Sleeping Gypsy Readings…What to Expect…
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!]
The Mystical Lenormand…
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!
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!
In Love…with Stella’s Tarot!
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…
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!
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.
