Starting Anew In 2017

A Slight Delay

This blog post had been long overdue.  I was meant to write a piece in preparation for the New Year but the inner child in me stomped her feet in disapproval whilst crossing her arms and insisted that I put my pen and paper down so that I could fully enjoy the sights of Hanoi where I spent my year-end holidays.  That was the best decision I had made as Hanoi had been almost a spiritual adventure of sorts.
 
Well rested, and fully charged for the new year, I am now ready to bring you my perspectives about what 2017 will bring. 
 
So do forgive me for writing this post, a week into the New Year when most of you are possibly raring to go and on the way to manifesting great things in 2017. 

 
A Recap of 2016
 
At the cusp of the new year, my social media feeds were filled with comments about how challenging the year 2016 was.  Many were managing difficult issues like  crumbling relationships, ill health,  surgery, bereavement, yes celebrity deaths included, retrenchments and volatility in the office environment. 

 
Followers of my blog will remember this post that I wrote here.

 
Here is a recap of what I had written about my expectations for 2016.

 

“2016 is governed numerologically by the number 9.  With 9 being the final number in the 9-year cycle in numerology, the number represents a culmination of all your hard work put into attaining your goals, your experiences and skills cultivated throughout all these years, the lessons you had picked up along the way, the knowledge gained, and the wisdom attained.  

Whatever you had worked hard to achieve, and all the loose ends of any long-drawn project that you had been working on will need to be completed in this year.  Everything that you needed to do on your priority list, must be done.

Being a year of completion, it is the year you let go of whatever does not serve your higher purpose. If you had been in toxic relationships or unhappy jobs hanging on a thread for so long, this is the year to let go and start anew.   Don't expect it to be easy though because as you make that final push through the journey in anticipation of a numerological year 1 in 2017, you can expect to experience some stress, tension and conflict.  If you struggle to let go of what does not serve you, it could be a painful year filled with anxieties.  You might feel some exhaustion and perhaps be unfocused. That is why you are encouraged to keep an open mind and heart in 2016, and just be focused on healing, forgiveness,  re-energising and renewing yourself through contemplation and meditation.  Self care is so important, so remember to honour your energies and ensure that you take time out to care for yourself and keep a happy harmonious balance between the time and energy you invest in others and the time and energy you invest in yourself.

 

The numerological energy of a year 9 encourages you to "spring clean" your work space, your home, your Facebook Friend list, and even yourself. This is not the year to harbour any residual emotional resentment against those who had done you wrong in the past. Empty your heart off grudges and keep it clean from hurt, disappointments and unfulfilled expectations.  De-cluttering will help pave the way for  you to accept new experiences in the following year.”

Did this resonate with you?

 
What Is In Store For 2017

 
2017 is generally governed by the numerological energy of the number 1.  1 promises a new beginning filled with possibilities.  It is a year where you can make a brand new start, once you have let go off the residual emotional negativity from 2016.  You are encouraged to wipe your slate clean, take on new perspectives, and believe in your personal power enough to embrace this new year, filled with  new adventures.  1 spells opportunities that you create. Do not wait for things to happen.  This is the year you will plant the seeds to manifesting the goals that you have been dreaming of.   With the skills and knowledge honed from the challenges of last year, you are definitely well-equipped to shape that vision for your own success. 

 
I love the phrase “Your Own Success”.  It has a ring of independence and self-reliance to it.  That again, leverages the numerological influence of the number 1.  2017 will provide you with the opportunities to shape your own destiny on your own terms.  You will start to take accountability for your own future, knowing that only you can influence your own desired outcomes, based on the choices you make.

 
The number 1 energy will imbibe a flicker of ambition within you to spark your attempts to turn your vision into an action plan this year.  Having stepped out of a challenging year, you are now ready to take control and be in that driver’s seat as you navigate your journey throughout 2017.

 
You will be ready to take on new challenges this year.  So remember, whatever you had undergone in 2016, must be left in 2016.  All the memories of the hurts, disappointments, fears, anger, and tears incurred in 2016, must not have a role in your new journey in 2017.  Let the negativity go and start walking forward with a positive mindset.

 
The Fool In Tarot

 
I liken the year 2017 to the Fool card in Tarot.  The Fool is a manifestation of unlimited potential, just on a cusp of a new journey, raring to go, and filled with so much courage to take on new adventures, with full trust in the Universe that he will be guided throughout his journey through a winding path.  He is ready to learn new skills, gain knowledge, and embrace new experiences that will contribute to his growth and development.  That is the mindset that you need to have, to take on 2017.

 

The Magician In Tarot

 
While the Fool kick starts that journey in Tarot, the Magician is numbered as 1 in a Tarot deck. The Magician represents the ability and the will to manifest your goals by welding your personal power, your boundless energy and your creativity.  The Magician is an affirmation of your ability to put all odds aside to create a new life cycle for yourself that is full of potential.   He is filled with so much optimism and hopes.  He is confident, and full of courage and a Never Say Die attitude.  He is willing to try new things, take risks, and step out of that comfort zone.

 
So in 2017, the Fool and the Magician are 2 Tarot cards that you should meditate on when you have any doubts about what the new year will bring.

 

Your Personal Year


While the year 2017 in general is governed by the numerological influence of number 1, each of you do have a personal year number that you need to be aware of to better navigate the new year.  To calculate your personal year, add your birth day, to your birth month, to this year.

So if your birth day is 21^st February, the way to calculate your personal year would be:

 

2+1 +2 +2+0+1+7 = 15

 

Then add 1 and 5 to reduce it to a single number, and this will give you 6.  Your personal year is 6 if you are born on 21^st February.

Incidentally, if you were born on 21^st February, your Tarot year cards would be The Devil ( the number 15 card in a Tarot deck) and The Lovers ( the number 6 card in a Tarot deck).  There would be so much tips and advice that could be provided just through your personal year number and these Tarot year cards.  The one key takeaway I would offer those born on 21 February would be that, you do have a choice to let go of past negativity as you look to serving others in 2017.
 
Oh I love combining numerology and Tarot in my readings. 

 Understanding the numerological traits of your personal year and overlaying it with the numerological traits of the year 2017, as well as the interpretation of your Tarot year card will support your goals better as it would bring so much robust advice about the different learnings, experiences, lessons and purpose that they serve you this year.

 My contact details are below this blog post should you wish to get a comprehensive reading which includes an understanding of the impact of your personal year and your Tarot year card, and how they can support your goals better this year.

 
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

.

 

A Paradoxical Perspective At The First Signs Of Spring

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This blog post was written as my contribution to the Tarot Blog Hop to celebrate the Celtic festival of Imbolc on 2 February 2015.

Our wrangler Karen Sealey had asked that we explore the topic of “Oracular Anomalies” for this particular blog hop. That was initially deemed as an interesting feat  for me because I could not even pronounce the  words – oracular anomalies, let alone understand what that meant.  For someone who did not celebrate Imbolc, to finally understand what the festival meant after spending 2 years in the company of this wonderful Tarot blogging community,  this new phrase Oracular Anomalies had given me a month of worry. I remembered muttering to myself, “ Oh Karen, it finally dawned on me what Imbolc is. Now I have to try to find out what Oracular Anomaly means? Damn you, woman.”   

 So what I had decided to do was to break the phrase down the way I did with my Muay Thai and boxing training.  I broke the moves and combinations down during my training sessions so I could practice them each week in the hope of improving over time.  Often, a light bulb might switch on, on one of the combinations when I realized that it was created to simulate a situation when I am met with an aggressive opponent who might push me to the corner of the ring and leave me with no room to move.

The light bulb switched on for me about Imbolc too.  It made sense that my friends were lighting candles in every room to mark the day of Imbolc when it was a festival that celebrated the beginnings of Spring and the rebirth of the Sun.  It made sense to me that Karen had asked that we themed this blog post “Oracular Anomalies” so that we could share how our experience with Tarot had cracked a new dawn for us.

The Fool

So today, I want to write about the Fool card and the card I picked for this blog post was the Fool from the Radiant Rider Waite Tarot deck updated by Virginijus Poshkus.   I looked at the card in detail and started asking, “Why is this card marked 0?” It is the first card of the Major Arcana, so why could they not just mark it as 1.  Why did they have to label it as 0?  A journey had to start somewhere.  For numerologists like us, new beginnings, fresh new starts, a first step to a new journey is always marked by the number 1.  Yet, the Fool card which is a card of new beginnings, fresh new starts, a first step to a new journey, is labeled as 0. I had no answers to this ”anomaly” apart from the fact that we numerologists used to think that Tarotists were a complicated bunch that needed to just sit and chill for a bit.

In the card, the Fool had the image of a man about to step off  the cliff.  His head looked up to the sky as if trusting the Universe to guide his hand along his journey.  His dog beside him was like a companion assuring him that wherever he went, he will not be alone.  The card illuminated in bright orange, full of sunshine, hope and positivity, as one would feel when they embark on a new journey.  As a numerologist, my lifepath is 7 and I do not take unnecessary risks, often rendering a lot of thought and analysis to every move I make particularly when it comes to my career goals.  This Fool card however, seems to depict a man who is about to fall off a cliff and not giving two hoots if he did or not.  I do trust the Universe, and I am thankful for the support I get from my friends and family.  However, as a believer of this reality that I am a creator of my own circumstance, I find it difficult to let go in the belief that I would not fall off the cliff just because  I have got the Universe, my friends and my family holding my hands. I don’t mind taking risks, if they are indeed calculated ones.    So that brings me to how I saw the numerological significance of the Fool card evolving.

While The Fool is marked as the number 0 card in Tarot, it is also the 22^nd card of Tarot – the beginning and the end.  As a numerologist, 22 is the number of the master builder and when we reduce it, it becomes 4.  4 is the number of the Emperor card in Tarot. The master number of 22 may suggest the presence of an older soul coming into one’s lifetime to make an important contribution for mankind be it in the spiritual, medical, religious, educational, or creative field. The 22 number often suggests that one is endowed with gifts enabling him or her to lean towards leadership and inspiration and those who have this number in their birthdates often feel a heightened sense of obligation to the community, hence needing a greater measure of discipline, humility, control and awareness.  This speaks to me from the voice of the Emperor’s card.  The Emperor is an archetype that represents authority, structure, discipline and stability.  He is able to create order out of chaos because of his keen sense of structured and meticulous planning and he is able to provide and protect because of his wisdom, experience and authority.  As the Fool meets the Emperor along his journey, he gets offered guidance and direction.  With his strong leadership, the Emperor mentors, supports and advises the Fool as he navigates his journey towards his goals.  

The Emperor

This spoke to me a lot and cracked a new dawn for me as like the Fool, I had been meandering along my journey of discovery about my spiritual self. Beyond the work around tarot, numerology and astrology, I had been developing my clairvoyant and mediumship skills.   Along the way, I met a lot of teachers and mentors who were manifested by the Emperor card in tarot.  They have been critical to my spiritual growth, developing my knowledge and my skills and encouraging me along the way. Today, I take on the mantle as an advisor, teacher and mentor to my students, leveraging the same energies of the Emperor’s card, yet I am still on the Fool’s journey of making  new discoveries every day.

If you look at the Fool card closely, the terrain is rough, and there are mountains surrounding him.  Where the Fool steps next, could be a perilous road ahead.  In the same way,  I had been through a tumultuous journey of bad experiences ranging from health, career and familial issues.  However,   had also learnt that I cannot make new discoveries, learn new things, or make fresh starts if and when I cling on to vestiges of these negative issues.   This then brings me to another card  that had the numerological energies of the number 4  - the  Death card.  Death is numbered 13 in a Tarot deck, which when reduced, becomes a 4.  

Death

It made so much sense.  As the Death card suggests, one needs to let go of unhealthy aspects of life, and all vestiges of negativity that no longer serves in order to pave the way for a  fuller life of new learnings and experiences that the Fool needs to go through to enrich his life. My entire spiritual journey had been one big purging exercise of what I had previously thought as rational and explainable. I remembered how I had gasped at my clairvoyant experiences and dismissed it as over-thinking and a result of work stress.  I had to purge my ignorance, to open my heart, mind and soul to the messages that my spirit guides were trying to give me.   I remembered how I had brushed my intuitive gifts under the carpet because of the fear of being laughed at.  I learnt to purge my ego so I could help my clients through their own journeys.  I remembered how I had stayed away from books and tarot cards because they were not aligned with my religion as a Roman Catholic.  I learnt to purge my fear as I helped others through their lack of knowledge and ignorance and opened their heart and mind to the fact that my intuitive gifts were God-given.

Thanks Karen for suggesting such a difficult topic to celebrate Imbolc, the dawn of a new Spring.  In Singapore, we are celebrating Spring too with the coming Lunar New Year, so this topic is very apt for me as I visit my relatives over the Lunar New Year period.  You see, just a few years ago, these visits were a deft practice of how fast I could “eat and run” after visiting each home.   Now, many of them want me to stay longer so that I could do random Tarot and Numerology readings for their respective guests at their homes. 

Here’s hoping that everyone who reads this blog post be blessed with Springtime abundance.

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About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and an intuitive reader by accident who deploys the combined modalities of a Tarot, Numerology and Astrology overlaid with her Clairvoyant and Clairsentient skills to deliver her readings with authenticity. 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 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 also 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

Instagram: @SunGoddessTarot

The Joy Of Gifting At Yule

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This blog post was written as my contribution to the Yule 2014 Tarot Blog Hop which was wrangled by none other than the joy seeker herself,  Arwen Lynch.

Yule, on 21 December,  is a celebration of the Winter Solstice when we experience the longest night of the year, in anticipation of the start of  the cycle when the day gets longer. In the darkest of hours, I began to turn inward to ask myself, what truly fulfills me, what have I given of myself and what have I recieved that had given me joy.   

Many do honour the balance between light and darkness at Yule, so I would like to look at Yule as a representation of the need for balance in my life.   This year has seen me attempting to balance time and energy amongst the many commitments I have on my plate. Most of these commitments involve my giving a lot of time and energy to the people around me who matter, but I had to also learn to balance these efforts by giving myself time and space, and taking care of my own needs.

So Arwen did have foresight when she asked that we focused on one Tarot  spread for our Yule blog post.  This was a spread about the joy of gifting.  When I approached the topic of what had been giving me lots of joy, it really came down to the passion that had driven me to put 100% into each and every commitment that I had been involved in throughout the year.  

When I shuffled my cards to  Arwen’s Tarot spread the one message that I took out of it was that the biggest gift the universe had given me, was the courage which saw me through my passions.  

Using the Morgan Greer Tarot Deck by Bill Greer and Lloyd Morgan, below is my interpretation of the cards picked to Arwen’s Joy of Gifting Tarot spread.


What gift would I give the world if I could? - Queen of Pentacles


The Queen of Pentacles is an embodiment of balance.  She balances her life well with her capability of sustaining a productive career whilst using her sense of selfless love and compassion to generously spend time on nurturing and caring for people who matter.   This is a great card to pick for what I would love to be able to give the world.  My life has been inundated with multiple commitments all of which seem to rank equal in terms of priority.  I have been juggling my full time career as a marketing and PR professional, while running my consultancy Sun Goddess Tarot, my  assignments as a freelance sports writer, my family and my kickboxing training.  I do admit that the multiple activities on my plate have been overwhelming.  I hardly have time for friends and family.   There are days I even connect with my own husband and mum on facebook.  So yes, the gift I would like to give the world, particular to the people who matter, is my time and my energy, yet be able to efficiently balance this with my  other priorities.  


What gift would I want from the world? - The Hermit


 The Hermit reminded me of my role as someone who should be using my skills, experience and passion to guide and inspire. However, to do this best, I needed to be able to take care of myself.  The only way I could take care of myself, was to give myself some space and time for introspection and surround myself with positivity.   So I saw 2  interpretations with the appearance of the Hermit.  As a gift, what I would love most from the world, would be the gift of space.  Just as I put a lot of demands on myself, I sometimes feel that there are a lot of expectations from me coming from multiple sources.  I am expected to perform at my peak at work, as an intuitive reader, as a mentor and guide to my team and my clients.  I am expected to deliver on projects and assignments as quickly as I can before the next assignment comes in.  I am expected to make vast progress in my kickboxing training because of the commitment of time and resource that I put into it.  So I think the best gift would be space.  I need space to be alone, tap into my inner self, recalibrate my thoughts and my spiritual energy.  While I appreciate being surrounded by so many wonderful people, I do appreciate some alone time, free from expectations.  I need space.   The second interpretation of the Hermit is in terms of a spiritual guide and mentor.    I do have a spiritual guide and mentor but she is so far away from me, in France.  One of the  best gifts I could have is the ability to spend some time with her in person and surround myself with her strength and positivity.  We are oceans apart but I am so glad that we are so spiritually connected enough for me to learn so much from her.  


What gift have I gotten that brought me joy? - 3 of Pentacles Reversed + King of Wands


The reversed 3 of Pentacles threw me off and I had to think long and hard about this.  So I picked a second card to clarify the reversed 3 of Pentacles and the King of Wands appeared.   I finally saw the light when I realized that for years, I had been leading a life of mediocrity.  Life was wrought with the mundanity of the usual rigmarole of work and home and that triggered my restlessness.  The King was a reflection of how I had decided to inject passion back into my life by getting involved in activities outside my comfort zone.  I started to lift my consultancy Sun Goddess Tarot to a new level by investing in a newly developed website, better content and a search optimization strategy.  I got more than I bargained for when I was asked to conduct more workshops and do a lot more consultancy work for corporates who valued my intuitive gifts enough to obtain my help as they navigated their businesses, both start-ups and established ones.  Another niche area had just opened up with parents of newborns who had been asking me to use numerology to select names for their babies.   I started paying attention to my health and fitness but got  more than I bargained for when I fell in love with kickboxing.  When I fell in love with kickboxing and gave it 100% of my commitment to be a competitive kickboxer, I got more than I bargained for when I became a freelance sports writer specializing in mixed martial arts.


What gift have I given that brought me joy? - King of Pentacles


Another King!  The King of Pentacles is an embodiment of one who nurtures, guides, advice and mentors others.  He provides much security and stability to others through his skills, experience, and maturity.  I do like to think of myself as the King of Pentacles. I feel much gratitude that I am able to financially provide for the family, so that they can all live comfortably and have a wee bit extra to enjoy a little luxury from time to time.  However, I think as I harness the strengths of the King, I am more than a financial provider.  As a daughter,  I have been a listening ear to Mum as she dedicates all her time and energy to taking care of my Dad who had been recovering from a stroke.  As a wife and mother, I have been holding the hands of my husband and son everyday, supporting them in everything that they do.   At work, as a manager, I am more friend and sister to my team than I am a boss as I guide and mentor them through their work.  As an intuitive reader, I support and advice my clients when they meander their way through difficult situations.  In truth, I am grateful that my gift to the world is my ability to harness the strengths of the King of Pentacles.


What is one last thing that I would like to share this season? –  9 of Wands

The 9 of Wands is a message of courage and persistence.  It is definitely an apt message for me to share with everyone this season, with the hope of inspiring others with the same.  You see, juggling multiple commitments on my plate is not easy.   I have had a tough time with a balancing act between all these commitments, which are of almost equal importance to me. And I consider them so because I am passionate about everyone one of them.   However, what keeps me going everyday, is that my persistence and courage are what sees me through these passions as I manage them each day.  When I can follow through with my passions, then the juggling act would gradually become effortless.  Today, I consider my marketing career, my intuitive consultancy, Sun Goddess Tarot, my hobby as a freelance sports writer, my kickboxing training and my family as my passions.  That courage and persistence I leverage to help me manage these passions, are the universe's gifts to me.

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 About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and an intuitive reader by accident who deploys the combined modalities of a Tarot, Numerology and Astrology overlaid with her Clairvoyant and Clairsentient skills to deliver her readings with authenticity. 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 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 also 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

This was created by Morgan Drake Eckstein

A present from my sister-in-law, Cal, all the way from Scotland to Singapore, with love

The Joy Of Gifting Tarot Spread Using The Morgan Greer Tarot Deck

An Invitation To Tea - My Conversation With Bruce Lee

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Remembering Our Ancestors At Samhain

I wrote this blog post as my contribution to the Samhain 2014 Tarot Blog Hop.  To my blog readers who do not know what Samhain is, it is a Gaelic festival  celebrated on 31 October, that marks the end of the harvest and the beginning of the winter when days get shorter, and  darker quite quickly and the weather gets colder.  
At Samhain, the veil between worlds are said to be thinner as  it was a day that ancestral spirits were thought to  return to visit the homes of their living families. That was the reason why many called it the Day of the Dead and anyone who celebrated the festive revelry at Halloween with all the ghoulie costumes and morbidly shaped candy, would hopefully understand why, beyond these, and the “Belladonna Beefeater Gin Cocktails” and “Vampire’s Vodkatini”, that this festival was actually a very meaningful one for those who valued the importance of kinship and respect for our ancestors that had passed on. 

 An Invitation To Tea

As a Catholic,  I celebrate All Saints’ Day on 1 November and All Souls’ Day on 2 November.  Every year, Mum would visit the memorial niche of grand dad at the church at which his remains had been placed, and she would lay some flowers, wiped the surface of the niche and said a silent prayer to remember grand dad.  As the certified weirdo of the family, beyond saying my prayers to remember the family members that had passed on, I would also leverage my intuitive gifts to have a conversation with them. So it was very apt that the wrangler of this year’s Samhain Tarot Blog Hop, Louise Underhill from Priestess Tarot,  had tasked us to discuss within this blogpost whom we would like to invite to tea on this occasion, with the help of our Tarot cards.

Training As A Kickboxer

I did not have to think too hard on this one.  As many friends are aware, I have been training very hard at the gym 6 days a week with the goal of wanting to compete hopefully next year.  Training had been hard and grueling, particularly for me because I had recovered from a knee surgery 2 years ago, had been extremely unfit, is of the age when most would be doing lawn-bowling instead and I started kickboxing lessons only at the beginning of this year.  My coaches had been unrelenting whenever I felt like giving up or when I wallowed in self-doubt during some of my more difficult training sessions.  Last weekend was one such moment, when I was pummelled mercilessly during a sparring session.  Other than a headache and a bruised ego, I crashed into a complete funk for almost a week because I felt like boxing was not a sport for someone my age and that I was so bad at it that I could not even defend myself at a sparring session. I thought perhaps I had better stick to lawn-bowling, knitting or at best, geriatric line-dancing.  

Bruce Lee

So, with my Tarot cards, I had decided to channel my favourite martial artist and  childhood inspiration, Bruce Lee.  I needed advice.    

First, let me explain why I love Bruce Lee.  Like me, he has a spiritual life path of 7. This was a life path of one who was a thinker and analyzer who had the capability of processing complex information, and who approached profound subjects like philosophy and spirituality with a lot of curiosity and enthusiasm to learn more.  Like Bruce and myself, people with life path 7 prefer to be alone and live  by our own ideas.  Like him, our lifepath 7 makes us a perfectionist at heart.  I shared some aspects of that life path 7 that made up the Bruce Lee that we know. I enjoyed the technicalities of kickboxing and worked with a few coaches who were specialists in their respective fields from a kettlebell specialist, a strength and conditioning coach, a boxing coach and a Muay Thai coach to hone the different aspects of my skills as a Kickboxer.  

Like a perfectionist, I worked hard and expected to be ring-ready in no time, but that was not to be and it disappointed me when my boxing coach said, "You will not be performing in the ring for at least a year and a half yet." I was clearly not ready, and disappointingly so.

The below is a glimpse of the conversation I had with Bruce Lee, using my Tarot cards. 

The Advice Of The World's Greatest Martial Artist

Me: Tell me more about yourself Bruce, I am fascinated by the legend that you have become.

Card picked : Page of Pentacles

Bruce: Since young, at the urging of my Dad, I was committed to learning new skills like martial arts. I worked hard to train and study  martial arts. My dad thinks it will be useful for my future as there will be opportunities to do something with the skills I had learnt, like coaching perhaps. I have always said, "Life itself is your teacher and you are in a constant state of learning."

Me: What shaped your career as a martial artist?

Cards picked : The Moon + The Tower

Bruce:  I went through my youth getting involved in street fights. One of the street fights involved a member of the triad or secret society and my Dad became very worried that the gangs would put a revenge contract on my head. It caused the family a lot of anxiety and with a heavy heart, I was sent away very quickly to the United States to pursue further studies.  My life took a sudden turn in the United States where I got to  meet new friends, build a new life, teach martial arts, and I spent time honing  my martial arts skills and adapting other skills that I had picked up to create my own brand of martial arts.  

When I was living in Hong Kong, I trained in the martial art form of Wing Chun under my master Ip Man. Then when I moved to the U.S., my skills evolved into a martial art form I had created and named after myself called Jun Fan Gung Fu (Jun Fan is my real name by the way) and as I started getting more exposed to other forms of combat sports and started to build more flexibility in my approach to martial arts, I created what is known today as Jeet Kune Do.  

Changes in life are just opportunities for you to rebuild yourself with new skills and knowledge.  Flexibility is key and never be afraid to step out of your comfort zone. For example, I adapted the footwork of fencing and striking skills of western boxing in my martial arts.  Although it was traditionally forbidden for a Chinese martial artist to teach and impart skills to non-Chinese people, I did so anyway and am proud to count many Western students who have been true to the teachings of Jeet Kune Do. Growth comes from flexibility and willingness to open your heart and mind to new learnings and experiences. Remember my words, " You must be shapeless, formless, like water. When you pour water in a cup, it becomes the cup. When you pour water in a bottle, it becomes the bottle. When you pour water in a teapot, it becomes the teapot. Water can drip and it can crash. Become like water my friend.”

Me: I am beginning to feel that this might not be my sport. I feel upset that I can never be as quick, as fit, as strong, as nimble as other kickboxers I know. I keep getting pummelled at sparring sessions. If I cannot even survive a sparring session, I will never be ready for the ring.

Cards picked : Ace of Wands Reversed + 8 of Pentacles Reversed

Bruce: Yes, I can see how frustrated you are with the slow progress and you feel that in spite of training everyday, you are not progressing as quickly as you want to.  However, that is not the way a true martial artist thinks.  You are approaching martial arts with impatience and a fear of defeat. You have let your ego get in the way of what a true martial artist should be. Remember what I had said, "Defeat in anything is merely temporary. Defeat simply tells me that something is wrong in my doing. It is a path leading to success and truth."  Continue to train hard and never give up.

Me: What other advice can you give me to pick my gloves up again and get more committed to my kickboxing training?

Cards picked : 5 of Swords + 3 of Pentacles

Bruce:  Your kickboxing journey like the journey of any martial artist, is not an easy one. It will be riddled with a lot of obstacles, even more defeats, injuries and other setbacks.  I had said before, " Without frustration, you might not be able to discover you can do something on your own. We grow through conflict."  Even when you feel daunted, you must press on in your training to get better everyday. Even when you have won a fight, that is not the end.  The journey continues, so that you fall again, get up again, lose a few more fights and go on to win a few more fights.  A martial artist's journey is always a work in progress. Do not be afraid of this ever-winding road  and just continue to work towards your goals.  Do not allow defeat and disillusionment to dampen your enthusiasm.  
By continuously training hard and with the help of your coaches, you will be able to fulfill your goals as a Kickboxer.  There are no egos, no barriers and no limits as long as you approach your journey with flexibility, determination and diligence.  Remember, "If you always put limit on everything you do, physical or anything else. It will spread into your work and into your life. There are no limits. There are only plateaus, and you must not stay there, you must go beyond them."

Bruce Lee's short but meaningful life had inspired millions after him to pick up martial arts. Many have gone on to become great martial artists but many have failed. I have got many odds stacked against me like my age, my fitness level and an imperfect knee. However, so did Bruce. He was a foreigner in a strange country, he met his fair share of racial discrimination, and he was even pushed back by his own fellow Asian martial arts teachers who saw his teaching of martial arts to foreigners as a betrayal of the code. That never stopped him. He went on to become one of the greatest martial arts teachers and a legend.  Even after his death, he continued to inspire people like me.

Happy Samhain, Halloween, All Souls' Day or whatever you might be celebrating.  I hope you enjoyed my blog post.  Before you think I am woo-woo crazy just because I talked to the dead, I would like to remind you that the best gifts to those who are in the present are the lessons from those who had lived in the past.  

I thank the Bruce Lee Foundation for being the resource I turned to for my research for this blogpost.  The cards I had used in the reading, was taken from the Radiant Rider Waite Tarot deck updated by Virginijus Poshkus. 

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About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and an intuitive reader by accident who deploys the combined modalities of a Tarot, Numerology and Astrology overlaid with her Clairvoyant and Clairsentient skills to deliver her readings with authenticity. 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 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 also mentors Tarot protégés on behalf of the American Tarot Association

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