. And in the final hour we were fortunate to find and buy the Florida house of our dreams. We are so blessed in so many ways, I cannot even begin to count them all. If all goes well, we will be settled into our new house by the end of April at the latest. In the meantime, we have our work cut out for us in the form of moving one household to another across 1800 miles. At least we have motor vehicles to use and not covered wagons and mules!
So…if you ever feel like life is out of control or that things will never go right or your goal is just too far out there to be touched…think again. Where there is a will there is a way. Just look at the Sun and believe…in the world and yourself.
The Good Devil…
Most of the time I hear all sorts of good things about the World of New Age and a lot about the inherent good of the Tarot, and how it helps people so much. But more than I would like to admit, I do hear some pretty bad things from people that usually don’t know much about tarot or what it really is. All the exposure that these folks have had have been through misrepresentation from the media, television or inadequate portrayals in the motion picture industry. Occasionally, and sadly, some people get ripped off by flim-flam charlatans and scam artists…you know the ones…they tell the person they are reading for that they have a terrible curse upon them and for a gazillion bucks the reader will remove it. Whenever I hear about this sort of thing going on it just really bugs me. I mean…really bugs me. That is why I do a lot of free readings and don’t charge an arm and a leg for my services. I figure it all comes back around and so I don’t sweat the money part so much.
Stella's Tarot ~ XV. The Devil
That is why whenever I hear of something really good coming from working with the tarot I just get so excited about it. And that is what happened in the case I am going to share with you now.
There is a young man that I have been doing readings for for a little while now. He has given me permission to tell his story as long as I change his name. So lets call him Murray. I think he’d like that name.
Murray has been coming to me for a little under a year. I never charge him for readings, as he really doesn’t have the extra cash to pay. So I don’t mind reading for him for free. Right off the bat I could tell that Murray had some issues in his life. Drugs, drinking, legal problems and hanging out with the wrong crowd were big ones. This all pretty much was getting him down, as his life was just one big downward spiral. Nothing really good ever happened for him, and I felt bad for it. I had hoped that through my friendship and work through the tarot I could somehow get through to him and help him get clean and on the road to sobriety. I really worried about him when I didn’t hear from him for a while, and was so relieved when he would finally called me and touch bases, asking to get together for a reading. I guess it’s just the “mother hen” coming out in me where Murray was concerned.
What was really interesting was that he would manage to pull The Devil card from the deck every single time without fail. I remember the first time this happened during his first reading. It’s quite normal to have the querent raise an eyebrow when cards like Death, the Tower and the Devil show up in a reading. At first he was very concerned at seeing this card, but after explaining what it meant, he would settle into a more calm and somber mood, nodding his head as I explained how this card reflected the vices and bad habits of his life and how he could break free from that and initiate change. After dealing with all sorts of substance abuse issues within my immediate family, I knew what those reflective nods meant. Quiting an addiction is easier said than done no matter how sincere or how hard one tries to quit. I never pushed him, but always tried to explain the positive side of The Devil card whenever he presented himself in front of Murray. I wasn’t going to hold my breath in anticipation of his getting clean any time soon, but I always hoped that one day he would tire of the party life and get his act together.
On a sunny afternoon, not too long ago, I heard a knock on the door. When I opened it there stood Murray. Would I do a reading for him? Sure.
He was unusually quiet and oddly lucid as he cut the cards after the usual shuffling. He picked his cards and sure enough…there was Mister Devil card as usual. We were doing a three card reading and I remember the cards he chose (which is unusual, as I don’t usually remember readings soon after I do them) – Temperance, The Four of Cups and The Devil. In that order. As his eyes landed on The Devil card he smiled, instantly knowing what that card meant from experience.
Tapping the Four of Cups, he said, “I think I know what this card means. The boy is refusing the cup. He doesn’t want it anymore.”
“Yes, that is one way to look at it.”
And then he tapped on Temperance, “What does Temperance mean?”
“Let’s look it up in the Dictionary,” I said as I pulled it up on my trusty iPhone dictionary app. As I read the meanings, his face grew entirely serious, and no sooner had I read the part about it meaning abstinence from alcohol, he stopped me.
“Oh my God.” His face was pale and he was so dead serious he was beginning to freak me out a bit. “I have to tell you something very important. I’ve been clean and sober for the last week. I have been seriously considering stopping everything all together.” He blinked. I didn’t know what to sa,y so I stayed quiet and let him continue. “…this is so weird. This is a sign!” Yes it is, I thought. Yes…it is.
There were tears in his eyes and soon there were tears in mine. To see this sort of break through for a person and all spurred on by a tarot reading was a wonderful thing to see. It did my heart good after putting up with so much flack from a very biased and ignorant public in the past few months and years. Here was a young person before me having a perfect “Ah Ha!” moment, all on account of the tarot cards. How could anyone think that such a good thing happening could be so bad?
Seeing the figure of the Devil enlightening a person to turn his life around instead of being used to scare the crap out of people and manipulate them for money and gain was an irony that was not lost on me that day! Murray wasn’t aware of my own little “Ah Ha!” moment, but that’s ok. I wasn’t going to steal his thunder. It was a very amazing afternoon for the both of us…one I will never forget.
So, the next time someone makes assumptions about the tarot in a negative way, just think of Murray. Last I heard he was still on the wagon and even bragging to his friends how he has quit the high life for good. He is so proud of himself and so am I. I didn’t need my faith in the tarot recharged, but the reboot didn’t hurt my feelings at all. Never underestimate the good in people when reflected in the cards…
Namaste everyone!
Whales…
Animals Divine Tarot
As many of you have already noticed, whales are in the news today, but not on account of anything good that has happened. On the contrary, a tragedy has happened at Sea World Orlando in the unfortunate death of one of their top trainers, Dawn Brancheau. For a more detailed accounting, please visit HERE to familiarize yourself with this sad story.
Sad. Sad in many ways. Sad because the whale is being blamed and talk of his euthanasia is being volleyed about, when it is clear that this whale was clearly not at fault. In fact, as I type these words with the news on I have just heard that Dawn had actually laid down in the water with this whale when it was common knowledge within this park and among the employees/trainers that this whale was not safe to be laying in the water with and that such a practice was clearly forbidden. What was Dawn thinking? I can understand that her love of the animal may have caused her to toss caution out the window, but had she thought ahead, she might have realized that sometimes we cannot let our love for animals put them or ourselves in danger. Common sense has to be at the forefront of animal welfare, especially where wild animals in captivity are concerned.
Just this morning, Patricia Cori started a news feed thread on Face book about working to get wild animals – especially whales – out of captivity and back where they belong…in the wild. I like her ideas and feel we should follow her lead and work at trying to get all wild animals back into their natural habitat. I ask and encourage you to visit her page and get involved in any way that you can. You can sign a petition HERE.
Tillikum
Bill Hemmer on FOX News this morning made a profound observation: that Tillikum = $$$. He is a breeder that has given Sea World 13 offspring since his captivity at their facility. And isn’t that the way most of these things go? Dollar signs always hold sway over everything else. They are saying that Tilly may not survive in the wild and that a supported release might be the answer, but excuses are already being made. Again, money may be at the root of this mindset, as I feel there really is no excuse to keep wild animals in captivity, except for maybe to try and save an endangered species, and then it is questionable.
If you take a peek back in history, captive animals were a form of entertainment in an era of no other sensations, such as TV or movies. Captive animals were a cash cow back then as people lead boring lives and craved entertainment. Dancing bears, freak show oddities, circus animals were a big draw and meant big bucks for their owners/trainers/handlers. In this day and age, I don’t see why we need to retain this attitude. What with computer graphics, documentaries and such, the circus-like venue is not needed and is in fact outdated. Isn’t it time to move on?
I guess what really bothers me the most is that whenever a captive wild animal lashes out after having reached their limit of patience is that people always blame the animal. A kid gains entry into a tiger’s enclosure and teases and tortures a tiger and is consequently maimed and/or killed and they lash out at the tiger and kill it. An elderly chimpanzee attacks a neighbor, ripping off her face and hands, and they blame the chimp and kill him. Now this. Makes me ill that these animals – the original victims – are used as scapegoats to avoid any sort of culpability, especially when faced with changing established protocols that hit the wallet first and foremost. To heck with the safety of the public. And to heck with the torture and unhappiness of the poor animals. The dollar rules and nothing has changed. Man put these animals into captivity and it is man that is to blame.
My heart goes out to Dawn’s family, friends and loved ones. I pray for their comfort and healing.
Please do what you can…sign petitions, write letters, join online groups, call your representative or speak out. But don’t just blow this issue off and ignore it. Until we put wild animals back into the wild, this sort of thing will happen again and again. And believe me…you don’t have to be a psychic to see that this is true.
To see the Whale on the Ten of Cups in the Animals Divine tarot by Llewellyn really warms my heart and the irony is not lost on me. The Ten of Cups is the epitome of love, caring and the family dynamic. A happily ever after card. As a totem animal, the whale begs one to find their soul’s purpose and to remain true to one’s life path.
To find out more about animal totems and shamanism, click HERE.
Namaste…
Synchronicities…
The Shaman ~ Tarot of Origins
It’s funny how more and more synchronicity shows itself and makes itself known in one’s life the more aware one is of it’s existence. After studying and reading works of C.G.Jung over the past few years, I have found myself noticing more how things are really all related.
For instance, because of a location move that I will be making soon, I have been very busy lately making arrangements to get from here to there. If any of you have ever relocated across the country (this is my second time, the first being from California to Michigan), you know how timing and planning is tantamount to a successful move. True, it’s very hard to cover all of the bases, but by golly! we sure do try! Anyway, while on the phone with a friend discussing which moving van company to go with – Budget or Penske – a Budget van goes cruising by my front window! (I subsequently went with Penske…heheh
Or one day last week I was driving around on a particularly beautiful and rare sunny day, the bright white new snow that lay everywhere practically blinded me, so I donned my sunglasses which are prescription. They are somewhat out of style, their shape is quite thin, letting in a lot of unwanted light from the top of the lenses. I say to myself, “…I need to think about getting a new pair. I should save up these next few weeks and get some before spring gets here.” Got home. Got the mail. And there in the mail was a $100 off coupon for Rx sunglasses! This kind of stuff happens to me all the time.
Recently I have discovered some interesting reading material in the form of books written by Jim Pathfinder Ewing. They delve into shamanism, journeying and healing in the Native American tradition. This is extremely interesting to me and hits close to the heart, as I have Chocktaw blood running through my veins from my mother’s side of the family. It is suspected that this branch of my family is where my intuitive nature is passed down through to me and my two children. So, discovering Jim’s work is like finding a long lost cousin.
Last night before bed I was checking out the news on CNN and the sweat lodge story really caught my eye. As the details unfolded as to what actually happened in that sweat lodge the day those three people died & others became very ill because of someones negligence, I felt great sorrow for that whole situation. How could such a thing happen and at such a cost. I thought to myself, “Oh boy…this is gonna give Sedona a black eye for sure.” Add to that how people who scoff at New Age beliefs and ideas or alternative ways of thinking, believing and healing, are going to tear into this like a mad dog &\and rip it to shreds. Oh brother.
Every morning I have what I call my quiet time, with whatever book I am reading in one hand and a hot cup of coffee in the other. I open the book at the bookmark that I set yesterday about this same time and what are the first words I read at the top of the page?
…”The Sweat Lodge.”
Is Avatar Anti-Religion & Anti-Military?
I heard an interesting thing on the morning CNN news. The piece started out with this statement: “Reports are saying that Avatar, the movie, is anti-religion and anti-military.” I raised an eyebrow.
I find this statement interesting. For one, I smirk and almost resent that anyone would say such a goofy thing! The news commentator went on to say that James Cameron defended his latest movie as “spiritual” and not necessarily having anything to do with religion, to which I wholeheartedly agree. I find it typical and somewhat disgusting that mainstream religious rights and lefts would point a finger at what this movie is – a call to be more spiritual and aware of our Mother Earth and more sensitive to everything around us, especially people. Just like the hubbub that went on when Harry Potter first arrived on the scene, calling it pagan and anti-religious just for the fact that it had an air of the otherworldly about it. Spells and brooms and potions, oh my! Heaven forbid!
It just really bugs me when this sort of thing happens.
The commentators went on to say that $10,000,000 in revenue speaks very loudly to the fact that people love this movie, its message and connect with it in a big way, something the Christian Churches (especially those who’s head master is stationed in Rome!) must find disturbing, when one takes into account all of those $dollar signs$ that are supporting such a “pagan” flavour.
They interviewed two people on the street. The first one, when asked what he thought about this latest sentiment, said, “I think it is anti-overly religious and overly-military.” Another person, a young Asian lady, commented, “I just think it is an over the top sensory stimulation. Nothing ant-anything about it.” So, there you have it. The folks on the street really are not the ones finding this movie “over-anything.” So…who is it that is behind these statements anyway?
Facts are facts. I read a poll not too long ago that said that people were stepping back away from organized religion and wetting their appetites for enlightenment on a more individual and spiritual path, which does my heart good. People are waking up to their own feelings, their own sensitivities and their own spirituality and beginning to realize that they don’t really need a huge religion in back of them to find their way to a higher source. Don’t get me wrong. I am not out against big and/or organized religion as a whole or for people to find comfort and/or camaraderie behind it. Sometimes that is just their style. I just don’t think that these same religions should cast stones at others who don’t wish to follow the same path as they do. It’s like…”your way is right as long as it is just like my way.” Intolerance. NOT what Jesus would do.
What comes to my mind is an episode of SpongeBob Squarepants that my grand daughter and I were watching one time. Mr. Crabs had just sold out his diner, the Crusty Crab, to a big restaurant chain to be pounded and molded into a clone of what they already had going as a national chain of high profile and highly recognizable restaurants. Mr. Crabs sold out and retired, but the rest of the staff stayed on, as they still needed jobs. Of course, as with all big conglomerates, they have their quirks, like the acronyms and the employee manuals to keep everyone brainwashed, under control and in line. After a while, the staff started getting sick and tired of being told what to think and how to fee, (…yeah, this is a kids show! 
and soon they began to revolt. The little peon manager was seen to be running through the restaurant screaming at the top of his lungs, “FREE THINKER! FREE THINKER!!!” This is what the Avatar flap I heard on the boob toob this morning reminds me of. I am glad they ran the story. I am hoping that a lot of other folks out there feel the same way about it as I do.
Although, my partner has another spin on it. He says that the reason they are trying to tear down the movie and cast doubt is because of the fact that it is up for Best Picture. Ha! He’s probably right. There’s always something. He always keeps me grounded.
Two is a Charm!
I’m not sure what happened, but my old blog bit the dust…
So…here it is -> my new and improved blog! I will be blogging like crazy very soon, so keep an eye on this spot for all new blog posts!
I feel kinda bad that I lost all the old stuff, but in another way, it is good! I can really concentrate on bringing you the very best that I can give to the world of Tarot blogs!
Stay tuned…
