When the days get shorter and the temperature cools, the leaves begin to turn and the world begins to change. This is when the summer ends and the fall brings nostalgia for bonfires, football games and huge piles of leaves to jump on and hide within. The animals of the land become more active as do the children of the earth, both large and small, young and older, everyone joining into the autumn time of year. Sweaters and socks, hoodies and boots…all wrap us in cozy comfort, the smell of the wind an invisible cloud of freshness surrounding everyone who ventures out in it and a signature of their journey to the out of doors. And that is my most favourite part…the smell of autumn, the sound of the wind in the whispering trees as they dance and sway with the passing clouds above. I love fall…

Is it any coincidence that during this time of year the veil between this world and the next stretches thin and thinner, enabling souls both living and deceased to communicate with a crystal clarity that is rarely seen at any other time of the year? What is it about the earth’s journey from here to there that enables the conditions to be so right…so perfect…for the slightest change in fibrational pitch which clears the way for contact? It has always puzzled me. I adore the communion and encourage everyone, on this side and the next, to watch for the signs, encourage the connection and to rejoice our good fortune. The energy it takes for those living in the spiritual dimension to reach out and really touch us is unfathomable, but somehow they manage. Drawing energy from other sources is one way to get around the energy barrier. Another is through prayer, belief and good old fashioned faith…belief that our loved ones are not gone but merely transitioned, faith that we are all worthy of their efforts, and the energy of prayer that is proven to lift even the heaviest of hearts and most down trodden of souls…lifting them…healing them…making us one in the spirit of life.

This November and all the way through the Holiday season and beyond, remember your Dearly Departed Loved Ones and know that they are thinking of you too. They have not left us, but have just gone into another room. Think of them in the same old way and talk to them as you always have. Nothing has changed. They are still with us…in every way, every day…

I love how Steve Jobs shares with us how he started his business back in the day. He is just one year older than me, which is a sobering thought, and I thank the Divine Powers that I still have my health. My mother was a small business owner, and I just recently have decided to stop “working for the man” and come out with my own business, which I lovingly call Sleeping Gypsy. Having and running a …small business is a challenge to say the least. While I get such satisfaction from having control of my own dreams, more importantly helping others is high on my list of priorities in life as well. It is something I have been doing my whole life anyway, so I decided to go ligit, hang out my shingle and emerge from the closet of being too intimidated by big business (which, ironically, Apple Corp. did eventually turn into) and being afraid to follow my own dreams. My mother was a small business owner who nurtured her business for well over 40 years. She now inspires me from the Other Side and helps me to keep my eye on what is important in life: freedom, faith and belief in ones self. Small business will save this country from the sad economic shape that it is in today. So, if you dream of striking off on your own, follow that dream. If not, please patronize the small businesses in your area, both locally and globally. We can make a difference i this world today if only we try. I know Mom and Steve would approve…

Try as I might to resist commenting on this casel, I just cannot help it. For whatever Michael Jackson might or might not have been, he was first and foremost a human being. His doctor, Conrad Murray, was in charge of his care. It seems to me that Dr. Murray got himself caught up into something that got out of his control, causing him to lose sight of hsi responsibilities as a physician.

And that’s my point. Most Americans know that the medical association and the pharmaceutical companies have us by the throat and wield way too much power. The only people in this country that can get any sort of health care without rendering them bankrupt are the rich and sometimes famous. Dr. Murray, in my opinion is a poster child for the *real* medical professional in this country, and while it is true that there are some honourable physicians out there, they are few and far between. Whike I won’t go into some of my own personal medical horror stories lived while dealing with doctors both while I had insurance and when I did not, suffice it to say, many of you reading this right now know exactly what I am talking about. Dr. Murray was swayed by the money and it blinded him to his moral and professional ethics. Yes, he is human too, but being a physician is his job for which he is licenced by the government which is supposed to be an affidavit testifying to his professionalism and his quality and ability to do his job. Doctors are no better than the corner mechanic these days. There are good ones and there are some bad ones. But, we are not dealing with a pick up truck here. We are dealing with lives. And that should mean something.

I won’t go into the whole political rant here, either. I will save that for some other day. let’s just say that no matter who Michael Jackson was, at the very least he was and is a victim in so many ways. A victim of himself, his addictions, and a victim of the times…which haven’t changed a whole lot in the past 50 years or so. Remember Janis? Jimmy? Kurt? Amy? The list goes on and on. That is what is sad, my friends. The fact that these folks wasted their lives and were dupped by everyone…including themselves.

Let’s try to be more aware of our neighbors, family and friends and help them to heal their emotional injuries so they don’t have to turn to self medication to deaden the pain. Let’s reach out to others in need, at least through a moral support system, to help them cope, especially now in these stressful economic times. Let’s try to elect officials who will make a difference in our society where health care and the homeless and the poverty stricken are concerned. No one in the world should be starving right now and they are! Lots of them are! there is no excuse for this.

So…don’t let this death be alike all the other ones: Futile. Senseless. A waste. Do your part. Take a stand. Don’t waste resources and hammer your opinion home to whomever will listen. If enough of us scream…then someone is bound to hear. If we scream to the heavens, then maybe someone here on earth will listen. I think that’s what Michael jackson would want. In fact, I know he would…

King of Stones ~ Wildwood Tarot

Forest life mirrors real life and then transforms into a beautiful and enchanting story that mirrors an archetype that takes us back to more simpler times. When I first saw the Wildwood Tarot, I immediately thought about the new HBO series “Game of Thrones“, a story brought to cinematic life from a book series called “A Story of Fire and Ice” by George R.R. Martin. From the first airing I was hooked, just as the Wildwood Tarot pulled me into another world of nature and the wild where the roots of our planet are borne, so did this mesmerizing story of life and struggle in a place no one has ever been before.

The Wheel of Life and the turn of the seasons sits at the heart and soul of who we are and of the true nature of our planet, Mother Earth. The Wheel turns very slowly in Winterfell where the heart of the story of Fire and Ice takes place, deep in the woods where the outside world seems ffar removed from life in a way that seems to be threatened by the ambition and greed of the other entities of power within the realm and the surrounding lands…much as it is in our society today in many countries and principalities around the globe. The similarities between Winterfell and Sherwood are not lost to me, with their magnificent trees and the resident’s respect for nature touching my soul in very deep and primal ways even today in this, the modern world. We all long for a more natural time where things were simpler, cleaner with the spirit of the earth more accessible and woven within our daily lives. Nowadays, one has to put forth a bit more effort into getting out and around the natural world outside. It is a scientifically proven fact that this separation from nature has a detrimental effect upon the human body and psyche. I feel this is why many people are drawn to stories of an Arthurian theme, in my thinking a good thing! Keeping the spirit alive and letting us set our minds on the Old Ways where our roots are deep and still viable challenges the mind and keeps us healthy in many diverse ways. This connection between the Old Path and the Old Ways is instilled within from the beginning of time, and will always be a part of who we are as a people.  While the wheel in the story Game of Thrones turns ever so slowly, the way of life in real life society pushes us all to live and go faster and faster on it’s modern Merry-Go-Round wheel. As long as the legends of Arthur and the Old Days of the Wood are kept alive, I feel that we all have hope and the chance to keep the those ways alive and well as we march onward into the 21st century and beyond onto the unknown path of life.

The Journey ~ Wildwood Tarot

The Wildwood Tarot is a tangible tool to help remind us of the wheels that turn in our lives and how things change from season to season and just how mutable everything in our world really is. The interesting thing about the World of Winterfell when placed next to the times of our modern times and the Wildwood Tarot  is the paradox that forms and fold back onto itself, mirroring one and the other in ironic and unusual ways. In the Land of Fire and Ice, there is a magic of dragons that has died back  and lay dormant for many long seasons. The innocence of a girl child gives rise to this ancient magic and the vision of a young boy for the future of his world balance each other beautifully. In our modern day world much of the same thing has happened: the creators of ”A Story of Fire and Ice”, George R.R. Martin, and the “Wildwood Tarot”, John Matthews and Mark Ryan, are those same brilliant children who reawaken that spark of the Old Ways that jump starts the turning of the Wheel, rekindling the connection with our archetypal origins. Like the “Fool’s Journey”,  our lives and the very motion of the Universe hinges upon circles, orbits, turning and cycles – everything moves through the paths of the seasons. The turning of the Wheel of Life is a reflection of our lives. And, while the Game of Thrones tells the dire story of man’s dark nature while Wildwood Tarot looks at life in a brighter light, we can take the messages of both worlds and meld them into our world today. Our World and our Wheel…one and the same…ours to command…

…and a grand celebration it was! I had heard that Saundra Emerson and Gary Broughman had an exquisite place where yoga, serenity, organic gardening and a beautiful lakeside homestead sitting high upon the hill overlooking the calm and peaceful waters were the normal daily fare out in DeLeon Springs in northern/central Florida. But little did I know just how awsome this place really was until I experienced it for myself!

Bamboo Arts Spirit Celebration - Fun!

As we drove down to their place early Saturday morning on the 16th of October – the day that the Spirit Celebration was to be held – I felt as if I was going back in time…to the 1960′s! Images of Woodstock came flooding in and I squeaked with delight as we entered the property! As we wandered on down the dirt road through the dappled sunlight breaking through the trees, it really was as if we were beginning a journey into another place, another era, where times were easy and the soul could relax and breathe. When the Center came into sight, it was like coming home. The beautiful and serene tree surrounding the lake, the gardens, both floral and vegetable, teamed with abundance, and the rolling hills, spacious pines and the overall feel of the place was one of the most welcoming I have experienced in a very long time.

Lots of great music at the Bamboo Arts Spirit Celebration!

As we unloaded out gear and entered the expansive lawn and stage area, everyone was friendly, welcoming and helpful. It felt like old home week as old friends an new came by to offer their “hellos” and their helps. It wasn’t long before everyone was set up and ready for a fun day filled with music, laughter and good times! The cafe at the main house offered the most wonderful organic homemade fixins for a very modest fee, and the weather that day was absolutely gorgeous with blue skies, a gentle breeze and just right temperatures. There was big music up on the stage for most of the day, with homegrown bands, poetry and spoken word recitations. But here and there all about the property (which is huge!) were little clusters of musicians jamming together and making the sweetest music an ear could ever hear. And sprinkled among the trees and scattered about the lawn were tents where readers, healers, and peddlers of various sundry fare would delight the senses as one strolled by. Crystal skulls, gemstone jewelry, incense and peppermints, hand made one of a kind items and lots of other things were there to be had for very reasonable prices. A very impressive turnout from vendors, readers, crafts folk, musicians and spectators made this an event to remember. My cheeks  hurt from smiling all day! And when all was said and done, after reluctantly calling it a day as the sun set and we readied for home, I could not recall a more lovely time spent on a beautiful Saturday afternoon!

Hearts a blazin' at Sleeping Gypsy's tent!

Rumor has it that Bamboo Arts Celebration Center will be having more events coming up starting in January 2011. Keep a watchful eye on this blog and my web page – Sleeping Gypsy - for all the latest updates and developments for announcements for upcoming celebrations at the Bamboo Arts Celebration Center at 4490 Cave Lake Road in DeLeon Springs, Florida. Until then, give them a look see at their web site: Bamboo Arts Celebration Center.

You will be so glad you did…

Until next time…

…Namaste!

VI. The Lovers ~ Stella's Tarot

Like most tarot readers, I love to collect tarot decks. I have lots. Every time I purchase a new deck for the collection, I silently say to myself …girl, you gotta slow down! You have so many decks! and then I try so very hard to not splurge whenever I set my eyes and heart onto a newly discovered deck that I just have to have. Yeah…it never works.   

Such is the case with my newest find…Stella’s Simple Tarot!   

When I first saw this amazing set of tarot images, it was digitally. The images are whimsical and transporting, taking the reader to another place – which to me is a quality ranking high upon the list of attributes a deck just has to have in order for it to work as a vehicle for visioning. The key to this is the journey that the images take you upon – it needs to be easy and essentially effortless. If you have to try hard or strain to get the process going, then the deck is probably not the right one. This deck effortlessly fits the bill, taking you on a magic ride, likened to falling down the rabbit hole, growing big one minute and then small.  Once you start, the rest is enchantingly thrilling. I just had to own this deck. Finding, however, was a journey in and of itself.   

The only description I had for my set of digital images was “AnAn Tarot”. I thought …this should be easy. This is such a great deck! It has to be out there still. I hope. Ha! It wasn’t long before I was eating my words and feeling that old familiar sensation of looking for a deck that is out-of-print or impossible to find for under a million dollars (Victorian Romanitc. Lenormand anything. Sola Busca.) So, out into the cyber-sphere I go, searching. I am the Fool.   

AnAn Tarot is an ellusive creature. After days of searching I find three sites that refer to AnAn. The first one is a Korean site, all in Korean. The second, Japanese. Also in  Japanese only. Darn. The third is a UK site, The Artwork of Modern Tarot - hooray! But, alas…no links. Just a name in a collection that is vast and nearly endless. And here I thought I had a huge collection of decks! This list was huge! There was the name: AnAn Tarot, but no link in site. Double darn.   

Always the curious, I decided to check out this collector’s list and started making note of names of decks  I have never seen and was not familiar with. It was an impressive collection to be sure. Then I started getting into the “S” category and spied a quaint little title: “Stella’s Simple Tarot”. I fed it into the web browser, hoping. Click. Gasp! I could here angel’s singing! There was my beloved AnAn disguised as Stella’s! Thank you, God/dess!   

I. The Magician ~ Stella's Tarot

Some lists and references consider Stella’s a Majors only deck, but this is simply not the case. Seems that Stella’s was dubbed “AnAn” after a special little deck – majors only - was enclosed within the popular Japanese fashion magazine of the same name as a promotional gift when purchasing the publication in 2008.  Upon learning this my heart sank, as such limited run decks are very valuable and ellusive and impossible to obtain. In fact, the original 78 card run is very easy to obtain through Amazon.com. Yay! I quickly ordered this prized deck and waited anxiously for it to arrive and when it did I was not disappointed! It is even more charming in person. The LWB is very interesting in that it has unique descriptions of the Rider-Waite style cards that waste no words on their meanings. What I really wanted to know more about was the author/artist of this imaginative set of cards. This has proved to be even more elusive than the deck itself. Everything I find is either in Chinese, Japanese or Korean and impossible to translate through Internet translators. What the LWB says is the most I have been able to dig up. The deck was conceived by and for Stella Kaoruko by Takako Hoei. Stella is a renouned authority on astrology and tarot in Japan. She received a vision of  the archangel Gabriel while viewing Frangelico’s “The Annunciation” at Italy’s San Marco Museum at the tender age of 22. The rest, as they say, is history, as she delved into an immersive quest for knowledge of the world’s religions, as well as astrology and tarot. She is credited for helping hundreds of people by giving right and loving advice worldwide with her uncannily accurate predictions, inspiring right change for the better. Takako created the tarot for Stella at her lake shore home. The two are very close. I find it interesting that the most beautiful and inspired decks in history are collaborations between two people… Aleister and Frieda. Pamela and Arthur. Alex and Karen. This union of artist and intuitive always lifts my heart. Stella’s Tarot is like that…heart lifting. Hope inspiring. Door opening.   

I hope you check out Stella’s Simple Tarot. It has a special place in my heart next to my other favourite deck, Lenormand. Please visit Stella’s Official Web Site to learn more. I encourage dialogue and discussion about this deck and any deck that you might fancy. Collecting is a passion and the cards are my muse, the indulgence my little vice.   

There. I admitted it.   

Until next time…

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.

Well, I went last night to see the highly anticipated movie by James Cameron -  ”Avatar”. At first, when I found out about this movie, I really didn’t wish to go see it. But my Significant Other asked me to go see it with him. How could I say no? He was so excited about this flick.

It  is as sad, thought provoking & heart wrenching as it is beautiful, artistic & awe inspiring.    

It manages to put the plight of the planet, the ill fate of races such as the Jews, Native Americans and so many others in the setting of a beautiful dream. It also touches upon things of a spiritual nature, which is as old as time itself, but still very controversial in today’s age. In one respect it is almost too much to take in and possibly ahead of it’s time, but on the other hand it is long over due.     

This film is by far the most disturbing & brilliant film I have ever seen. 

There are many things I like about this movie: it portrays women’s roles in a very positive and powerful way. The dialog is amazing and the score is spot-on. The graphics are the best I have ever seen. In fact, when Jake Sully speaks into his video log and says “I feel like there is real and here is not” I whisper under my breath “…no kidding!” I feel exactly the same way he does as I watch his incredible journey into a planet and culture and race of people that will forever change his life (and possibly mine by the time the lights come up and I venture back out into the real world). I am in awe of this beautiful world I see before me and highly upset that humans would even think about running rip shod all over them and their beautiful home.

But then I stop and think “…this is exactly the thing that HAS happened on the planet Earth over and over and over again. And then I get sadder…

A couple of things bothered me, though, about the mechanics of this film.  For one, the name of the mineral/substance that the Earthlings were trying to mine and strip from the planet Pandora was called “unobtainium”…  What is up with that? Here you have a film that is reported to have cost $300 – $500 million to make. Why skimp on the name of this very important element of the story? Another thing that bugs me: the violence. It seems to me these days that movie makers think that they have to inject *X* amount of violence into their story lines to make sure their ratings and box office numbers go up up UP. I find this insulting. I don’t need gratuitous bloodshed and violence to entertain me. In fact, it is just the opposite. I find that the older I get, the more I detest the sight of this made-up and thrill seeking type of thing in movies. Really good movies and stories just don’t need the violence to make it a good tale if it has any merit or is well written and executed. Quite to the contrary.     

I “get” that this movie has a message about all the social issues that we as a species have to work hard on fixing. BUT…why make up this elaborate multi-million dollar eye candy fantasy tale when there is so much documentation regarding such very real things that have come to pass since before the birth of Christ? The Inquisition, the Holocaust, the Native American massacres, Apartheid, the Civil War, and modern issues too numerous to mention…the list goes on and on and on. If kids need a message, show them the truth, not some candy-coated fairy tale.     

I know. It’s “just a movie”. But, parents be warned: this is not a film made for little kids, like the age rating and the trailers would lead you to assume.  PG13 I think should be taken rather literally with this one.     

Food for thought:  Is this movie the work of genius? Just a highly entertaining fantasy trip? Or is this just another attempt at raking in a pile of dough for the movie industry?     

Let me know what you think!