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When most people come to me to have their cards read, some are having relationship issues, some need career advice, others are looking for direction along their spiritual path in life.  

While I certainly do my very best to offer sound advice based on what I see in the cards, there is always one element - one key ingredient - that I have absolutely nothing to do with.  You guessed it, it's ACTION! 

Think about the honeybee.  If he just sat around all day looking at the clover, admiring its' beauty and scent, thinking about maybe flying over and gathering its' nectar, or even flew to the top of the hive to find a wise old bee who shared the secrets of nectar gathering; without actually flying to the flower and doing the work, all that effort is wasted and no honey will ever be made.  

Even with the best intentions, the most planning and strategizing, and the most sound advice, action must be taken in order to manifest our desired outcome. 

So, what have you done TODAY to bring your dreams to life?  The size of the step doesn't matter...as long as you're moving forward! 
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Several of you have asked about my methods of energy clearing for tarot decks.  

Let’s say that you have been using your cards for quite some time now. They have always worked well for you and you feel comfortable reading them.  Then the day comes where they just stop "talking" to you.  Maybe your spreads make no sense; you are seeing card combinations that totally contradict each other.  Maybe the cards feel energetically "heavy" or slow, or you just aren't connecting to them. 

Because tarot cards are energy TOOLS, in using them frequently they can, and do, pick up energy.  With frequent use it's a good idea to clear your decks every one in a while of any energy residue so that they are ready to rock & roll when you are :) 

This is the process I use about every month, or as needed with my cards.

Step 1:  Clear the deck! 

If you are using traditional tarot cards, put the cards in order. You should normally have 4 suits of fourteen cards each which collectively are referred to as the Minor Arcana, plus 22 more cards which collectively represent the Major Arcana, and 78 cards in all.  

If this is a new deck, make sure that you have all the cards and no duplicates.  It is surprisingly common to find extra cards in the decks printed today.  Just make sure that you have all that you should.  If not, you can contact the merchant and they should replace them for you.  When the cards are all in order, by suit, number and arcana, they have been cleared and you can now rest assured that you are playing with a full deck! (sorry, couldn't resist) ...


Step 2:  Cleansing your cards

Like all objects, cards hold energy.  An important part of caring for your cards is keeping them cleansed and free of negative residual energy.

A great technique to rid the cards of residual energy is a Native American spiritual ceremony called “smudging”.  This involves the burning of sacred herbs to produce smoke, which cleanses and carries away any energetic residue that may be clinging to a person, place or object. 

It’s a very good idea to smudge a deck before the first use, even if the cards are new and never removed from the package.  Why?  Because that deck has passed through many hands in the production, packaging and shipping process and you may not want some or all of what they have picked up along the way.  This is very easy to do.  You can purchase a sage smudge stick at any new-age store for under 2 dollars. 

The smudge stick is usually made up of dried sage leaves bundled together and sometimes additional beneficial herbs are added, such as cedar, sweetgrass or lavender.  The sticks should be small, generally about one inch wide by 4-5 inches in length.  These are intended for indoor use.  DON’T buy the larger version, usually called a smudge WAND, as this is for OUTDOOR use and you’ll set off smoke alarms if you use it inside!!!  


The process: 

Sitting down near an open window*, light the smudge stick and allow the end to smolder…there should be no flame at the end and if there is, blow it out.  You only want the smoke.  You can set the smudge in an abalone shell, clean ashtray or fireproof container (lined with salt or sand to prevent scorching the table) so that you have both hands free.  Now take each card and pass it through the smoke.  As you do this, visualize any energy being released and carried away, and being replaced with brilliant white light.  Discard that card and repeat, until each card has been passed through the smoke.  Feel free to use prayer or affirmations at this point, as you see fit.  Extinguish the smudge stick and it’s a good idea to return the cooled ashes to the Earth by tossing them in a garden. 

After this ceremony, you may feel the deck is lighter somehow.  This is normal, and very welcome! 

Now I realize that some people either don’t like the smell of smudge smoke, or can’t burn sage indoors for one reason or another, or maybe are allergic to the smoke.  So an alternative to smudging is to buy kosher salt, which is also inexpensive and can be picked up at your local grocery store.  Pour the salt in the bottom of a lidded container that is larger than your cards.  Place the cards inside a plastic bag so that the salt does not damage them, and lay them on top of the salt.  Pour more salt over the top and sides of the deck, covering the deck.  Close the container and leave  to sit overnight.  In the morning the cards will have been cleared of residual energy and ready to work with.  

*PLEASE exercise care and caution when working with lit smudge.  Lit embers can cause fires or burn tiny holes in your clothes (ask me how I know this)...
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Hey folks!  Now that Mercury is safely direct once again, thought I'd start something NEW. 

For the foreseeable future (pun intended) I will be bringing you beginning readers "Tarot Tips" from time to time.  These tips will be designed for any reader to use and will hopefully help in your studies. 

This week's tip is one of my favorites for beginning students.  All you'll need is a deck of cards with an empty border around the images, and a fine-tip permanent marker in whatever color suits you. 

I recommend completing this exercise with a deck of cards that you are clearly designating as your "learning deck", and definitely NOT a rare or expensive deck.  Why?  I must tell you now that this exercise will involve (GASP!) writing on your cards.  I know, I know.  But trust me, it will be worth it! 

(If you are using a deck that has no border, you may also choose to write on the back of each card instead.)

So here we go: 

1)  Select a card.  (For the sake of teaching you, I have selected a card with great significance to me: the High Priestess card from the Rider-Waite deck.) 

2)  FOCUS on the card.  Decide upon a few key words or phrases that best reflect the meanings of the card to you.  I decided upon "intuition, secrets, hidden realms, mediumship, natural cycles, higher wisdom, the Moon, Persephone, sacred knowledge."  You may also wish to include the elemental connection, astrological association, etc.  Use what works for you. 

3)  Using your marker, and writing as legibly as possible, write those key phrases directly on the card, all along the border.  Allow the writing to dry thoroughly before adding the card to your discard pile. 

4)  Repeat 77 more times! :) 

The purpose of this exercise is to give you immediate access to the basic meanings of each card.  They say that necessity is the mother of invention, and this idea came to me as I was in the beginning stages of learning and grew tired of going from book-to-book in trying to memorize basic meanings for each card.  I thought that if I had the meanings right there on each card, things would make sense a lot quicker.  BOY was this helpful!  


Try it if you're so inclined, and I would love to hear your thoughts afterward :)
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“For the hand that rocks the cradle – is the hand that rules the world”
 ~William Ross Wallace


On Mother’s Day, I am always reminded of the energy of the Empress. Carrying fertile, nurturing energy, the Empress is associated with the continuous cycle of growth from seed to fruit. She is truly the “Earth Mother”.

Within the Empress’ crown are 12 stars, said to represent the 12 signs of the zodiac, the 12 months, or time itself.  She sits upon a comfortable throne and it is assumed that she is very pregnant under her loosely fitting garments.  A heart shaped shield bearing the symbol of Venus sits at her feet, and a gently flowing waterfall, wheat fields, and loads of lush, green foliage surround her.  This shield of Venus is symbolic to love; where there is love, there is protection, and yet the very act of loving makes us vulnerable. 

In terms of Greek mythology, the Empress is associated with the goddess Demeter, who refused to return spring to the Earth until her daughter Persephone was allowed to return to her after being abducted by Hades and taken to the Underworld.

Is there anything a mother (animal or human) wouldn’t do to protect her young?  The minute that each of my children were born I felt such a sense of protection (and immense responsibility); a desire to shelter, comfort and nurture them, and there has never been a sweeter gift than the moment I first laid eyes on them all. 

The Empress card serves as a reminder that the act of creation takes incubation time, patience, love, protection  and nurturing in order to grow and bear fruit, whether it be the creation of an idea, a relationship, a child or even a tree. Remember that like the Empress, we are all pregnant with the promise of unlimited potential!

Fellow moms, grandmothers, aunts, and others in a position to nurture young minds, hearts and souls, I hope that each of you enjoy your Mother’s Day, and that you all take a moment to reflect and give thanks each day for the many gifts of motherhood.   Even through the difficult times, it is our job to NURTURE LIFE! 

What a crucially important job. 
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To Taurus, the Hierophant offers quite the birthday gift:  spiritual wisdom and a sense of “inner knowing” or intuition.  However, with this gift comes great responsibility, and we are reminded that we must practice spiritual discipline and morality, respecting the unwritten laws of nature. 

As the 5th card of the Major Arcana, the title “Hierophant” literally means “the one who teaches the holy things”.  His purpose is to remain patient, steadfast, peaceful and calm in the face of crisis, sharing his wisdom with others.  

In the Hierophant card, we see the image of a religious leader or spiritual guru.  This card is a reminder that we are guided by our spiritual beliefs and traditions, and that we hold the “key” to the secrets we seek to know through our spiritual faith.

Associated with the element of Earth, this wise and practical spiritual leader acts as a liaison between ourselves and God.  It may seem strange at first to consider such a deeply spiritual  figure as being connected to the element of Earth, however, this is not the case when you consider that the Hierophant’s job is to bring the spiritual down to Earth. 

This card is often referred to in older decks as “the Pope” or “High Priest”.  According to Sandra Thomson, author of  “Pictures From the Heart, a Tarot Dictionary”, the term  Hierophant was ”the name of the High Priest of the Greek Elusian mysteries”.  The figure’s right hand is raised as a blessing or benediction.  This hand position is known as a “mudra” and is a symbol of  spiritual well-being. 

Some Key Ideas: Wisdom, mercy, society, religion, tradition, values, morals, beliefs, discipline, peaceful solution to any problem, the answers you seek are within you
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  Throughout the years, clients and students have consistently asked one question more than any other:  "How does Tarot work?"  They want to know the rationality behind the concept of a deck of cards being a roadmap for their potential futures. 

Remember that old saying “a picture is worth a thousand words”?  Well, in the world of Tarot, a single picture is worth an infinite number of words, feelings, and insights.  Speaking strictly from my experiences, these 78 rectangular images are SO much more than cards.  They represent a sacred book without binding, in which the story is constantly changing and evolving as WE change and evolve.  They are mirrors to the soul, as in them, our souls’ desires, needs, and current issues are reflected.  They represent a map of our path and the potential of our future.  In knowing the potential, we can then utilize the gift of free will to work with that energy as much as possible to effectively create our own futures.

One widely accepted theory on the principles of Tarot (and one I concur with) is based on Swiss psychologist Carl Gustav Jung’s concept of synchronicity, which in simplest terms, means “meaningful coincidence”.  As applied to Tarot, this concept suggests that the cards fall as they are supposed to for a particular querent, at a given moment on a given day, for the given question asked, for a particular reader to accurately interpret at that given moment.  That’s a lot of room for error.  And yet, it works!

Tarot cards are a divination tool, an oracle, and some have gone as far as to consider them a wordless scripture.  My personal best description of Tarot is that it is a language all its own; a constantly evolving language of symbolism that is spoken TO the soul and THROUGH the soul.  

If you are interested in learning more about the cards and would like a little help doing so, I invite you to check out my upcoming class which begins on May 7th.  Registration is fast and secure through PayPal and the class takes place over the telephone with 10 participants or less. 

Learn more here.

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"A pearl is a beautiful thing that is produced by an injured life. It is the tear [that results] from the injury of the oyster. The treasure of our being in this world is also produced by an injured life. If we had not been wounded, if we had not been injured, then we will not produce the pearl."

Stephan Hoeller

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You may have noticed I wasn't on the show last week, when Dorothy Anona Morgan was gracious enough to sit in on my behalf. 

Off the air, I have been going through some trying times, in which I have had to come to the aid of another person.  This particular situation has involved complete self-sacrifice, as well as requiring me to exercise the ability to see things from a unique perspective.  In tarot terms, I have had to surrender all control of the situation to God and embrace the lessons of the Hanged Man, as well as face the energies present in the Tower and Death cards.  The lessons I've learned along this journey are ones of love, faith, hope, deep gratitude and sacrifice.  In short, it has been extremely draining and challenging from every standpoint.  

Thankfully this difficult period is now coming to a close. Do I have regrets?  Not a one.  Why?  Because tough times show us exactly what we're made of.  They bring us closer to God and show us His power.  They remind us that we are never alone, and that sometimes we are only in control of so much (our actions, and our reactions). 

Which brings me to the topic at hand.  Honoring our spirit in trying times.  I'm talking about those times when life throws the really hard stuff at us, such as the death of a loved one, serious illness, or other major struggles and losses.  These are all events that affect us on a profound spiritual level.  They engage our souls.  The trouble is that while we are processing trauma, we still must take care of the mundane details of our lives in order to survive in this physical world.  The dishes have to be washed, laundry must be done, trash must be taken out, we still have to plan and prepare meals, go to work and pay the bills. Unfortunately the world just doesn't stop when we need to lick our wounds.  

Thought I'd share some coping mechanisms that I have
personally found very helpful:

Meditation
This is a hands-down cure-all in my book.  It can be as simple as taking a few cleansing breaths and clearing the mind of all conscious thought for a moment.  

Deep breathing
To breathe is to live! Here are some wonderful exercises to try.

Prayer 
Prayer to a Higher source helps to reinforce the concept of being part of something much larger, and through prayer we can surrender our troubles by placing the situation in the hands of God. 

Be grateful 
Having an "attitude of gratitude" works wonders!  What are you grateful for?  Focus on areas of life that are positive, and in doing so you will align yourself to receive more positivity in return.

Ask for help
Seek the advice, comfort and support of family, friends, or clergy.  Know your support system.

Take care of your body
Particularly at stressful times, it is helpful to avoid fatty, fried, or processed foods, as well as alcohol, caffeine and sugar.  Drink plenty of water and try to eat as healthy as possible.  Proper rest and exercise are also tremendously helpful in coping with stress. 

Journaling
The potential for great healing lies in journaling.  Writing about the situation, as well as your feelings toward it, can bring a great sense of release. 

      So how do YOU honor your spirit during the difficult times?   
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