Monday 31 March 2014

Tarot Tip Tuesdays - Code Of Ethics

Whether you are new to Tarot and in the throes of building a connection with your Tarot cards or an advanced Tarot reader diligently honing your Tarot reading skills, I am putting out a Tarot tip a week to help you to consistently make Tarot a part of your everyday life.



So here goes your Tarot Tip for this Tuesday:

The code of ethics is a critical foundation of a tarot reader’s practice.  If you are intending to read tarot professionally, do draft  a set of code of ethics to which you should firmly adhere. When I had set up my consultancy, Sun Goddess Tarot, I did just that and mine went like this:
1) I will only speak the truth from what I have read in the cards
2) I will not judge you whatever the outcome of the reading may be
3) I will provide my sincere advice in the hope that you can uncover possible solutions to your situation
4) I will not accept questions related to lottery or other luck-based games
5) I will not offer any advice outside the scope of my expertise including financial, legal, religious and medical advice
Also, do ask for the code of ethics from your local or international Tarot community like the American Tarot Associstion (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI)  if you do have a membership to one.   
Whether you drafted your own or followed the code of ethics set by your Tarot community, always precede your Tarot readings by clearly stating your code of ethics to your clients.
I would never promise my clients that I could answer any questions they wanted, when they came to see me for a Tarot reading.  Clearly, not all questions could be answered with Tarot cards.  Moreover,  there are some questions that could border on crossing the boundaries within which my code of ethics as a certified professional Tarot reader had been set.  

Some examples of these are questions about pregnancy or surgery.  If you want to know how an impending surgery would pan out, or if you could ever get pregnant or when you could get pregnant or worse, what sex the baby may be, please do visit a qualified medical practitioner.  

Other examples includ financial/investment related questions  and questions pertaining to outcomes of legal issues.  If these are looming in my client's head, I would ask him or her to consult a qualified financial advisor or a lawyer respectively.

Above and beyond these, confidentiality is key.  As Tarot readers, we have a responsibility to our clients to ensure what had been discussed at the table remained at that table.  There is an unspoken trust between a client and the reader which should not be violated either way.

Over time, when you govern the line of questions that a client might ask with your code of ethics, you would find it much easier to focus on being advice-centric with your readings and there would be greater transparency when it comes to managing expectations between your client and yourself.

May your Tarot cards provide you with a full deck of possibilities throughout your day.


About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She was awarded a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America (TCBA) and is also a certified numerologist.  She is currently running a Tarot consultancy based in Singapore called Sun Goddess Tarot,  which provides confidential intuitive readings combining the metaphysical disciplines of Tarot, Numerology and Astrology via face to face and emails as well as readings at corporate and private events and workshops.  A member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), she is also a reader for the Free Tarot Network and mentors Tarot protégés on behalf of the American Tarot Association

Website: www.sungoddesstarot.com
Email:  Joanna@sungoddesstarot.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SunGoddessTarot

Saturday 29 March 2014

The Reluctant Empath

To Be Able To Feel So Deeply Is Both A Blessing And A Curse

I have been constantly feeling drained.  This had been happening for years, and I used to think that that was caused by a life of poor diet, insufficient sleep and work stress.  However, several years later, after fixing my health issues with a daily dose of balanced nutrition, some physical activity like yoga, brisk walk or sessions with the personal trainer at the gym, my health was back on the mend but my constant exhaustion seemed to get worse.


I also noticed that my  "gut feeings" got increasingly more sensitive.  I often accurately picked up sentiments, or issues that someone else was facing just after a few minutes of talking to him or her.  I sometimes picked up on a pain or an ailment that a friend living far away might be suffering from just because I thought about her at a particular moment or was communicating wth her via Facebook at that time,  When a friend told me that her uncle had passed away a few months ago, I suddenly felt that I was being choked and could not breathe,  I was told later that her uncle died of breathing complications.  When a client told me that her sister had passed away, I felt a sudden pain at the back of my head and found out later that her sister had died of brain tumor.  More importantly, in circumstances like these, I often felt a cord of bereavement and sadness tied between these friends and their loved ones who had passed on, and it was obvious that they had difficulty letting go.  I went into panic attacks when I felt the fear, anxiety or disappointment that my clients were going through.  These situations were often so intense that I did not need my Tarot cards to tell me more about them.

These, and many other observations I had gleaned about myself over the years became more intense this year and It was through conversations with similarly intuitive friends and  mentors that I found out that I was an Empath.   To read up more about an Empath, do read the article here : http://theknowing1.wordpress.com/2011/07/01/at-a-glance-30-traits-of-an-empath/

It became a curse when I found it difficult to control the negative energies that I took on from others. It drained me considerably when I felt the pain and sufferings of other people.  I felt like a hypochondriac, developing imaginary aches and pains that were not actually there in my body. Or I might feel low and depressed because I saw the anguish of a friend's brother for example, through her eyes although she lived in the US and I lived in Singapore.   I felt her pain of not knowing how to help him, while at the same time I felt her brother's anxiety and anger that he had been going through.  I gleaned all that without her providing me the details and I spent a day nursing a migraine and back pain because of this.

It became a bigger curse as my very close friends and colleagues were aware of my gift of clairvoyance and mediumship, and would diplomatically tell me, "keep it to yourself".  I have even got friends who were uncomfortable about having a nice quiet dinner with me just because they "don't want to know."

However, just as it was a curse, It became a blessing when I realized my empathy helped me understand my clients' life journeys enough for me to help support them along the way.  Being an Empath helped me feel what they felt within their situations and understand them better.  Being a psychic Empath helped me focus on the root cause of their situations and provide them with better advice to deal with them.

 Learning To Be Gentle With Myself

When I realized that I needed to quickly learn to control and manage my intuitive gifts positively, I began a search for answers.  Yesterday, the most important thing I had learnt was encapsulated in the words of Danielle Dove -  "the best way of getting rid of my feelings of insecurity, was to get on my path of serving my life purpose".  My feelings of insecurity had always been a stumbling block, a hurdle placed across my path by my ego.  My insecurity reared it's ugly head when I feared how others thought about me or worse, I was so worried that when I interpreted anything based on my gut feel, it could  be wrong because my rational mind started to analyze it and mentally build a business case for what could explain that gut feel in practical terms.

So this week, I learnt to be gentle on myself. I learnt to acknowledge my intuitive gifts, and more so, I learnt to acknowledge some of the pitfalls of my gifts like the insecurities, the constant drain on my energy and the pains or sadness I had absorbed from other people.  I asked myself then, "What were these experiences attempting to teach me and what purpose did they have for their existence before sending them some love and light for healing.  

I learnt to take care of myself better,  I rested when the body and mind told me it needed rest to recharge and recuperate.  I learnt to listen more intently to my clients and look beyond the Tarot Cards, Numerology and Astrology for more insights that could help offer them even better advice.  I learnt to meditate with better focusedness and clearer intent, visualizing what I had intended to manifest at the end of the meditation session.  I learnt to ask for help from the Universe for everything, shedding away my ego and my pride.   When I needed help to stay grounded when it got all too much for me, my mind and body automatically went on "rest" mode.  When I felt a calling to sink my feet deep within the grass, I would gather the dogs and go out for a walk by the beach.   


Guided By The Empress

Today, I meditated to the Empress card.  I picked the card from the Radiant Rider Waite deck.   The Empress depicted within the card wore a crown of stars which suggested her connection to the mystical realm of angels and spirit guides.  She had an intuitive connection to the divine which allowed her to tune in to the messages she needed to fill the earth with her love and abundance.  It was a message for me to tune into my higher self  and trust the messages it provided that was necessary for the healing of my clients and myself.   The Empress was full-bodied and pregnant, dressed in a rich robe with images of pomegranates printed on her robe.  This hinted to me that I had to be ready for the birth of a new aspect of myself, a new awareness of my capabilities and what it could do for my clients and myself.  The Empress sat amongst lush greenery.  She was an archetypal earth mother, very connected with nature.  She called to me to be grounded and renew my spirit by re-connecting with nature regularly.  I needed that. When it got all too much for me, I needed to go walk barefoot in the park and feel the wind in my face.

The Empress was governed by the planet Venus which was the planet of love and harmony.  She reminded me that I must always come from a place of pure intent, directing my gifts to serve only the highest good, in love, truth and light.  I must trust my instincts and my intuition, even without the use of my Tarot cards, my Numerological calculations or my Astrological assessments.  I had to learn to create harmony of body, mind and spirit within myself so that I could better help others. 

The Empress guided me  to learn to trust my own capabilities to manifest healing with my gifts as an Empath.



About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She was awarded a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America (TCBA) and is also a certified numerologist.  She is currently running a Tarot consultancy based in Singapore called Sun Goddess Tarot,  which provides confidential intuitive readings combining the metaphysical disciplines of Tarot, Numerology and Astrology via face to face and emails as well as readings at corporate and private events and workshops.  A member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), she is also a reader for the Free Tarot Network and mentors Tarot protégés on behalf of the American Tarot Association

Website: www.sungoddesstarot.com
Email:  Joanna@sungoddesstarot.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SunGoddessTarot
Blog: http://sungoddesstarot.blogspot.com


The Empress from the Radiant Rider Waite Tarot deck updated by Virginijus Poshkus

Monday 24 March 2014

Tarot Tip Tuesdays - Keep Questions Focused

Whether you are new to Tarot and in the throes of building a connection with your Tarot cards or an advanced Tarot reader diligently honing your Tarot reading skills, I am putting out a Tarot tip a week to help you to consistently make Tarot a part of your everyday life.



So here goes your Tarot Tip for this Tuesday:


When you do a reading for friends or clients, you might get a request and not a question, that goes like this, " Tell me what I need to know about my career."  Another one I get sometimes is, "What do I need to know about this year?"  

I find these generic questions rather meaningless and not helpful at all especially when the intent and purpose of Tarot cards are meant to be used for providing options that one could use to make decisions to influence his or her own desired outcomes.

Tarot is a powerful tool, but it must be used properly and with respect, not only for the knowledge it contains but for its ability to connect with the deepest recesses of our inner wisdom.  Although Tarot cards can be successfully used to answer mundane or practical questions, its highest value is as a guide to genuinely help people who are going through real adversities in their lives.  That is why I always ask clients to provide a specific question focused on an aspect of their lives or on a pressing issue that they may have, so that the Tarot cards can provide a focused answer to help support their journeys as they manage trying situations.

So when you come across questions like these, please be proactive about helping your clients  rephrase them.  And do explain to them why you are doing so.  Remember, a generic question illicits a generic advice for the client.  He or she would not want that I suspect.

Ask the client as many questions as possible to get him or her to focus on a pressing issue.  For example, instead of a generic question like "What should I know about my career?"  Perhaps, the question could be rephrased as " What are the key obstacles within this job and how can I manage them?" or "What advice can Tarot provide to help me deal with my difficult boss?" 

A Tarot reading session should be a two-way dialogue.  So make sure that that dialogue supports your client's quest to get the most out of a reading with you, and obtain better insights and advice that he or she needs most.  


May your Tarot cards provide you with a full deck of possibilities throughout your day.


About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She was awarded a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America (TCBA) and is also a certified numerologist.  She is currently running a Tarot consultancy based in Singapore called Sun Goddess Tarot,  which provides confidential intuitive readings combining the metaphysical disciplines of Tarot, Numerology and Astrology via face to face and emails as well as readings at corporate and private events and workshops.  A member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), she is also a reader for the Free Tarot Network and mentors Tarot protégés on behalf of the American Tarot Association

Website: www.sungoddesstarot.com
Email:  Joanna@sungoddesstarot.como
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SunGoddessTarot



Wading Into The Deeper End Of My Intuition

Being A Heart-Centered Intuitive Advisor

The best thing my mentors have taught me through the years, was not to be the best Tarotist, Numerologist and Astrologer, but to be a heart-centered intuitive advisor.   Armed with the necessary skills and  certifications in multiple metaphysical disciplines and years of experience as an intuitive reader, I thought that there was just so much that I can learn and I have already got the necessary "tools" to provide my clients with the help and advice that they needed. 

However, I was so wrong because I could never stop learning.  Even when I had been juggling so many commitments and had not had the time to  pursue more courses, the right courses just fell on my lap either by chance, or through recommendations from my peers.  One such course was Danielle Dove’s and Karina Ladet’s Spirit Guide And Angel Connection Virtual Retreat.

 Embarking On A Retreat To Feed My Intuition

I was introduced to this retreat through a fellow Tarotist.  When I read a high-level write-up about the course, I bristled immediately with fear.  As a Roman Catholic, I understood the concept of angels and archangels, but what on earth were spirit guides?  I had only learnt later that my guides were sent to me at specific moments of my life whenever I needed a special helping hand.   I am so convinced that one of my guides is my great grandmother who had passed on several years ago. I was very close to her when I was a child and I still feel very connected to her.   In the past, I had always read my Tarot cards in a way whereby I had not invoked any spirit guides or angels or anything that “crossed the line”  into realms that I might not be able to explain to my clients with conviction and clarity.  I remembered telling my clients that  “I just read my Tarot cards by making a connection between my intuition, your situation and my interpretation of the card images and symbolisms.”   On hindsight, I could not believe the egotistical arrogance I had carried myself with as an intuitive reader.   

That ego was the focal point of my negative cords I was forced to cut this weekend so that I could further hone my intuition to fully serve my soul purpose of supporting and healing the people who needed my help most.

Crossing The Line To Discover My “Clairs”

The most important lesson that I had learnt this weekend was to surrender to my higher self as I meditated.  I loved to meditate and did that everyday. However, following  a series of guided meditations was difficult for me this weekend.  I kept getting distracted and when I fell asleep, I had angry or confusing dreams.  This, was a way my body, mind and spirit was attempting to acknowledge the toxic cords of negativity within me and the experience urged me to expel it from my life forever before I could move on to recieve my gifts with openness.  Through my meditations, I learnt to communicate with my higher self more clearly, to ask for the help and messages from my guardian angels and my spirit guides, whenever I needed them to support me through the situations in my life.  Through the practice of channeling these messages, I felt gratified that I could help a couple of my fellow course mates too with situations that I was never privy too....and I managed to do it without the aid of my usual tools like  Tarot cards. Yay!   

When I went to work today, I practiced channeling all day and found that I could focus my mind's eye on a colleague's personal issue with more clarity and at a faster rate. I was able to draw the picture in my mind's eye on paper, albeit not very well, and used it to offer her the advice she needed to help her clear her path off anything that was making her feel unhappy, disengaged and uninspired.

So this brings me to the most amazing discovery. I never knew what the "clairs" were. The only "clair"  I  knew of was an eclair.  I have heard of clairvoyance and attached that moniker to people whom I had thought were just "woo-woo" crazy.   I was speechless when I discovered my clairvoyant and clairsentient gifts this weekend with the help of Karina Ladet and Danielle Dove.   Although I was half a world away, I discovered that I could manifest healing.  When a friend was hit with a personal crisis, I rubbed my hands together when I tuned into her, and ran my hands through my body.  I felt a lot of heat around my chest and felt an instant spark of anger.  I knew I was an empath, but I never knew I could do this and deduced that she was feeling a lot of anger and disappointment.  When I focused on her in my mind's eye, I saw a house amidst a snow-filled environment. It was covered in snow, as if in the height of winter.  I saw a quarrel ensued with someone walking away from that house.  So I wrote it down, and shared with her what I saw.  She confirmed that indeed that had happened. I was given the message for her to proactively make peace and not let the anger carry on indefinitely.   I also saw in my mind's eye that she was lying down as if attempting to recuperate from a sudden outburst.  She confirmed with me that she was indeed lying down at that time to listen to a guided meditation video.  I did all that without my usual tools, the Tarot cards.  How amazing! 

Waking Up To A New Learning Curve

Today, I am still "feeling" my way through this new discovery.  While I thank the Universe for entrusting me with these gifts, I am still filled with some in -confidence and self-doubts about how these gifts can develop and where it could take me.  

So, I had decided to draw on my tools of familiar comfort, my trusty Tarot cards.  I picked  the Fool card from the Morgan Greer Tarot deck created by Bill Greer and Lloyd Morgan.  I felt like I am suddenly back in college, pouring through my new set of books and reading lists for a new term, making new friends and discussing homework for a tutorial. Indeed, like the Fool, this is a new journey I have embarked on.  I am back on a learning curve and am truly loving it.   I can only surrender in trust to the love and light of the Universe and allow my hands to be used as a healing instrument only for the highest good.

If  you think I am now truly "woo-woo" crazy,....hey, it's not the first time I have been called that.   I was described as "woo-woo" crazy when I  became a certified professional Tarot reader, Numerologist and Astrologer.   Just like these skills, my clairvoyance and clairsentience are gifts meant for people who genuinely need my help and I will continue to wade into the deeper end of my intuition if it means I can help them better.


About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She was awarded a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America (TCBA) and is also a certified numerologist.  She is currently running a Tarot consultancy based in Singapore called Sun Goddess Tarot,  which provides confidential intuitive readings combining the metaphysical disciplines of Tarot, Numerology and Astrology via face to face and emails as well as readings at corporate and private events and workshops.  A member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), she is also a reader for the Free Tarot Network and mentors Tarot protégés on behalf of the American Tarot Association


Website: www.sungoddesstarot.com
Email:  Joanna@sungoddesstarot.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SunGoddessTarot
Blog: http://sungoddesstarot.blogspot.com


Awakening my Intuition

Spirit Guide and Angel Connection Virtual Retreat
conducted by Danielle Dove and Karina Ladet

The Fool from the Morgan Greer Tarot Deck by Bill Greer and Lloyd Morgan

Thursday 20 March 2014

Renewing Relationships On The Advice Of The King Of Cups


The Ostara 2014 Tarot Blog Hop

This blog post was written as my contribution to the Ostara 2014 Tarot Blog Hop.  Do click onto the following links to read the blog posts of my fellow Tarot bloggers.

Previous Blog      |     Master List     |    Next Blog 

Our wrangler Joanne Sprott had been kind enough to get out of the usual clichéd theme of balance which was often expected in any write-up about the festival of Ostara.  Ostara was often associated with balance because it was a festival that marked the vernal equinox where day and night were equal in duration.  Instead, she had asked us to focus on the theme of renewal.  This was apt simply because many of my friends across the world had been suffering from a protracted winter, and some had also experienced severe winter storms, floods and torrential rains.  Ostara, was truly about renewal, especially when it welcomes the first glimpse of Spring.  

As I am a Roman Catholic, I was in the Lenten period preparing for the celebration of Easter.  During mass last Sunday, the priest, in his sermon asked the congregation, "In preparation for Easter, what aspects of your life needs renewing?"  That had set me thinking, and I believed it was the Universe' way of guiding me as I wrote this blog post.


Ostara And Easter

My Pagan friends around the world celebrated the festival of Ostara by honoring the Goddess Eostre. She was the Goddess of fertility, Spring and renewal. I had discovered through my research that there were many myths surrounding Eostre.  One of them was that she travelled throughout the lands with a white rabbit as a companion, to bring life to dying plants and they put coloured eggs all over the fields in the process.  Anglo- Saxons during the festival offered coloured eggs to her.  This brought me then to the topic of Easter and it explained to me why children all over the world celebrated Easter with painted eggs and chocolates, and were either gifted with an Easter bunny made out of chocolates or dressed themselves up as Easter bunnies at Easter parties.

Ostara fell on 21 March when I would be mid way through my Lenten celebrations.  My Catholic friends, family and I, had been preparing for the coming Easter celebrations in April.  In many ways, whatever the co-relation I had read about Ostara and Easter in the past without getting into an argument reserved for kindergarten kids about which festival came first,  Easter, like Ostara was also the celebration of renewal and rebirth when Jesus Christ rose from the dead.  As I had been shaped through experience to be  extremely opened about different religious and cultural beliefs, Ostara to me, came as an early Easter celebration for me.  Hey, you know me, I am up for anything that called for a celebration.

More importantly, this particular Tarot Blog Hop had a special meaning for me because in preparation for Easter, I was in the process of letting go and forgiving past hurts, making up for my own faults and failures, and moving on to reconnect with those who had crossed me and whom I had crossed too. 

The topic of this Ostara Tarot Blog Hop -  RENEWAL -  was timely.  



The King Of Cups Reversed

As Ostara or Easter celebrated renewal and rebirth, I picked a Tarot card to look at what aspect of my life needed renewing most.  The King of Cups Reversed showed up to gently remind me about not one but several aspects of my life that were governed by the King.

The King of Cups in Tarot was a figure of emotional maturity, compassionate and nurturing leadership, and the balance of  mind and heart. He was the epitome of quiet strength. Honestly, I could not identify with this King.  What a softee!  Astrologically, my Sun sign was that of the fiery Leo, which was represented by the energetic, passionate, bold and confident King of Wands.  Nothing stood in my way of getting what I wanted, and nothing scared me.

The reversed King of Cups represented one who had allowed one’s emotions to control  one’s  life or had been responding in a “knee-jerk” fashion to how others might perceive him or her. Sometimes, this reversed King might fall into extreme mood swings, causing everyone around him or her to be confused, not knowing when he or she might blow up into an emotional volcanic eruption.

Renewing Relationships This Spring

I turned the reversed King of Cups card around, and started meditating on the card image.  I heard a soft whisper from the King and the touch of his gentle hand as he spoke.  He asked one question, “ As you grow your spirituality and start living a heart-centred life, how will you  manage life with the same heart-centredness in your capacity as mother, wife, daughter, manager to your team at work, direct report to your boss at work and business owner of Sun Goddess Tarot?”

The path before me that was filled with so many sharp bends and perilous bumps suddenly became quite clear.  I had been truly acting like the reversed King of Cups  recently with the stress of juggling multiple commitments in my multiple roles in recent months.  At home, I was an Ogre about to be dragged for his annual bath.  I often came home exhausted after a long day of work and several Tarot reading appointments or events.  At work, I was often on edge and growled at everyone whenever a project hit a snag or the boss questioned my decisions.  

With Sun Goddess Tarot, I often worry excessively about managing the mounting pressures on my time because of the numerous business commitments to my clients, and my business partners. I have got workshops, events, private and group classes and readings lined up for the next two months which from time to time, put me in a reversed 2 of Pentacles situation because I had over-stretched myself due to my inability to say no.  I often thought that as Tarot reader, mentor, and teacher, I had to always be there for my clients and proteges no matter the circumstance because I felt obligated to offer them help and support with my intuitive gifts.  However, at times, the back to back appointments and my inability to find time to ground myself in between would put a severe drain on my energy.  When I felt that I could not give 100% to my role as a light worker, I would get terribly upset and my confidence  level would take a nose-dive.


Turning The Reversed King Of Cups Around

Acknowledging the issues at hand, I resolved to turn the reversed King around.  With the multiple demands on my time and energy by my family, my colleagues and my clients, the one thing that they looked to me for was to manage these demands with a balanced heart and mind.  

Years ago, when I found my calling as a Tarot reader, Numerologist and Astrologer,  I had been channelling my inner Sun Goddess to help, guide and support everyone around me with positivity and genuine heart-centredness.  How can I aim to deliver positivity and genuine heart-centredness without having a balanced heart and mind? 

So this Spring, I am committed to renewing my relationships with my husband, my son, my colleagues, my boss and my clients.   Like the King of Cups, I promised to hold their hands through each and every challenge they might face by spending time with them to listen to their daily issues with a compassionate heart, and provide them with the right advice without judgement.

I was grateful for that reminder by the King of Cups, to always lead a heart-centred life.




Previous Blog      |     Master List     |    Next Blog 

About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She was awarded a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America (TCBA) and is also a certified numerologist.  She is currently running a Tarot consultancy based in Singapore called Sun Goddess Tarot,  which provides confidential intuitive readings combining the metaphysical disciplines of Tarot, Numerology and Astrology via face to face and emails as well as readings at corporate and private events and workshops.  A member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), she is also a reader for the Free Tarot Network and mentors Tarot protégés on behalf of the American Tarot Association

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The King of Cups from the Golden Tarot deck by Kat Black

Wednesday 19 March 2014

Intuitive Readings With Sun Goddess Tarot

A common question I often get from those not familiar with me is, "What is your Tarot reading style?" or " What can I expect when I book a reading with you?" This blog post not only touches on my reading style but also aims to appropriately set your expectations when you decide to call on me for advice.

Learning to combine knowledge with my intuition from a very young age
When I was a child, I was very interested in cartomancy.  In fact, I was an odd child who took interest in complex concepts like Communism.  At 5 years old, I understood what the word Proletariat meant.  I knew who Engels, Marx and Lenin were. That was because Dad was a little left-off-centre so I grew up humming to the Communist anthem, The International, instead of singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Stars.  As an adult, and a Certified Numerologist, I explained this odd behaviour with my Character number 7.  Persons governed by the 7 energy are often thinkers and analysers who could process complex technical, scientific, esoteric, spiritual and philosophical concepts and comprehend them well.

When it came to fun, while other kids played with dolls and Lego, I was brandishing a deck of regular playing cards and a cartomancy book I had found in Dad’s library.  I think, my curiosity was piqued because granny is highly intuitive, although we all thought she was a little batty then.  I believe that even at that very young age, I had combined my intuition with what I had learnt in that cartomancy book to experiment with my interpretation of the regular playing cards.  Again, I explained this away with my Character number 7.   When I visited a Tarot reader regularly as an adult, I was not interested in just listening to the advice she provided with her cards.  I was just as interested in the way she interpreted each card.  

Discovering My Purpose
Over the years, my intuition developed with a few life-changing experiences that had left an indelible mark on me like a divorce, single motherhood, standing at career crossroads and navigating health issues, like a breast cancer scare.   Fuelled by these experiences and armed with the belief that I could turn my life around, I formally studied Tarot, Numerology and Astrology voraciously and am now a Certified Professional Tarot reader, Numerologist and Astrologer.  With my knowledge of these multiple metaphysical disciplines, I found my purpose of using them to help and support others who had been through similar life journeys as I did. 

Combining Tarot, Numerology and Astrology with my intuition
My reading style combines the use of Tarot, Numerology and Astrology overlaid with my intuition.  I believe that it lends greater depth to a reading particularly when it compels greater insights about your response to a particular situation due to your numerological and astrological influences.  I believe that an intuitive reading is not meant to foretell a future or to help you anticipate an outcome like a “self-fulling prophecy”.  A reading is meant to help open your mind and heart to the several options that you can use to make informed decisions in a bid to shape your own desired outcomes. 
A person typically is governed by an astrological sign and its planetary influence which impacts his or her character, behaviours, experiences and responses to situations.  You will also have several numerological vibrations attached to his or her birth date and name.  When you understand the positives and negatives of your astrological sign and each of these numbers, you can then leverage these positives and downplay these negatives in order to better manage your direction towards the outcome that you hopes to shape. 
When I overlay the insights from Numerology and Astrology with a Tarot spread created for you,  I will then take an advice-centric approach to the way I deliver my interpretation of the cards because of my base knowledge of your numerological and astrological make-up.

An example of how an intuitive reading works when I combine Tarot, Numerology and Astrology
Susan is born on 7 October 1976.  She is a Libra, her ruling planet is Venus and the sign is governed by Air element.  Her corresponding Tarot significator is the Queen of Swords.  Susan values relationships and spends a lot of time trying to create the perfect relationship either at home with her boyfriend, or her boss and colleagues at work.  She has strong opinions about principles and ideas and has a lot of passion for championing the cause of working single-mothers as she is one herself.  As a Libran, Susan tends to avoid conflicts or any emotional situations if she could help it.  She has a Character number 7, a Life path number 4 and a Destiny number 3.  In a nutshell, Susan thinks and analyzes a lot about any issues that come her way.  She is also a bit of a loner and tends to be quite introspective whilst internalizing her feelings within her.  Her life path presupposes that life provides her with opportunities to be a very reliable and practical person, who is good at organizing resource or events  and managing projects.  She has a meticulous eye for detail and will often go out of the way to ensure that whatever she plans for either family or her colleagues, everyone is happy and her projects are delivered to expectations.  As her destiny number is a 3, Susan has gifts and talents to bring sunshine and happiness to people around her.  As she is such a reliable friend, partner and colleague, she takes on a lot of responsibility to help and support people around her with the purpose of keeping them happy.  However, in trying to make them happy, she is sometimes quite repressive and does not express how she truly feels about a situation although she might have differing opinions about it or she might be exhausted.
When Susan asked for advice after falling out with her boss, the two Tarot cards that jumped out at me from her spread were the Ace of Cups reversed and the 8 of Swords.    Understanding Susan’s numerological and astrological make-up helped me understand that the crux of the issue laid with Susan’s inability to openly communicate to her boss about how she truly felt about the situation.  Instead, she had clouded her mind with a lot of negative perceptions about her boss.  When I further discussed the matter with her, she revealed that her boss had accused her of making a decision about a project without consulting the rest of the team.  However, Susan felt that as someone with almost 18 years of experience in her role, she was qualified to make an informed decision that she had felt was beneficial to the business.  Her boss’ accusation hit a raw nerve with Susan because she felt it questioned her capability.  
Our discussion about Susan’s numerological and astrological influences shed light on her reaction to the situation.  As a character 7, Susan often preferred to work alone.  She also felt her decisions were well thought through and she had done the due diligence of analyzing all facets of the situation.  In many ways, while Susan could have been a better team player by communicating her intent to the team and her boss.  Susan had withdrawn into herself after that tiff with her boss and had not brought up the incident since.  However, the situation had festered so badly that she had decided that she wanted to look for a new job.  As a Libran, working with the right people and keeping that interpersonal relationship with them is so important to her.  She wanted her boss to value her expertise and experience.  She wanted to make a difference to the team and the business and be recognized for her contributions.  However, as Susan did not want to rock the boat further, and just wanted things to get better on its own, her inability to be openly honest and to express how she truly felt had widen the rift between her boss and her.
So my advice to Susan was to give her boss a chance.  She should not shape her relationship with her boss based on negative perceptions by second-guessing how she thought the boss felt about her.  Instead, she should utilize the strengths of her life path 4 and the logical capabilities of her Libran qualities to plan a structured conversation with her boss to openly talk about how she wanted to constructively mend the relationship and effectively work as a  team.

Ready For An Intuitive Reading Session With Me?
Whether it is an intuitive reading done in person or via email, and depending on the outcomes you would want to achieve from these readings, I will always combine the use of Tarot, Numerology and Astrology with my intuition.  I will never use big esoteric terms and provide you with high-level “fluffy” and “woo-woo” interpretations that only serve to confuse you or further cause you anxiety whilst not answering your question.   I will only deliver authentic advice that can empower you to proactively turn your situation around. 

What my clients have said about me?
“Very good reading! Very Accurate and answered my question with brilliant insight and advice. Would recommend 100%.”  - Sammy Robertson

"Your reading for me is a blessing.  It's crystal clear and insightful." - June Wee


“Thank you so much for my reading I found it to be insightful, accurate, and very very helpful and comforting to me. You are awesome! – Gina Valenzuela

"Her tarot readings I can say, is 110% spot on.  Accurate and absolute truth.  No lies.  Highly recommended." - Rebecca Ang


“Thanks for a great reading, Joanna! The response was very prompt, detailed, witty yet serious, focused and accurate. Thank you so much! I will definately reccommend your services!”  - Michelle Jenkins


“Thank you so much for a wonderful read. You brought into focus the major shift ahead that I could feel but not define. I am so grateful and blessed that our paths have crossed; your skills, gifts and intuition are most impressive.” – Tamara Breslin

About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She was awarded a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America (TCBA) and is also a certified numerologist.  She is currently running a Tarot consultancy based in Singapore called Sun Goddess Tarot,  which provides confidential intuitive readings combining the metaphysical disciplines of Tarot, Numerology and Astrology via face to face and emails as well as readings at corporate and private events and workshops.  A member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), she is also a reader for the Free Tarot Network and mentors Tarot protégés on behalf of the American Tarot Association

Website: www.sungoddesstarot.com
Email:  Joanna@sungoddesstarot.com
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SunGoddessTarot.



Tuesday 18 March 2014

Tarot Tip Tuesdays - Drawing More Insights Without A Book About Tarot Card Meanings

Whether you are new to Tarot and in the throes of building a connection with your Tarot cards or an advanced Tarot reader diligently honing your Tarot reading skills, I am putting out a Tarot tip a week to help you to consistently make Tarot a part of your everyday life.



So here goes your Tarot Tip for this Tuesday:


I am not advocating that you throw out all your Tarot books.  I am sure these books provide you with aIot of information beneficial to your Tarot reading practice.  However, I caution against memorizing these meanings by rote and often encourage my protégés to intuitively connect with the the rich imagery within the Tarot cards to develop their own interpretation.  

One of my favorite practice in cultivating Tarot card meanings is by meditating to each card.  Here is what I have been doing since I had started my Tarot studies.  

I would begin my practice of Tarot meditation by grounding myself first.  I believe I had covered the topic of grounding in last Tuesday's Tarot Tip, so do refer to that post if you are unfamiliar with grounding.

Next, if I had a pressing issue, or if I just wanted a general advice on how I should manage my day at work perhaps, I would craft a focused question to which I will pick 1 card.  Let us assume that I have picked the 8 of Swords from the Radiant Rider Waite Tarot deck to the question, "What would I need to do to deal with an unreasonable colleague at work?"

Now I will close my eyes, maintain a steady breath to the count of 7 for about 7 times and imagine that I am walking through a dirt road towards a huge gate up at the end of that road.  Throughout the journey, I will take note of all my senses, feeling the warmth of the air against my skin, the roughness of the dirt road under my bare feet and the grey skies.  When I am about to reach the gate, I open my eyes to look at the card image and note that I am actually at the doorway to the 8 of Swords card that had grown bigger as I walked towards it allowing me to come through into the card.  As I enter the card, I take note of everything that I see around me. 

I see a woman, tied up and blindfolded, whilst being surrounded by 8 swords that looks like they are loosely planted into the ground around her, acting like a prison.  The first word or phrase I write in my journal is "imprisonment".  She stands alone, seemingly helpless and unable to escape. The second word or phrase I write in my journal is "lonely and helpless".  I want to help her so I tell her that the swords are loosely planted not all the way around her.  There are some gaps in between and she has the ability to walk away from the swords that are mostly behind her,  by moving forward. The third word or phrase  I write in my journal is "able to release self".  I spot a castle in the distance behind her and reckoned that could probably be her home. So again I tell her that if she could just step forward and remove the bindings from herself, she can easily reach home.  The fourth word or phrase I write in my journal is "reachable goal".  I am thinking that if she lives in that castle, why is she dressed in tattered clothes?  I look around her, and acknowledge the rough terrain and the grey skies. However, there are no enemies in sight. There is nothing in her way that could possibly harm her.  Perhaps she had been stuck in this situation for quite awhile, refusing to budge. So the fifth word or phrase I write in my journal is "a period of tension and conflict within self ". I note that one of her foot is touching some water while the other foot is stepping on dry ground.  So the sixth word or phrase I write in my journal is "need to be emotionally balanced".

I assess the 6 phrases in my journal that describe what I see in the 8 of  Swords card.  This allows me to piece together an interpretation of the card to my pressing issue of dealing with that colleague.  The advice from the card is that I am allowing my opinions of my colleague, driven purely by my negative perceptions to come in the way of my ability to work with her to achieve a goal.  So the advice that the card can offer me is that I will need to balance my head and heart, and resolve to remove these perceptions while looking at our work relationship from a different angle that could help and not hinder my ability to attain my goals.  The longer I put myself in this situation, second-guessing her every move, the harder it is for me to "go home".

Regular meditation using a Tarot card  will help you connect with your Tarot deck very quickly.  In time, you will be able to hone your intuition enough to connect the card images to any question without referring to a book of a Tarot card meanings.  In fact, as you advance through your Tarot journey, you will find that through the practice of meditation and visualization using Tarot cards, you can not only connect with your inner self to uncover solutions to your issues, but you can also use this very same technique of embodying the power of the rich Tarot imagery to  clear blockages along your path and manifest your goals.


May your Tarot cards provide you with a full deck of possibilities throughout your day.


About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She was awarded a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America (TCBA) and is also a certified numerologist.  She is currently running a Tarot consultancy based in Singapore called Sun Goddess Tarot,  which provides confidential intuitive readings combining the metaphysical disciplines of Tarot, Numerology and Astrology via face to face and emails as well as readings at corporate and private events and workshops.  A member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), she is also a reader for the Free Tarot Network and mentors Tarot protégés on behalf of the American Tarot Association

Website: www.sungoddesstarot.com
Email:  Joanna@sungoddesstarot.como
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot
Twitter: www.twitter.com/SunGoddessTarot.





Saturday 15 March 2014

Message From The Hermit During The Full Moon In Virgo

Full Moon In Virgo 

Full moon blessings everyone!  This full moon in Virgo  falls on 17 March at about 1.08am Singapore time.  Every month, I honour the full moon with meditation whereby I would think about what I wanted to manifest at that time.  With this full moon in Virgo, I wanted to manifest more energy, wisdom and the ability to manage my time wisely with a good balance between multiple commitments as I mentored my Tarot protégés.  So what about you?  What are you intending to manifest during this full moon?


This full moon in Virgo encourages you to think about what skills, talents and resources you can bring to the table, to help and support your loved ones, friends and the community.  This full moon aims to bring out your humanitarian side.  However, just be cautious about  the "Virgoan" tendency to spend more time thinking and analysing about whether you truly had the skills, experience and resources to contribute to the community or support the people around you.  When the full moon in Virgo calls for you to give back, or to render generous help and support, do not just stand by the side in an attempt to play safe just because your over sensitive nature had cast self-doubts on your own capabilities to do so.   What you should do is to stop worrying about whether you do indeed have time and energy, stop criticizing your own capabilities and be opened to the fact that the Universe has given you much with the expectation that you use these gifts to pay it forward.

17 March 2014 - Day 9 In Numerology

Coincidentally, as the full moon in Virgo brings out the humanitarian side of you on the 17th, the day is governed by 9 in numerology.   The 9 energy sees you over-wrought with unfinished business that you do need to seek closure to.  You might need to spend some time decluttering.  Honestly, if you want to  do everything in your capacity to serve the needs of others, how can you do so effectively with baggage in your heart?   So do let go, move forward, embrace new challenges, and spend that time and energy on people that truly need you and will appreciate your help.

9 is also the number of the Hermit card in Tarot.  

A Full Moon Message From The Hermit

The Hermit card is associated with Virgo.  So the energies of this full moon might put you through some introspective soul-searching whereby you could spend some time meditating and honoring your inner wisdom.  When you can do that, you would be able to shine that light from within you to light the path for others before you.

Perhaps, the Hermit has a special message for you this full moon.  Whether in the context of home, work, or your Tarot practice if you are a reader, the full moon in Virgo might be calling you to support others through objective advice, patient guidance, and dedicated mentoring efforts.

You know what?  This is the perfect message for myself at a time when I am wondering if I am truly effective as a mentor to my Tarot proteges and my team at work.  It is also a timely message when I started to doubt myself as a mother attempting to provide the right guidance to my son.


About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She was awarded a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America (TCBA) and is also a certified numerologist.  She is currently running a Tarot consultancy based in Singapore called Sun Goddess Tarot,  which provides confidential intuitive readings combining the metaphysical disciplines of Tarot, Numerology and Astrology via face to face and emails as well as readings at corporate and private events and workshops.  A member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), she is also a reader for the Free Tarot Network and mentors Tarot protégés on behalf of the American Tarot Association

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The Hermit From The Golden Tarot Deck By Kat Black