Samhain - The Steampunk Way

Halloween Spread from HERE.  

S = Self (Where I am now)
A = Ambition (Where I would like to be)
M = Motivation (What drives me)
H= Hopes and Expectations (What I would like to achieve)
A = Adjustment I need to make (An area that needs special attention)
I = Idea (to consider)
N = Next step   

I don't like to lay my cards out in odd positions, so I am just going to lay them out to fit in the picture. :)

The Tarot that I used is Steampunk Tarot by Charissa Drengsen. 

The focus of the reading sort of took it's own turn, and is centered around a blooming relationship. 

S = Self (Where I am now) 

2 of cups: This is the card of love and partnership. I am currently opening myself up to allow love into my life again after a long period of being single. I am in the process of taking a friendship with a childhood companion to the next level. I am uncertain of where & when it may occur but remain optimistic. :)

A = Ambition (Where I would like to be)

Page of cups: I am in no hurry, and quite complacent with where I am at the moment. As like the woman in the card, barefoot and enjoying her surroundings. I am allowing my prospects of love to flow naturally and appear as they are suppose to be. I have faith that all will be well.

M = Motivation (What drives me)

7 of wands: Envy, admiration and a little recklessness seems to be what motivate me. I have always danced to my own music in my head, and enjoy shocking others with what I will do next. I think that since I haven't seen my potential new boyfriend in quite some time now, I am aiming to impress him. 

H = Hopes (What I would like to achieve) 

The Star : This card is hope its self. I wish to display all the cheerful fun things that are on the inside of me, on the outside of me. I want a balance of love and essential happiness. I feel that I have been patient and deserve these things. I look forward to being me again, and enjoying my life, but not alone. Instead - in a partnership with a man that I love. 

A = Adjustments (An area that I need to pay attention to)

Queen of swords : This card is about calmness, strength and holding forth. A lot of times I am 'in my own head' and forget to breathe. I over analyze situations. Since this relationship is bound to be long distance for a while, I will have to come to terms with this and find strength. I have not been in a relationship in quite a few years, so I don't see this as being too difficult. I will just have to realign my thinking & remember that men are simple creatures. LOL

I = Idea (to consider) 

Ace of swords : This card is about an idea, a triumph or time of discovery. It reminds me of the raw power that is inside of me, and how I can use it to benefit myself while the relationship is long distance. Mind over matter. (I still have a weight loss goal to accomplish) perhaps our time apart can motivate me to step it up.

N = Next Step

8 of pentacles : There is time for mastery of skill. Self-discipline and staying focused on productivity can result in major achievements both physically and mentally. All will be worth the effort.  :)

June Thru October Lakota Yearly Reading Updates

I did a yearly reading that can be viewed here.

I am going to post what was predicted & what happened. I am a little behind, so I am going to put June - October all on this blog entry. :) Keeping track for personal growth & to determine whether or not I will use this spread again in the future.

June Prediction:
There will be some success and reward this month and a fulfilled wish. I hope it is about money! Decisions will be made, and answers given. Someone new enters my life. Hmmm... this ought to be interesting. :) This months virtue is about generosity.

What happened:

My success and reward for the month of June was getting off my butt and walking daily. I have been a hermit for a few years now, and made it a point to get out daily and drop a few extra pounds. I was successful in losing ten pounds and ten inches total from different areas of my body. No one new entered my life, but I did get in touch with an old friend and we were able to set our differences aside. Generosity was both given and received, not only with my reconciliation with a friend, but also with my being kinder to my body.

July Prediction:

The cards urge me to be cautious this month, they do not say why. This months virtue is about humility.

What happened:

I continued my walking daily, but did not lose anymore weight. I definitely learned to be humble about my bragging!! That and my walking partner likes to talk my ear off me, so I did a lot of listening and not talking. LOL

August Prediction:

A successful contract, or an optimistic offer. Crossing my fingers it's a good job! I will be tempted this month to do something I would not normally do out of extreme boredom. This made me laugh. :) This months virtue is about compassion.

What Happened:

I got a part time job! I was actually offered two of them. I took the one, but not the other because of a sneaky contract and a lot of things in it that made me feel uncomfortable. Out of boredom, I started a new Tarot deck. The virtue of compassion, well ... my daughter had a couple different things going on during August, so I suppose it was about that.

September Prediction:

This month is about taking risks. It suggests some travel along with love and happiness. This has me wondering. This months virtue is about bravery.

What happened:

Bravery - for sure. Getting out of my normal 'hermit' lifestyle and jumping into a job that requires me to be out and around others. I luck out that it doesn't require a lot of being around others though. That way I can take things slowly and work my way up to a job that may be more in the public than this one later. I did some travel to take classes for this part time position. It was fun.

October Prediction:

The end to delays that have been in my life. There will be outings and fun, and partnerships. This months virtue is about love.

What happened:

Outings - only to work. As for fun, I involved myself more with a group on facebook. I have learned a lot and met some great friends. Love - yes! Definitely that. :) My friend whom I spoke of HERE, has professed his love for me, and I am thrilled about it. Crossing my fingers that it goes somewhere. He messaged me and asked if we could make this thing happen before middle aged life took all his hair and teeth. LOL He has a wonderful sense of humor. I adore him for it. Maybe good things are worth waiting for. Delays are finally moving. Perhaps I always knew they would? Maybe that is why I haven't committed to another relationship for so long? *What I have forgotten to tell you is that he has always liked me, but I would not date him for personal reasons. I felt he needed to do a lot of growing up before I gave him my heart. We settled into being best friends instead. Or maybe it was more me who settled? He always wanted more, and I wasn't sure that I did until I wasn't able to talk to him for a year!*

Oh, I met another guy prior to this happening, but I wasn't that into him. 

The Magician & his Shadow

Tarot Shadow Series

The Magician

Today I am going to talk about the Magician and his shadows when using the Tarot for shadow work. The Magician is the bridge between the spirit world, and the human world. Usually when he makes an appearance in a reading, you have a lot of creative forces present in your life and some major changes are taking place. You have the opportunity to take the power of the Universe and use it to manifest your desires. Usually this card is a strong symbol of optimism, but let us look at the shadows.

In more times than not, The Magician can be about you pushing for changes too soon. Sometimes we just can't find the patience that we need to wait for something so we try to force it to happen now. We can easily imagine this being true when we think of a young girl learning witchcraft. She is eager to get straight to learning how to perform spells, because she wants that guy to notice her now, not later. She has no desire to learn about the history of witchcraft or the 'bad things' that can happen if she casts a spell incorrectly. As a result, she ends up asking how to cast a spell later to get rid of him. LOL

It is one of those, 'be careful what you wish for' things. Details are just as important as the goal its self. 

Another one of The Magicians shadows is feeling superior to others. Like he can do anything, and better than anyone else. There is something about holding a wand that makes him feel majestic and larger than life. He is an opportunist and takes full advantage of his surroundings, making his own self happy despite others. This too can be seen in a young witch, manipulating circumstances to suit themselves. 

If The Magician comes up in reverse and you are doing shadow work, he can possibly be showing his weaknesses to you. Maybe he lacks inspiration and is living his life randomly. His focus is gone and he is just living from one day to the next. Perhaps he is looking for you to help him make a plan for his future.

Just things to consider when doing shadow work. Stay tuned for The High Priestess and the things that lurk in her shadows.

Blessed Be.

Blessed Mabon 2014

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Blessed Mabon 

The topic for this Mabon's blog hop is about a moment when the Tarot became more to me than just cards, and text book meanings. That moment when the pictures all started to make sense to me. My aha moment! 

Housewives Tarot

I'm not going to lie, this took a bit of thinking. At first I wasn't sure I had an "aha moment" with them. I have been reading these things since I was 13 years old, so my memory bank really had to be weeded out to get to the root of this question. And let me tell ya, there was a lot of stuff in my head! A total "Housewives Tarot" scene over here. If you were peeking in my window, you would have seen the weirdest expression on my face - like a brain strain. The vein popping out of the middle of my forehead and all. ;)

As a young teenager, I had no internet. In fact, it didn't come about until after I was already graduated from high school. So back then, I had like one book that I could use, one deck of cards, and a little white book that came with them. So, I dare say I struggled a bit through my first hundred readings or so. That and the fact that those I read for were my age, and none of us really had too much going on in our lives just yet. Our piggy banks were empty, we had no jobs and our love lives were pretty pathetic too. My dad was pretty set on not letting me date till I was 35, and my friends were pretty much in the same boat. 

It wasn't until about age 19 that our lives were more complicated and we would discover that being an adult wasn't all that it was chalked up to be. At this time I had spread my wings, and moved in with a guy and played house for a while. We were arguing and he suggested that I should go visit a friend for a few days so that we could have some time apart. It seemed like a good option because he really had no place to go himself. I packed a bag, called my friend, and away I went. But all the way there, I felt sick to my stomach. I tried having dinner while I was at my friend's house, but it didn't seem to help any. 

After a few hours of being unsettled, we decided to take out my Tarot cards and do a reading. While shuffling the cards, I realized that I had forgotten my book, and my little white book too. How the heck was I going to read without it? Deciding to continue the reading anyway, I spread the cards out on the bed and looked at them. The first image that caught my eye was the 3 of swords, and of course my heart sank and skipped a beat. The next card that caught my eye was the 7 of swords. I picked up the card and looked at it closely, then described it out loud to my friend. It was that very second that I had an "aha moment." The guy on the card was a thief. He was robbing someone and taking all that he could carry with him, paying no mind to the things he couldn't carry.   

Mosaic Dream Tarot

The cards that appeared thereafter were pretty darn easy to read after that! I knew right then and there that my boyfriend wasn't just taking alone time, but instead he was celebrating my absence with another girl. I confirmed it when my friend took me home. We snuck around to the backside of the house to where my bedroom window was. When I peeked in, there he was - cheating. I won't tell you what happened next because I'm not sure this site is set up for rated - R movies. LOL! But I can tell you that I did take the curtains with me when I left, and I told him he could keep the bed because I'd never sleep in it again. 

So - that was my "aha moment" with the Tarot. Sad as it seems, it was a lesson learned and a whole new way of looking at my cards! After I got over the whole shock of the event, I realized that I really had a gift for reading them, and my accuracy with that one reading boosted my confidence thereafter. 

My Mabon Reading 2014

I found a nice Mabon Spread here. Above is a picture of my reading. I am using my new Mosaic Dream Tarot deck. In the middle I drew a Goddess card to show which Goddess is going to step forth to help me through the Autumn season this year. Eve appeared. :)

Eve is the mother and nurturer of all life. She is the creator of the world and all living beings. Lady of the beast, and steward of all growing things. She represents rebirth and regeneration. She is the primal female creative energy. She creates and sustains life. She is life itself. - This comforts me because I could sure use her creative energy in my life right now!

Position one: What am I harvesting? - 3 of swords.

I am harvesting optimism and the ability to forgive people for past hurts. This is really a big thing for me. I have been hurt a lot, and often because I am such a kind hearted person. I have been carrying it around with me for years, but it's finally starting to feel like dead weight. I think I am ready to release it now. I am ready to start being more optimistic & accomplish things that I have failed to before due to lack in confidence.  

Position two: What projects are coming to fruition? - The Sun rx.   

I have experience setbacks that have damaged my enthusiasm in the past, but I feel this card is illuminating a path to turn things around for myself. I have some projects in mind, and this just might be what I need to bring forth the fruits of my labor. Since I never view the sun as a negative card, any obstacles that come up can be resolved with a little effort. 

Position three: What should I be most thankful for this past year? - 3 of wands rx.

I attempted to embark on a journey that became a little overwhelming to me this past year. After working along with it steadily, I felt like I wasn't getting where I wanted to be fast enough, so I stopped in the middle. This card is reminding me that I made it to the "middle" and even if I restart, I will be able to pick up where I left off instead of starting from the beginning again! I need to be thankful for how far I did make it, and be proud of myself for the effort that I made. It wasn't easy.

Position four: Where do I need balance in my life? - 3 of pentacles. 

More planning and organization! Who doesn't need this? I fear a lot of the time, I am not using my minutes wisely or getting enough done in a day. I procrastinate terribly. 

Position five: What preparations do I need to make for winter? - 6 of cups.

Since I have been redecorating my home, and trying to get into a more healthy life style, I feel this card is telling me to find my inner child that makes me happy, and bring her forward. I feel this card is urging me to do so because winters in NY can be very cold and isolating. Without my inner child, depression can easily take over again. By finishing up my plans to redecorate, and become more physically healthy I will be helping myself to keep that fun loving, happy inner child feeling alive. This makes a lot of sense to me. 

This reading has given me a lot to think about. In the meantime, I hope all of you who are here visiting my blog today have yourselves a blessed Mabon! Celebrate with wine. :D  

image from redmoonmusings.com

Mabon

Other Names: Autumn Equinox, Harvest Home, Pagan Thanksgiving
Date: September 21 (there about)
Celebration of: The God now sleeps within the womb of the Goddess
Colors: Dark Brown and Red
Symbols: Harvest Foods
Notes: Second harvest festival. Celebration of thanks for the crops that were harvested. Dark overtakes the light.


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The Fool & his Shadow

Tarot Shadow Series

The Fool

I thought I would start a little series on Tarot Shadows. Each card has it's 'good & bad' side, the same as each person having their light & dark sides. 

When we learn to accept that we have these various sides of ourselves, we begin to make sense of our lives, and can live them more fully. 

Want to know about the sides of yourself that you need to fix or become conscious of? Shuffle your Major Arcana, and draw a card. I will be listing the different 'shadows' of each of the 22 cards in this series helping you identify with your selected cards. 

I am only going to list opposing sides of the cards, and not get into too much detail during these posts, but if you would like to know more about Tarot Shadow work, I highly recommend this book: "Tarot Shadow Work: Using the Dark Symbols to Heal" by Christine Jette.  

I want to start with The Fool.  The Fool's soul purpose is trusting life. He has ventured out on his own, beginning a new phase in his life. He is excited to start something, and views his life as an adventure. He trusts that things will turn out the way that they are suppose to. This is the part of him that is still innocent and positive. But there is a shadow side of him.  

The shadow or the darker side of The Fool is that he really is a bit gullible. The idea that he only has a small pack of clothes on his back and believing that things will 'just be okay' for him, makes him a bit irresponsible.

Is he just expecting that he can stop wherever he feels like it, and sleep rent free on someone's couch? Does he think that other's will supply him with what he needs when he opens up that little pack of clothes, and realizes that he doesn't have enough in it? 

What about feeding his seemingly domesticated dog? He can't possibly have all that he needs for this venture. Does he think he can just stop along the way, work for the day to earn money and then travel on after he gets what he wants? This would certainly be a lack, or even a fear of commitment too. I can't imagine The Fool caring about much else but himself. 

In a reading, if The Fool comes up in reversal during shadow work - he might even be too serious at times. Maybe he has trouble connecting to his inner child, and doesn't have enough fun in life. Maybe he is too afraid to take risks, and his life never goes anywhere.

These are all things to consider if you use the Tarot for shadow work. Each of the majors will be discussed in this series. Stay tuned, for The Magician next. :)

Blessed Be.

It's Hump Day !!

Happy Hump Day All !!

I pulled a quick reading for you. The beginning of the week may have you feeling disoriented or full of regret, but the sun is here to lend a little energy to help you through the rest of the week. It reminds you to do something nice for yourself, even small pleasure can be big with rejuvenation! The ace is proof of that. A cup full instead of half empty! :)




Above is the Mosaic Dream Tarot by yours truly.

Blessed Be.

Aren't I crafty? :)

Reading By Bridgett