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Zombie Cat Q&A: What will next year bring?

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Q: (M. Asks) “What will next year bring?”

A: 2019 will bring confusion and minor misunderstandings. You can totally change this future by reading and following instructions.

Yes-or-No Tarot formats can’t answer open ended questions like this any more than those magic 8 ball toys can BUT don’t forget 99.999% of the time, the more open a Tarot question is, the better the reading is. Set expectations can be more blinding than enlightening, so you actually did the right thing by keeping open-ness around your question.

So let’s do this instead. Let’s pull a card that will give you a theme, a general read of which way the energies are flowing for you for 2019 as it stands now. But remember all of it can change through your choices and actions. If you don’t like the card or the reading, it might hold a clue how you can change directions instead. It’s all cause and effect really, just like science. Each choice and action is a cause that gives a future effect. That is why “psychic” predictions are pretty unreliable, no more that that 50-50 coin toss probability it talks about in the disclaimer. If I make a specific “prediction” now, any little flutter of your intention could change it all 5 minutes from now. It is more helpful by a long shot to give you larger, more general ideas to help you navigate the larger, more general energy flows that seem to lay ahead.

Your card for today is: The Five of Swords

Ouf! I was teasing earlier when I talked about confusion and following directions earlier, before I drew the card. But the 5 of swords hints that this year might actually be headed in an unsettled direction. The word “jumbled” springs to mind. It doesn’t feel like it all has to do with you…that some might come from other’s indecisiveness and actions, but you have to play your part. “Clean vision” “clear planning” all come to mind. See the gray areas in the sky on the card? That might be clouds or it could symbolize the smoke, fog or confusion of a battlefield. It may be your strong suit, or it may be something you are learning, but it feels important for you to keep your head. No matter what other people are doing, no matter if they are making it easy or hard for you to do, your big task in the upcoming year is to be clear-eyed, and level headed, to see clearly and realistically, even when those around you do not. Hold on to hopes and dreams, yes, but don’t force them onto the world around you. See what is really there so you can do whatever needs done. The universe will unfold perfectly, but on it’s time frame, not ours. Things might not turn out how you want or expect….but if you are ok with that, it gives room and energy for things to turn out BETTER than you expected, too.

Thoughts on pens

Our keyboards and devices are pens, electrified and empowered to send the magic of words farther and fastee ghan ever before. Almost a full circle, actual handwriting and drawings can be sent electronically without taking a picture, without converting to type.

I’m hoping these “digital handwriting” format Tarot readings will be as popular as I believe them to be powerful. REALLY old school pen and for-real paper by snail mail readings are avaiable too.

The Niggles: What’s in a Name?

A lot.

Sometimes, a whole lot.

“Re-branding” seems to be a thing lately. “Ghoulish Delights Bath Shop” is becoming “Balefire Apothocary” (fingers crossed she’ll still carry my very most favorite hand cream) and ” Hearts Peace Healing” is becoming “Hygge Lightwork”. One personal trainer is becoming a Tarot reader, while a musician is becoming a personal trainer and a martial artist is shifting to being a musician and life coach. Modern Oracle Tarot is now TaoCraft Tarot.

My sense is this is growth, evolution, and expansion is a very good thing for all of us. The new name isn’t just a marketing ploy. There is no ill will or negative feeling about our old names or identities at all. Shedding our old “brand” is like a snake shedding its skin: It’s necessary for growth. We are re-naming, re-imagining, and re-building in order to embrace more things and to become more fully ourselves. I can’t speak for the other folks, of course, but after brief chats on social media, I get the feeling we are all very much on on the same page.

Expansion and deeper authenticity is certainly my aim in abandoning Modern Oracle and building TaoCraft. As I write this, Modern Oracle feels like something that happened ages ago to someone else. Time passes. I’m not the same person who started Modern Oracle. TaoCraft is me, now.

That doesn’t mean I have to abandon EVERY single little thing. “The Niggles” are still here. Those posts are about ideas that camp out in my head, and niggle there until I write about them. Yeah, I know. That sounds more like a brain parasite than creative inspiration. Some ideas are like that.

Since the very beginning of this re-branding process, I’ve felt pushed to talk about TaoCraft as a name. I have no earthly idea why, or even what to say, so I’ll follow that spirit, inspiration, call of the muses, or brain idea-parasite such as the case may be.

Let’s start with the obvious. “TaoCraft” is a made up word, and I’ve stuck a capital in the middle. Why? I like it. As two words, it is a description. As one word it is a NAME. I threw the capital in because 1. it works as a humpback web address and 2. “Craft” is an integral part of the concept with a dollop of double meaning.

Tao, as many of you know, is from Chinese philosophy; Taoist, Taoism, Tao Te Ching. Just to be pedantic, Tao and Dao are the same thing. Tao is Pinyan westernization of the Mandarin word, while Dao is from the Wade-Giles system. The few minutes I studied Mandarin back in the 90s, I was taught using Pinyan, so there you are. Tao it is. Tao is usually translated as “way” as in a “way of life” or a “way of doing things.”

What does Taoism have to do with Tarot? A surprising lot, actually. “Magical Tarot, Mystical Tao” by Diane Morgan explains it best. It was an enormous influence in the early days of my Tarot career because it connected two great loves. Time and time and time again, Tao and Tarot were philosophies, a way of looking at the world, that I could rely on. I could lean on them in turbulent times without them crumbling to dust and nothing as religion and other philosophies always, always did. When your life puts your beliefs to the test, they shouldn’t fall apart. Taoism and Tarot never did. No matter what I would learn or explore, I always circled back to them and found them reliable, trustworthy. Tao and Tarot belong here in this new mental and spiritual living place. They are very much authentic me. This re-branding is, as is highly valued within Taoism, an exercise in deep authenticity.

Craft is also a bridge. As Tao and Tarot bridge east and west, craft bridges old and new. When I see the word, “arts and crafts” spring to mind. My grandmother taught me to embroidery when I was 6. Embroidery, cross stitch, knitting, beading have been a part of me since then. I like to create and make. That embraces the meditation mala and assorted stuff I make and put in the TaoCraft Tarot shop on Etsy. Craft connects to a fond memory of a cherished Grandmother – a wise woman whom I swear was magic. Which brings me to the new craft. THAT craft. THE craft. Not the movie, although it is one of my favorites. TaoCraft expands my Tarot cyber-world to include, mala, meditation, Reiki, and my own brand of magical craft. It took half a century to even flirt with the notion of associating with magic or witchcraft, but dammit, I’m claiming it now. And I’m defining it on my own terms. This is my own non-diestic, non-ritualistic, natural, energy reading WAY of engaging with a solitary sort of witchCRAFT. I’ve finally found words for what I’ve been doing all along in Laura Zakroff’s excellent book “Sigil Witchery”. A “modern traditional witch” is one who “does what needs doing when it needs done using whatever is at hand.” That. So that.

There you have it. That is what is in THIS name. Welcome to TaoCraft Tarot.

Tarot Without a Net: The Empress

This post was originally published on the transitional Modern Oracle -> TaoCraft Tarot site under the title “The Nature of Nurture” The series is just beginning and is an exercise in getting to know a new deck without reading the “little white book” first. We will pick up with the next new card next week, an keep going from there.

I’m a fan of Thom Pham’s art, especially this deck. Each card is inspired by a populare movie or TV character. Such a good match! I use pop culture references all the time. It is an easy, comefortable familiar way to communicate the ideas that come through in a reading. Sometimes impressions come through already in pop culture form. I’ll “get” a song, book or movie from intuition or spirit….however you want to call it.

This is one of the cards where The Heart of Stars is a tiny bit of a challenge. I’ve never seen Mama Mia. I’ve seen Meryl Streep in other movies, and she is an excellent actress, but Mama Mia isn’t to my taste. Abba made me run in the opposite direction even way back in the day when they were popular the first time. Not a fan

I hadn’t really contemplated what to do if the cards turned out to have a pop culture reference that escapes me. Not that I’m any paragon of cool, but I watch waaayyyyy too much TV and have seen an ad or a preview of a lot of things, even the dreaded chick flick. As a general principle, pop culture references have yet to let me down.

As I understand it, this movie was about a single mother / daughter relationship, a failed marriage, water, sailboats and urgh….ABBA. So you have in general a relationship, and the classic archetype of ‘mother’. I’m not hardwired for chick flicks so my favorite reference for this card is the way comedienne Judy Tunuta sometimes called herself the “Earth Mother Giver Goddess” Same thing I suppose, just more palatable. With those two references I get a dual track of meanings for this Empress card.

The strongest most dominant one is nurturing. The Empress is almost always depicted as pregnant. The life and fertility connotations are unmistakable. The Empress card affirms life…and it affirms nature. Our nature. Just as a mother loves her child no matter what, the nature of nurture is to accept and love as-is, no changes necessary, and to give what is needed, no matter what old expectations might have been. The Empress gives what is needed in accordance with the nature of the thing/person she is nurturing. Do you like girly movies and ABBA music…here you go. If you like comedy better…here you go. Stay up too late on a school night…..nope, but I know you are a night owl so we’ll cut you some slack on the weekends. Nature gives us what we need. We can grow by working with and abiding by our own deep nature.

The nature that is outside is a pretty good source of nurturing. No matter what you think of 1970s soft pop euro whatever music…hugging a tree or two, taking a walk outside, going out on the sidewalk and taking a breath…all of that is good too.

Nurture is giving what your own true nature needs to grow or heal or thrive.

Affirmation: My true nature is fine as it is, but if I choose, Nature will help me walk a better path.

Tarot Without A Net: The Magician

reprised from “Tarotbytes” blog on my old Modern Oracle website

I love that Mr. Pham chose Neo from the Matrix for the Magician. It’s a perfect choice, if you ask me. I’m looking forward to reading the ebook from the cards to see if my impressions are anywhere close to the artist’s thinking. (Thom Pham reads Tarot too. Based on his other writing, we have a lot of views in common on that front)

If you have read this blog (Tarotbytes) for a while, you know how much I like the Matrix. The name for this website (the old Modern Oracle site) and my [early] tarot work was in part inspired by The Oracle character. Especially the “there is no spoon” scene in the first Matrix movie. It its an elegant analogy for Tarot.

The Oracle sees options and possibilities, not predictions. That is the way it works out here in the real world too

That’s the connection to Tarot in general; shifts, options, the if-then cause-effect logic acknowledged by computer programmers and Buddhist philosophy alike. The movie connects to magic and manifestation through Neo and the spoon scene. Magic manifestation, steering life toward our desired path isn’t one big POOF (although that would be nice) it is really about nudging, working with energy flows to ride the currents to later results. It’s surfing, not motor boating. It isn’t a command, it is a conversation. You bend the rules you can, but work with the rules you can’t. Magic isn’t bending spoons….it is realizing there is no spoon and bending our expectations and actions instead.

Action is a part of it. Even in POOF fantasy magic, some action is taken. A spell must be cast, a potion brewed, or a wand waved. Subtle action is action just the same. There is a reason why they call it WORKING magic or CASTING a spell. The very fabric of language reflects the give-and-take, cause-and-effect nature of true magic.

Keywords: Magic, manifestation, shifts in perception,

Advice: Subtle changes now can lead to larger results later. Change your perceptions, change your world

Caution: Expectations kill magic. Magic is a process. Don’t get caught up in immediate results. Be willing to do your part.

Validation: You surf the currents of energy and insight well, and bend them to your will, your will to them.

Affirmation: The universe provides. I can call what I need into my life and do the work

Tarot Without a Net: The Fool

Getting to know a new deck BEFORE you read the little white book is a real intuition building exercise. Trust what comes to you from your imagination and intuition. The “Heart of Stars” deck makes it easy. Combine what you know of the Tarot card, what you know of the TV or movie character, then add the pure intuitive mental images, sounds words and feelings that come directly to mind.*

THE FOOL

Key ideas: Dispelling anxiety with humor. Speaking truth through humor. Profound self confidence expressed as playfulness. “If you aren’t having fun, you aren’t doing it right”

Advice: Lighten up. Have fun. Don’t take yourself so seriously.
Caution: Don’t let fear paralyze you or keep you from beginning something important.
Validation: You’ve trusted your path before, and can do it again. You can find humor in stressful situations and use it to put other people at ease. You can stay calm in an emergency.
Affirmation: I enjoy life and help others to do the same. Beginning a new adventure is easy for me.

*Want to learn more about connecting with your intuition and how to do daily meditation readings for yourself….even if you don’t have a Tarot deck at all? Order a copy of my how-to e-book “PeaceTarot” from TaoCraftTarot.shop

PeaceTarotCoverMini2 — Learn DIY Tarot Meditations

“HEART OF STARS” 3RD EDITION LIMITED RELEASE COPYRIGHT THOM PHAM ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. USED WITH PERMISSION WWW.KINGOFWANDSTAROT.COM

ElfCon 5 2018: Bring it

This is the most low stress, laid back downright holiday season in years. My daughter is adult now, the Terry’s oranges are already in the cupboard, it’s a jewelry not knitting year for gifts (less time intensive by a loooong shot)

This year, instead of straight up closing for the holidays, I’ve decided to keep distance Tarot and Sending Stones Reiki open. In-person and party sessions are cut back December 15 – Jan 15 but I have lots of time for Distance work, which suits my introverted eggnog loving, cookie baking, knitting, and mala making holiday plans just fine.

My gift to you was easy to make this year too: use YULECRAFT18 at checkout to get 10% off everything in TaoCraft Tarot Shop except e-books.

The holidays are spookily in hand this year. I’m here to help you deal with your holiday stress with Distance Tarot, Distance Reiki, and handmade mala and other surprises for out of the ordinary gift ideas. I’m only at ElfCon 5 so all of you hectic Santa’s Helpers…bring on the readings and the relaxings 🙂

Don’t forget: If you contact me and don’t get a reply of some kind within one business day PLEASE try again. I’m closed Sundays and US holidays so please be a little extra patient during those times.

I’m on Telegram now (@TaoCraftTarot) if you want to text privately. The phone only answers daytime business hours (eastern usa time zone) IF I’m not with a client. Otherwise, please leave a voicemail. I get voicemail notices all the time, and that is a pretty reliable way to get through. Ditto for email.

Let the ElfCon Days begin!

3 Card (Pathway) Tarot Reading

Q: You drew a card for me on Halloween which was (and still is!) really meaningful, so lovely to connect with you again. I saw your Instagram post and would love to have you pull a few cards for me if the places haven’t been filled, but no worries if not! Happy to have a reading via the blog 🙂

Sara23Nov18

For ******

November 23, 2018

First of all, thank you so much for your kind words!

I’m always so happy to hear when a reading is helpful….after all, that’s why we do these things! But the same is true as the last reading: If you have any questions, complaints or need any clarification with the reading please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Since you didn’t specify a topic, I’ll just move ahead with an open-to-anything point of view.

Your Cards Today Are:

Background & Context: King of Coins (Pentacles)
Current Situation: Three of Swords
Moving Forward: King of Swords

General Pattern

All cards are minor arcana, which in a layout this small is no real statistical surprise. Intuitively it feels like a bit of reassurance, that nothing really major is stirring the energies for you right now. It is all pretty business as usual more than it’s not. It has a feeling that business as usual for you entails being really good at what you do. Business as usual is kicking butt and taking names from the feel of it. In that vein, it feels like a very plain-talking, no nonsense kind of reading. It also feels like most of the reading energy is pointing toward work and career thoughts, which would go right along with having a coins card right off the bat like that. The repetitions are asking for attention. You have two swords, which connote action, the element of air, intellect and logic, authority, or your connection with society and culture at large. Knit all of that together and my attention is pulled to using cold, calculating intellect when it comes to work, especially when dealing with the authority structure, or any vying for promotions or power within the structure of the workplace. “Power Play” comes to mind along with an old episode of M*A*S*H where the Colonel accuses someone (Frank? Hotlips? Klinger?) of “going over my head so many times I’m getting athletes scalp” I guess the shorthand for that would be watch out for power playing brown nosers at work. The other repetition is the two kings. Kings connote leadership. It feels like the situation may be asking you for leadership, confidence, self-starting, standing up for yourself….even if you are already good at that, it feels like the skills you have will be put through their paces, and you may even be pushed a tiny bit outside your comfort zone in that respect. I ‘hear’ (meaning the intuition comes as words instead of feelings or images) to “Hang on and be brave” There was a great meme about spirit guides (the lady) you (the boy) and a life lesson. Here is the photo part if you want to take a peek: https://goo.gl/images/gdXriU Your guides feel like they are reminding you they won’t lead you anywhere you are not ready to go, but since you are ready…buckle up baby!

Background & Context: King of Coins

This part is the reminder of competence you have, and that you are more than ready to meet leadership challenges at work, or any other part of life, really. The King of Coins as a card connotes wealth and success, so a note of reassurance there again. I hear “build on past skills and successes” I’m not clear whether that means use your skills and knowledge that you have in hand to fullest advantage, to build new skill and expand your knowledge and experience…or both. It doesn’t feel like a job change as much as an expansion of the current situation.

Current Situation: Three of Swords

Classically, this tends to be a bit darker, more dire card across all of the decks and references that I have. Often it will set me off on maternal lecture mode about be safe, keys out, park under lights, and all that usual lecture….but not so much for you today. This feels more petty than malicious. It isn’t the devil or dark side card for good reason. This feels petty, and small, and contained to one aspect of life, like office politics. “Watch out for petty backstabbers” comes to mind. Very office politics, but also heavy on the petty….like an annoying mosquito that can drive you mad if you let it, or just brush it away. The more calm, detached, intellectual and swords / mental-focus the better.

Moving Forward: King of Swords

You know how I read cards…the cards have suit, element, layout position, and general card meaning. But each card, based on all that other stuff, can have a different spin or ‘flavor’ of message; advice (something to consider doing) caution (something to consider avoiding) or validation (acknowledgement, encouragement, cosmic thank you) There has been a lot of validation energy so far. This has a little more of an advice spin. The card feels less like it pertains to you and more like it represents an ally…someone in the hierarchy at work who you can cultivate an working relationship with, who can be a mentor of sorts. “Have your back” comes to mind. Like someone who knows your skills, sees your potential. It feels like it might be literally a male figure of some sort. Does any of this ring a bell for you? I’m not sure how else to understand the card, because it has a not-you but someone who can help you sort of symbolism around it. Beyond that it is dark – meaning no signal, not evil or bad kind of dark. It feels like that is the card or energy telling me that is a singular message from this card….seek out a mentor or ally at work.

Summary

This part is like a psychic “cold reading” where I free form give you any impressions that come to mind. In readings that have a topic or question, this part might connect to that or the cards….or it might not. In an open reading like this one, it just stays in the open frame of mind.

Often it starts with colors, or crystals or both. In this case I see citrine. It associates with the solar plexus chakra, and therefor confidence. Wear or carry it for confidence at work. It also resonates with the King cards, and the coins suit because the golden color has to do with wealth, career, luck and to some extent leadership.

I taste butterscotch, with lemon scent in the background. That might be a continuation of the golden color associations. Butterscotch may symbolize comfort, while lemon in aromatherapy is very cleansing and energizing. Lemon may be important relevant to work, as diffusing some lemon fragrance, lighting a lemon scented candle, or using anything lemon after work might do two things…first it would be a clear transition signal. It could remind you work is done, clear any annoyances or negativity from your day, and let you know to shift into family/home/private life mode. It will also lift your energy…stress or pettiness at work can put an extra drain on your energies. Lemon could help neutralize that and lift your energy after a long day. Don’t use citrus oils on your skin if you will be in sunlight within the next 12 hours…it can cause sun sensitivity. Also don’t put it on your skin if you have autoimmune diseases as it enhances immunity (a good thing in cold/flu season for most people)

And there the energies step back. I hope this helps!

Best Wishes,

Ronda

Thank you

On a day of thanks, I want to thank a friend for their help….

_/|\_ gratitude to friend S. for finding a glitch in the Sending Stones Reiki form!

I updated some settings, and hope that fixes the problem….but as a general rule of thumb, if you contact me through a website contact form, email, voicemail…any way at all really….and you don’t get a response in 24 hours, PLEASE by all means try again. I may not turn around longer readings within hours, but I always return phone calls, emails and such as soon as I possibly can.

My hope is that TaoCraft Tarot will be a full time venture at some point, but the moment it is still part time, and I truly do appreciate all of you and your patience with my schedule. Triple that given the whole adventure in re-branding that has been going on the past couple of months. All gratitude and good thoughts for sticking with me. It is noticed and appreciated!

Happy Thanksgiving all….enjoy your evening

Introductions Are In Order: Reiki (part 2)

Introductions Are In Order: Reiki (part 1)

Reiki is beautiful in its simplicity.

The practitioner uses their hands, intentions and life energy (Reiki) itself as a tool to improve your connection to universal energy. The practitioner doesn’t change or control anything. The session is guided by your own inner physical and spiritual wisdom. The session is a booster shot of energy to clear and repair the connection that you already have in place just by virtue of being alive. The Reiki session simply helps your natural living connection to do what it does just a little bit better. Like upgrading your internet service, Reiki works to improve your connection to the source of life and healing…not magically change anything that is within you already.

Reiki, like Tarot, can happen in person or at a distance. Distance Tarot can happen because I’m not reading you, I’m reading energy flows or listening to spirit messages for you. The connection to your message comes through a bit of intent, through hearing or reading your question, or hearing / reading your permission to keep an open focus. Reiki is the same in that the connection is made through intent, and is not dependent on proximity or touch. Even during an in-person Reiki session, direct touch isn’t necessary. Hands can hover over the body without touching, and still be equally effective.

Sometimes in-person Reiki is called “Level 1” and distance “Level 2”. The levels reflect the order in which we learn the techniques, not anything to do with the quality or intensity of the session. The energy is the same no matter how it is sent and received. It takes a little more skill, practice and understanding to send at a distance than to send through direct touch, so we learn direct touch level 1 first. Neither level is better or worse. Like Tarot, the only real difference is the type of experience you want to have with your Tarot reading. The message is the same at distance as it is in person. In Reiki, the energy is the same either way as well.

With an in-person Reiki session we often add embellishments: Music, aromatherapy, incense or candles and the like. Of course, those things aren’t necessary for the Reiki to do it’s thing, but there is nothing wrong with it either. Those things have a benefit all on their own (especially in the case of aromatherapy) but they enhance the Reiki experience. These extras have their own benefits, they focus our attention, and they give us a tangible signal that something special is happening.

Crystals, minerals and stones have a long history of emotional, spiritual, and even physical healing lore. Crystals are believed to work on an energy resonance sort of model. As one might expect, there is no hard evidence for physical benefits. Even if we understand it as a mind-body stress reducing effect, there is no harm in giving ourselves the small comfort of carrying a pretty stone or wearing a favorite crystal.

In Sending Stones Reiki, crystal lore enhances the level 2 distance experience the same way that music and aromatherapy enhances a level 1 direct session. The crystals have beneficial properties all their own, they give a mental framework to understand how distance Reiki works, plus gives us the tangible signal that something special is happening.

I’ve used this technique that I call “Sending Stones Reiki” for a while now, and have gotten some really nice feedback about it.

“Very soothing”
“I could almost hear your voice”
“I felt like I was being touched by a calming light”
“It felt like the stone was being filled up, like a gas tank”

Because it is something new, and because I would really, really like to hear your feedback, the Reiki session is no charge. I am grateful for this chance to learn more about Reiki and maybe give a little to the way of Reiki by growing the Sending Stones technique. I hope that by removing payment concerns, it gives you the freedom to say whatever you like about the session…just please say SOMETHING.

It does take time to answer emails and sit with the stones, however. I would be grateful for any donations you could give to support this Reiki effort for you and for others. You can donate here.

If you would be interested in giving a Sending Stones Reiki session a try, please contact me through the Reiki tab at the top of the page or with the contact form here