…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!

Low Crypt Graves @ Tomolato Cemetery ~ St. Augustine, Florida

Well, here we are, four months into ournew home in the country’s oldest city, and I have to say I am lovin’ it! There is so much to do and see! If one wants to be the tourist and take in the sites, the Old City awaits day or night. Or, if exploring is more your thing, the whole surrounding area (and the whole state of Florida and Georgia for that matter!) is teeming with little nooks and crannies full of the interesting and unusual. Whether it is the big city and shopping (Premier Outlet Malls and Jacksonville) or other quaint little burgs (Palatka and Palm Coast and Green Cove Springs) there is always something interesting to do and see in the Northern and Central Florida and Southern Georgia. (People say that Northern Florida is really a part of Southern Georgia, as the Georgian’s say that the Northern part of the state of Florida is too good for the rest of the state; it’s all the “First Coast”, however, and it is all good!)I have never seen so much vegetation except for maybe the Ozark Mountains of Arkansas where the maternal side of my family is from. It is a prolific rain tropical forest type of environment abounding with wildlife of every sort – especially birds! Bald eagles, hummers, spoon bills, all sorts of herons and egrets, many varieties of little finches, buzzards and vultures, split tailed kites, and majestic brown pelicans…just to name a very small few. As a lover of all critters, I am in Seventh Heaven here. Hooty owls can be heard late at night in the woods across the street from our little shotgun style home. I love to lay in bed at night and listen to them hoot and trill! One of my favourite creatures is probably the smallest: the Anoles. They are little guys with great big hearts, doing push ups to impress when one wanders into their territory. And the babies are so very tiny and small, but with a heart as big as any little adult of the species. What do they eat? It’s hard to imagine… 

An Old Garden gate ~ Old City ~ St. Augustine, Florida

There is always something interesting to see in the Old City. During the daylight hours, one can go down to the King Street/St. George Street area, take a look around, do some shopping and marvel at some of the old and restored deep south style homes. Most of them have been turned into Bed n Breakfasts, or businesses, but all along the outskirts of the central part of the Old City there are blocks and blocks of really old homes that people still live in, either students from the nearby Flagler College or the residents that have been there for quite some time. Vibrant during the day, and quite bucolic, it’s the night time that brings out the spiritual vibrations from the dwellings in the city. 

My favourite street to wander in the wee hours is Hypolita Street. The spirit activity on that street is one of the most active that I have ever felt.  Scarlet O’Hara’s is down there, as well as the older churches which are not far off the beaten path. But there is something about Hypolita that really retains the vibrations of the old times and the people that lived there…some of them just don’t want to leave this charming place. The Tomolato Cemetery is very impressive. The plaqard states that it is an Indian burial site that was maintained by the Franciscan priests in the then little town of Tomolato. It is fenced and closed most of the time, though I hear that they open it up from time to time to let visitors have a closer look. It is by far the oldest burial ground I have ever seen, dating back to 1737. Though I haven’t been down to this area during the late night hours, I do plan on doing so very soon. 

Red Door on a Very Old House ~ Old City, St. Augustine, Florida

One of the things that impresses me about this city is the care the town takes at keeping the big modern homes and housing developments at bay and on the outskirts of the city. The same goes for big box stores and shopping malls. The only thing you will find in the old part of town are restored and refurbished dwellings and places of business, no modern stuff there, just put back to as close to the original thing as one could get. It really is like stepping back in time. Especially when you round a corner to see a pirate lad and a pirate ladie deep in the middle of a (mock) sword fight duel! You soon realize that it is a pair of the many reneactors that wander the old brick streets, playing parts that bring back the memories of times gone by…and maybe unknowingly stirring up the spirits of the past with their cherade. Or a colonial spanish couple strolling the lanes. Or an uniformed spanish guard patrolling the streets keeping the flim flam under control. (…those were real people…right?!  ) That said, the efforts of the renactors do not go wasted on me. I love that sort of thing! 

My favourite watering hole is Green Dolphin Street at 51 Charlotte Street near Hypolita. You can sit outside and listen to the live music. It has great ambiance, but not too pricy. It’s outside and they have all sorts of differet things to drink. It’s a really good time down there – I highly recommend to anyone not wanting to do the average tourist thing but needing a taste of local vibe to check this place out! Another good place to go that the locals love is Finnegan’s Wake out on the Island on A1A. They make the best fish and chips you will ever taste! And if you are into celtic music, they play the best around, from traditional to modern, it will take you back to the Emerald Isle! If you’re into Mexican fare, try Casa Maria just up the road towards the bridge. Carribean you say? Mango Mango’s is the place to go for the best island burgers in the land! Plus, they have live ragae every now and then and it’s like being in the Islands. There are two locations, but the one out on South  US1 is a little better priced and not so crowded by tourists. Granted, the location on the corner of A1A and A Street is like 30 feet from the beach, but I can live with that.  I think you could too. 

Corner Tower of the Castillo de san Marcos ~ St. Augustine, Florida

Oh…and did I mention that the whole city is haunted? 

Orbs in the Barracks ~ Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine, Florida

 

More Orbs in the Barracks ~ Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine, Florida

 

Small Orbs in the Barracks ~ Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine, Florida

 

Five Orbs ~ Barracks Area, Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine, Florida

 

One Bright Orb in the Magazine Area ~ Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine, Florida

 

One Big Orb in the Magazine Area ~ Castillo de San Marcos, St. Augustine, Florida

 

Now, some may argue until the cows come home that orbs are merely dust particles caught as an anomoly by the flash of the camera. In some cases that may be so, but I don’t think this is the case here. These are the only orb photos out of nearly a hundred photos taken at the fort that day. If it’s dust here, then it is dust all over the place, because it is all just one big huge place that is built all the same. But I’m here to tell you that this is not a dust environment. In fact, it was so hot and humid (the city was experiencing a rare heat wave) and not a breath of a breeze to be felt anywhere that day. So, I am of the mind that these are orbs in the photos and not dust. But to each his own opinion, I guess.

Well, there you have it…an update from the Oldest City in the country. I highly suggest to anyone visiting the Orlando/Daytona/Savanah area to swing over and check this place out. I fell in love with this town, and I know you will too!

Thanks for checking in and cruising the photos and hanging out with me for a while.

Until next time…

…Au Revoir!

XI. Strength ~ Mary-El Tarot

 So many people wonder what it is like to have their tarot read. I know only too well the gamut of emotions that goes into even thinking about having one’s cards read, what with all the stigma and superstition that has been attached to the tarot, readers and the whole idea of going outside the realm of what is common and mundane in the established world that we live in and what that evokes and entails. When I was very young and first wrapped my hands and mind around the cards, many feelings crept in, from religious taboo to “what would my mother say?” (I decided not to tell her! ) to “my friends will make fun of me” (well…they weren’t that great of friends, anyway…) and so on and so forth…fill in the blank, I’m sure many people reading this blog right now can identify with one or even more of these scenarios. I finally decided, one day so long ago that it really didn’t matter, all of those little questions fueled by guilt or fear or the control by others, and to follow my heart and explore those hidden realms that only the mystery schools used to claim to call their own. Looking back, I am so glad for the desicions I have made in my life concerning my spiritual path and where it has lead me even now, as I write here in this, my little electronic link to the outside cyber world.   

I know everyone’s journey, methods and ways of doing things are different. So when I think about the many ways readings are done, I feel a need to share a little of what happens when someone has a reading with me, what they can expect and how it generally goes. Having had many readings myself over the years I have found that everyone’s style is different and I don’t want anyone to come away from a reading with me feeling weird because they expected something different or an experience like someone elses altogether. Simply put: no two readers read alike and no two readers tap into the etheric realms in quite the same way.   

I have developed a style of reading over a span of 30 plus years and, looking back, I smile at what a learning experience it has been. The first step was to take that LWB (Little White Book – the pamphlet that comes with decks of tarot cards) and put it away in a box where others would soon join it after glancing through any interesting information about the author/artist of the work. That is really all the LWB is really good for, in my humble opinion, because the heart of the deck is where that of the creator’s heart and soul resides. That information is quite valuable. After that, however, the cards are all mine. (Watch this blog for a coming post all about what to look for in a deck and what I look for when chosing decks that I love.)   

III. The Empress ~ Mary-El Tarot

When I sit down to do a reading, many things come into play and a lot of convention goes right out the window. First off, I prefer to have whomever I am reading for sit next to me as we deal out the cards together. I like to have the seeker be able to see the cards as they pick them and we lay them out together; they see the cards and the layout as it unfolds, and are encouraged to bring whatever feelings, intuition, thoughts and ideas into the reading at any time. Traditional spreads are not used during the readings, as we set down the cards in a unique and different way so as to watch as the relationships between the cards come up to initiate a relationship with the seeker. Meanwhile, I watch, look and listen to what is going on while the cards are revealed. One or more things come into play now. Guides, angels, those in spirit – both in the human and animal form – begin to come through as the session progresses. Depending on the questions and the things a person wants to touch on, any or all and even more can happen during a reading. I can never tell what will happen and I am constantly amazed by the things that we see and hear! And, one by one, as the cards come down, the doors to the other realms are opened and important information is imparted, loved ones in spirit begin to come through and answers to questions in deep desire for answers are brought into the light of day. All there for the asking, if only one has a need to know and a yearning to find the answers to their most burning questions.   

The duration is no less than an hour and most times run into the hour and a half time frame. All readings are held in the strictest of confidence, never told or revealed to anyone ever. A session is always private unless the seeker requests that someone else be present, which is entirely fine. The seeker has very much control over their reading and I will always do my best to accommodate.   

There are other services which are available in additon to oracle as well as traditional tarot readings: spatial cleansings of homes, areas of business and larger lands; group readings and parties; psychic investigations and walk-throughs of areas suspected of spirit activity, with follow up solutions in regard to spirit activity; gemstone and aromatherapies. And more!   

For further information, please visit my website at: Sleeping Gypsy  to find out all about readings, other interesting people and places, and the world of the Sleeping Gypsy! I will be sending out a newsletter beginning in August that will include all sorts of interesting and sundry things pertaining to tarot and the world of those who seek knowledge and answers from the intuitive realms. Please sign up on the main page!   

Finally, please feel free to email me at any time with questions and inquiries and take advantage of the FREE tarot reading services offered at my website! New and free stuff will be added  throughout the year, so make sure to visit often!   

Until next time…   

…Namaste!   

[Note: Please visit the Official Website for Mary-El's Tarot featured here in this blog post. It is beautiful and I can hardly wait for it to be available!]

16. Stars ~ Mystical Lenormand

As many of you may know, I am always on the look out for the rarest of the rare Lenormand Cards. Never have I seen a more provocative nor awe inspiring set of images as the original Lenormands! The original decks are as illusive as they are beautiful, however, and sometimes one must settle for more recent facsimiles or current editions of updates inspired by the originals. Such is the case with he newer Mystical Lenormand.

At first I was sceptical and wary of this newer deck, produced by Swiss artiste Urban Trosch in 2005 using a technique older than the original cards themselves, an egg tempera on wood with a chalk base. In doing so, Mr. Trosch has created a mystical deck whose images truly resemble the icons of yesteryear, as each image is framed by a “window” that really makes one feel as if they are looking though a portal and glimpsing an altogether different reality, a place of mystical wonders and other worldliness. Even the backs of the cards takes one away from the ordinary. Celestial angels encircle the earth and look down at the planet from the heavens, leaving one to feel as if they are going on a journey, far far away.

The deck is smaller of size, and I thought that would be a turn off, but quite to the contrary, it lends to the charm of the deck. When first opening the sturdy little box one is confronted with the LWB (little white book) which is really quite informative, with a brief history of Mlle. Lenormand’s life, her deck and how Urban Trosch came to make this new take on the French classic. There are spread suggestions and the original meanings for the cards as well.  What really impressed me, however, was the way the instructions treated the art of reading the deck (or any deck, for that matter) for beginners. They really stress the personal experience and encourage the neophyte to branch out and feel the cards and use first impressions and personal deep seated meanings before ever looking at the black and white traditional meanings. Nothing cut in stone here! This is so refreshing to me. It does my heart good to see the art of reading decks go beyond the cookie cutter definitions and diving head long into how a card makes a person feel in their gut, where all good reading begins and ends, with the intuition and uncharted senses.  Add to that the mentioning of how to treat a deck with awe and respect from the beginning, and you have a really good deck for the beginner that an experienced reader will also enjoy. This is how deck reading should be and this is how itis presented from the beginning, with honour and dignity and not a frivolous “game”.  I know Mlle. Lenormand would agree with me on this.

All in all, this deck is a very nice package, especially if one cannot get heir mitts on any sort of Lenormand deck. This demure replica is a good start and far from a mere copy, it can hold its own reading after reading, or simply as a tool for meditation and contemplation. I find the images compelling and possessing their own personalities apart from the original Lenormand – like a long lost cousin to the original, or even a sibling – they are very much alike, but different enough to be able to show unique traits original to each and the other.

I highly recommend this deck to anyone looking for a meaningful departure from the classic Waite-Smith fare. In a day and age when everyone and their brother are making and publishing their own decks, both oracles and tarots, it is a rare thing to find one or two that really stand out and stand up on their own merits, The Mystical Lenormand is one such deck. And especially in the case of the Lenormand decks, as they sort of fall somewhere between a tarot and an oracle style of deck. If one decides to add this deck to their collection of cards you ave my word that you will not be disappointed…

Until next time…

…Namaste!

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.]

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…

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.

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…