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!]

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.