Tag: mysteries

YouChoose Interactive Tarot: Merry Happy Everything

Happy Merry Everything!

If the worlds belief systems were Venn diagrams, there would be a lot of overlap this time of year. Light overcoming darkness, the triumph of human spirit over adversity, days literally becoming longer are core themes within every solstice season celebration. As I see it, that is where attention and energy and celebration are best focused – on the shared, universal, deep, primal underlying humanity of it all. Although you won’t see me turning down any mulled wine or Christmas cookies regardless of the reason they were made. It makes happy to know the fixins for some soft gingerbread cookies are waiting in the kitchen. And yes, the lights are lit on the tree even though it is broad daylight just because.

Not much by way of announcements. Email readings are open for the holidays. Order anytime 24/7. Am also working on some “Mindful Moments” bracelets to photograph and list in the shop

Before we get to this week’s cards, Happiest Holidays to everyone, everywhere. Wishing you health, safety and prosperity at the solstice and all the year.

Left: Page of Cups. One of my favorite cards 🙂 Traditionally, the fish in the cup is said to represent the mysteries of the deep soul and psyche. I like the playful happy quality the artwork takes on with the Witches Tarot, used here. Mark Evans’ artwork is far and away some of my favorite. The Pamela Smith artwork gives the card a sort of conversational quality. When you think about it, having conversation with a fish in a cup is a little bit absurd. Roll with it. See the humor. A spoonful of humor brings out the light in almost any situation. If you can’t see beyond the mystery or the misery of a situation, maybe find the humor in it if you can instead.

Center: King of Pentacles. Any day above ground is a good one, any little thing is a win. Have toilet paper? Win! Scraped together dinner? Win! Found a moment for a cup of coffee (or a beer, or whisky) Win! Things held together with bubble gum and baling twine are, nevertheless, together. Make the most of what you have on hand then lead your merry band of misfits (a bit of Robin Hood energy here) into a place of celebrating and enjoying whatever-it-is that you have. If you are the one who popped the top off of the can of spam, you still are founder of the feast and qualify to enjoy the moment as much as anyone. Whether other people follow your lead or not, whether there is another living soul around or not, make the most of what you have and enjoy the celebration. Make merry in your heart, just like that big old red clad ghost of Christmas present in that version of “A Christmas Carol” that always seems to be on TV this time of year. Cheers to you!

Right: The High Priest. This is one of the major arcana cards I tend to wrangle with a bit. And it is one of the other reasons I like this deck so much. The Marseille deck among others calls this the Pope, which makes sense given the Catholic church’s dominance in the countries where Tarot first evolved, Italy and France. Pamela Smith’s classic artwork for the card fuels that specific religious association and imagery despite using the more general term Hierophant (defined by Oxford Languages as “a person, especially a priest in ancient Greece, who interprets sacred mysteries or esoteric principles.”) The name High Priest is, in my opinion, much more in keeping with the Hierophant name and the intent of the card. I’m going on about the hair splitting semantics because it makes a point about the cards energy for the week.

Vesak, Hannuka, Diwali have all happened recently. Today is the winter solstice and Yule. Secular and religious Christmas, Festivus, and the start of Kwanzaa are coming up this week. Sure, it’s never good to slavishly follow traditions if they have become detrimental. There is something laudible about making up your own, or bending old traditions to suit new beliefs and circumstances. By the same token, there is no reason to discard old established traditions if they are harmless, meaningful or a comfort. If there is any little tradition that makes you feel comforted or happy then yes, if at all possible, indulge. In the middle of chaos and crazy is precisely where repetition and tradition does the most good.

Whatever your Holiday, wherever and whenever you celebrate – or don’t – I wish you a safe and happy week. Merry Happy Everything!

This Best be Coffee in this Darn Goblet

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Steampunk Tarot by Barbara Moore and Aly Fell General permissions via http://www.Llwellynpublishing.com

I miss the fish.

Steampunk Tarot deck is the first deck I’ve received as a gift. It is a treasure for that reason, as I treasure the loved ones who gave it to me.

I’ve kept it for special readings, but lately have been doing the daily meditation / card-a-day exercise to get better acquainted with the deck. It is interesting. No disrespect to Ms. Moore, but it seems like I get a different message from the cards than she does, which is precisely the power and beauty of tarot. It speaks to all of us wherever we are at the time, and like the Oracle in The Matrix, tells us what we most need to hear. This is one of those cards and meanings that have followed me through time and from deck to deck to deck, whatever the little (or not so little) white (or not so white) book that comes with the deck might say.

The deck is great, but in this case I miss the fish. There are lots of decks and lots of page of cups cards without a fish in the artwork. But c’mon….a fish in a cup. There has to be comedy gold in there somewhere. This page still makes me smile with that under-caffinated, not a morning person, mopey, snarky, deadpan look on her face. If this card could talk, I imagine she would sound like Lydia in Beetlejuice.

I know, I know…the fish is the mysteries of the deep and the page of cups is associated with learning intuition, emerging psychic ability, imagination, sensitivity, kindness….

But who says any of that stuff has to be pedantic, serious and deep all of the time? Who says you have stare at your fish with a straight face? Every deck, whether it has a fish or not, has that same undercurrent. Behind all of the psychic learning and spiritual growth is a smile and a reminder to find the humor in everything, even intuition and spirituality.

So cheers! Here is to the fish in our lives and the coffee in our morning goblets. Enjoy!