Tuesday 30 October 2012

Brushing My Shadow Away With A Besom This Samhain


The Shadow

Whether you have come from the previous blog post of the lovely Aisling at http://tarotwitchery.blogspot.com/2012/10/samhain-blog-hop-searching-shadows.html, or you are my regular blog reader or perhaps you may have just chanced upon this blog post, thanks for visiting my blog.

The topic for this blog post was developed by my fellow Tarot Bloghoppers  and specially themed around the significance of Samhain  or Halloween.  We were asked to explore the “True” us and get to know our “Shadow Selves” better for this blog post. 

This was an interesting opportunity to understand the Jungian theory of the “Shadow” and relate it to myself.  Carl Jung said “whatever the form it (the shadow) takes, the function of the shadow is to represent the opposite side of the ego and to embody those qualities that one dislikes most in other people.”  So it comes as no surprise, that I feel a measure of discomfort when I meet emotionally needy, highly sensitive and clingy people.   I often serve up some “tough love” towards my family, friends and clients when they face issues and find it difficult to embrace  a challenge head on or are not able to move on from a disappointing situation.   I do appear quite hard with some of them, in a bid to shake them out of their “woe is me” attitudes to their situation.   So, before you judge me for being the Tarot Ogre, this is how it all started.

The Past

I was raised within a strict Asian family who were staunch Roman Catholics.  Mom might as well have been a professional pope.  So when I went through a failed first marriage and got a divorce, then subsequently married my husband who was of a different nationality, and an atheist, Mom and Dad cut me off for years out of their disappointment in me, refusing to have anything to do with me. Independently, I rebuilt my life and my relationship with my son as I was a “weekend mother”, a position I was forced into by the custody agreement.  Those years of depression, solitude, guilt and anxiety were perhaps the building blocks for the personality of my “shadow self”.   


During those lonely years, even when Mom hung the phone up on me, I would continue to call her without fail on a daily basis, just to ask how everyone was.  When my son’s friends thought he was weird and had 3 parents, I was the one who had to hold him close and explain as best as I could that he was a blessed child surrounded by love. 

When Grandpa was frail and sickly, I was prevented from going to see him because they didn’t want an outcast in the family home.   At Grandpa’s birthday, I just drove up to the house, greeted family members who couldn’t look me in the eye, or who waved me away as if I was a leper and wished Grandpa a Happy Birthday before I turned around to leave. 

Till today, even though my parents and I have reconciled, I had never forgotten the bitterness which occasionally still welled up within me.  My heart still hurt with regret that I couldn’t spend enough time with my Grandpa during those years and soon after he passed away.  There was still so much left unsaid between him and me, but I didn’t get that a chance, because that chance was taken away from me by biasness and myopic opinions of my parents and even some friends then, stuck behind the guise of religion and what my Asian culture calls “Face”.  Any word or deed that forces me to stray from the expected societal norm and behavior would cause a loss of "Face”.
  
The Impact Of The Past

"Face” protected my "Shadow Self", and made me a hard woman, tough on myself and others.  I seldom display any semblance of vulnerability and would temper my need to be overly expressive.  I don’t give myself  leeway to seek my own personal fulfillment at the expense of “Face”.  

Any display of such intolerable “weakness” might be frowned upon by society.  I might be deemed unsuitable to be a great mother, wife, daughter, friend, marketeer, manager, and tarot reader, if I shed that mask of a super tough bitch with balls of brass, and present my vulnerable, highly insecure and sensitive self.  Society is unforgiving of people who are weak and vulnerable.  I would lose credibility with Tarot clients and protégés if they saw my insecure and sensitive side.

“Face” is a tremendous yoke around the necks of my Asian community that corresponded with Jung’s concept of the “Shadow”. It would cause an unacceptable loss of face if we were to allow our “Shadow” to emerge from its hiding place.  I am expected to not show my sensitivity and emotional vulnerability, always keeping a lid on it because I have always been brought up to be strong, sensible, and tough. If I chose to marry someone, no matter how wrong that choice was, the deal was – I had to sleep in the bed I made.  I was not allowed to change the course of my decisions and succumb to my emotional need for true fulfillment.

In fact, true to Jung’s ideas, when I met someone who acted out the behavior that I was condemned for,  I would react to that person with the same judgment.  I had judged friends who chose to quit their jobs in mid-career to travel the world in a bid to find new purpose - I thought they were weak and couldn't stand the heat of the corporate kitchen.   

 Really, did I need to be this judgemental?

The Present

When I became a Certified Professional Tarot Reader, my family and friends approached the idea with skepticism, not for the skill, but for the notion that I will never be taken seriously and possibly not treated with respect.  I do appreciate the fact that they were genuinely concerned for me.  However, I chose to further hone my skills and walked that journey with my Tarot cards because it was the only channel which took away all forms of lies, masks and other barriers to my true self.  The Tarot cards, through me, revealed only the truths to my clients.  No wonder I felt so fulfilled each time I read the Tarot and uncovered choices that my clients might make, and even helped them tackle their respective “Shadow Selves” which had previously prevented them from making better choices before. 

I often worry “But how do I explain what I do?”  This is “Face” talking.  This "Face" did show up at social events when I meet high flying senior executives of companies who may only think of a Tarot reader as the hired help, fronting the fringe activities offered to entertain clients at these events.   My “Shadow” of insecurity and vulnerability often hid between the crevices while my tough Tarot ogre self showed up, bellowing, “I am a Certified Professional Tarot Reader, I help my clients uncover right choices to influence the outcome of their situations themselves.  I am not a Fortune Teller!” 

Really, did I have to defend my gift of intuitive skills? 

Brush Off The Cobwebs With A Besom

I needed to brush away the negativity of my “Shadow Self with a besom,  so I had to force it out of the crevice  to expose her sensitive side so that when I defend my intuitive skills, it is not out of the need to defend my ego and pretend to be strong, but for the truly genuine purpose of educating the people around me about what Tarot is all about.

As we celebrate Samhain, Third Harvest, Old Hallowmas, All Hallows’ Eve, Halloween, or All Soul’s Day or whatever one might label a day where we remember our ancestors, or relatives and friends that have passed on,    I thought this might be the right time to bring out my besom.  I wanted to deal with my “Shadow” head on, so that I can move on to better help salve the wounds of my Tarot clients. 

Samhain to me, was not just a festival that honored the dead or the past.  It was also a festival that honored the future in the form of a rebirth or reawakening of values and a commitment to hold true to these values.  I wanted to hold true to my free will to make the right choices. I wanted to hold true to liberation of thought. I wanted to hold true to my pursuit for only passions that will fulfill me.

So I shuffled my Tarot cards to the question “What’s my “Shadow” most afraid of and can I sweep it away forever?”  I picked the Lovers card and the Queen of Cups from the Rosetta Tarot deck – the most unlikely pair of cards which I wouldn’t have associated with Samhain. 

However, these cards were clearly telling me that I couldn’t just sweep my “Shadow” away as it was here to stay.   It was a message for me to integrate with it instead.

 The Lovers + Queen of Cups

The Lovers represent the unification of opposites and I saw the opposites of our respective personalities within the card.  It was an integration of the “detached and tough persona” with a “sensitive and vulnerable persona”.  These 2 personas were being held apart by "FACE".   The integration of both, and my eventual understanding of how to manage each of these personalities would liberate me and help me to make right choices for myself,  governed with the balance of the head and the heart. The mirrors depicted in the card image were a reminder to me that I often see the image of my “Shadow” in others and would react to it in Judgement.  I also see the story of Andromeda and Perseus in the first mirror which reflect the theme of Liberation.  The second mirror depicted the story of the Judgement of Paris when Zeus asked Paris to choose the fairest of the 3 goddesses and Paris gave the golden apple to Aphrodite.  This mirror reflected the theme of Choice.

 How apt.

The Queen of Cups was the next interesting card I picked.  She embodies one who is compassionate and creative, yet intuitive and emotionally balanced.  The Book of Seshet which explained the Rosetta Tarot deck in detail described this Queen as one that uses her heart more than her head.   However, my experience with the deck and my interpretation of the image which depicts her looking at her reflection  in the water, have often found her one who is emotionally balanced and controlled.  I saw the balance in the reflection mirroring the Queen.  The image also reflects the Queen’s need to decide that what she sees in front of her is true scrying or a projection of her own personal thoughts.

When I put both cards together, some messages came into my mind.  They were asking me to leverage my intuitive skills to reflect deeply into the need to build rules of engagement to allow me to integrate with my “Shadow”.   She was a mirror image of myself, but there were strengths in the differences between us.   She exists for a purpose to always remind me that I had the permission to be sensitive and vulnerable at times, and I had the permission too, to hide that vulnerability when I needed to do so.  It’s only through learning to integrate with my “Shadow” that I am able to freely explore my passions, and make right choices along the way as I continue enhancing my spiritual awareness through esoteric studies.

The Lovers and the Queen of Cups cards, are telling me I can integrate these 2 personalities because they serve well for different purposes, in different environments at different moments.  I just need to be smart enough to discern these purpose and moments though.

Gemini

The twin mirrors in the Lovers card suggests the glyph of Gemini, the twins.  The twin lilies blooming in the water of the Queen of Cups card also hints to the zodiacal sign of Gemini.  So I started exploring the characteristics of a Gemini.  I think both cards are advising me to govern my thoughts and actions with the strength of a Gemini born and be consciously aware of its weakness too.

Gemini is associated with Mercury which is linked to intelligence and communication.  This makes a person born under the Zodiac sign very versatile, persuasive, communicative and expressive.  They accept and adapt to changes very easily and are compassionate about social causes, always going out of the way to help people who are in need.  They are also extremely honest and value open communication and integrity. 

Reuniting With My Shadow

Knowing the strengths and the weakness of the Gemini personalities are the cards’ advice to help me create a more positive relationship with my “Shadow”. 

That’s why, I am grateful for the cards prodding me at my side to say “Go ahead, get to know your “Shadow”.  It’s okay to bring her out from time to time when you need to cry and ask for help.  Have an open and honest discussion with her about when the right times are for her to make an appearance.  Life is ever changing.  Use her to adapt to changing situations and embrace challenges with an open mind.”

I have come a long way to finally be aware of the skeletons stored in my closet, and to accept that I do not need to fear these skeletons.  By releasing these skeletons, I will become free from this prison of a deceptive persona that I had created of myself as  a very tough Joanna.

I welcome these memories of the past as lessons that will make me a better person and a better Tarot reader to my clients.  I will not bury them out of fear and hurt because like my cards, these memories are my tools.

To further explore the notion of the “Shadow Self”,  I would like to invite you to read the post of my fellow Tarot Bloghopper Chloe at  http://innerwhisperscouk.blogspot.com/2012/10/samhain-tarot-blog-hop.html .   And if you do experience a broken link, you may return to the master list for this Tarot Blog Hop at http://amethysttarot.com/samhain2012.


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 was recently certified as a numerologist in Singapore. 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 is a mentor for the ATA.






Saturday 20 October 2012

The Tarot Knights Are Packed With Action

I Like The Different Perspectives That A Tarot Knight Gives Me

The Tarot court cards are my favorite cards because they provide multiple perspectives with a single situation. When we pick a Knight, it may be a manifestation of a younger person, or a person with youthful energies in a querant's life, or the attitude of the quearant, or it may be a manifestation of an event. These different perspectives often make an interpretation of a tarot spread for my querants even more interesting as it lends more depth and focusedness when I answer their questions.

In this blogpost, I will share my experiences with these Tarot Knights who are, to me, the universe's way of flashing you that green light to take the necessary action as you journey towards your goals.  After all that planning, dreaming and contemplating undertaken by the Tarot Page in that journey, these Knights are symbols of action, effort and hard work, that will assure you trot along the right path towards success.

For this purpose, I am using the Rider Waite Tarot deck.

Knight of Pentacles

The image on the card depicts the Knight sitting on a horse in the middle of a field. In his hand he holds a coin, and he looks like he is deep in thought while about to plough that field. The Knight governs the element of Earth and is a symbol of practical hard work and routine.

When I meditated on the card and walked into the image to talk to the Knight, I expressed that the field seemed so huge and the ploughing will never end. I was worried about the ability to complete the job in time and I was even more worried that delays may arise due to bad weather, the turning of the season and the lack of resources perhaps.

The Knight of Pentacles responded to me very slowly and perhaps more sagely beyond his years. He encouraged me to take it slow and steady. Dogged determination and focused-ness on the task will ensure that I will attain my goals. He wanted me to be practical with my approach to any issues along the way, and then he said, "Don't be afraid of hard work. Just put in your best effort. I want to see every inch of that field ploughed."

The card resonates with me as I am in the throes of so many projects. While I am growing my practice, Sun Goddess Tarot, with client readings, events and mentoring sessions, I am also preparing to launch a jewelry line. To top it all off, I am in the midst of writing a book. These, on top of my day job, are a lot of work though thankfully I am very passionate about each one of them. My greatest fear always is that I am not doing enough for my clients or my team at work, so I end up taking on a lot more. At work, my team checks my sanity by pushing back on projects that fall outside of their scope and expertise. With my practice, there's only me having strategy discussions with myself about how best to structure an evening workshop for corporate executives on how best to manage interpersonal relationships with the help of basic Tarot and Numerology skills.

However, the Knight of Pentacles had advised me that if I looked up from the reins of the horse and see beyond this field, I will realize that my goals are not at the end of this journey. My goals are actually the sense of fulfillment I get, as I tread along this journey to help my clients, and my work colleagues.

Knight Of Swords

The image on the card depicts a Knight charging ahead on a white horse, whilst brandishing a sword. The clouds are turbulent and the terrain is barren, symbols of the knight readying for battle. Governed by the element of Air, the Knight of Swords is a symbol of enthusiastic actions, haste and open communication which may sometimes even be construed as opinionated in nature.

When I meditated on the card by walking into it and talking to the Knight, he pointed the sword at me and said "Out of the way!" I asked him where he was heading to, and was expecting him, like me, to rattle off a list of projects that he would be eager to complete but all he said was, " to conquer the world."

I was a bit puzzled because that was such a general phrase and definitely a well-uttered cliche. Was he goal-less? Then I remembered Joel who is very much like the Knight of Swords. He takes on every project in his life with sheer genuine enthusiasm, although a couple of these projects were not part of his plans but were just thruster upon his reluctant hands.

One of these is Nursing school. Joel did not set out to be a nurse. He wanted to be in advertising or marketing like me, but the reality of his examination results dictated that he had to be allocated a space in the nursing course, at the local Polytechnic . He overcame his initial disappointment quite quickly and approached the course head on with a lot of enthusiasm. He came home each evening uttering wierd medical terms and talking incessantly about good friends that he had made at school. He pinned David and me down in our bed to check our blood pressure with his new equipment and chased the dogs around the home with his stethoscope. The industrial attachment at the hospital recently fueled his excitement even more and culminated with his sharing with the family, that his aspiration was to establish a private nursing care facility in future.

After all the initial planning, deliberating and dreaming Joel, as a Page of Swords, had done earlier to shape what he wanted to achieve in the future, he had evolved into the Knight of Swords to turn these plans into real actions that will eventually shape his career.

The energy and enthusiasm of the Knight Of Swords is definitely within Joel. One day, I am sure he will conquer the world. I told Joel that the negative aspect of this Knight is his opinionated nature and tendency to make hasty decisions. This awareness will ensure that whatever risks he wishes to take in future, will be calculated ones.

Knight Of Wands

The image of the Knight of Wands in the card depicts a Knight riding on a fiery red horse brandishing a rod with leaves growing from it, symbolizing passion to win and grow. The plumes on his helmet and the tassels on his shirt are red, definitely dressed to win. Governed by the element of Fire, this Knight is a symbol of passion, thirst for adventure and unwavering energy.

When I meditated on the card and walked into it to talk to the Knight, he said to me, "I am going all out to get what I want, the way I want it.". He reminded me of a very young Napolean Bonaparte then who said "Great ambition is the passion of great character." At that time, a documentary on Mark Zuckerberg had just come on TV, and just as I looked up, Zuckerberg was responding to the interviewer with these words "my goal was never to create a company.. But not being just a company..means that.. we are building something that actually makes a really big change in the world."

Well, he certainly did change the world. After spending 6 years as that Page of Wands, sitting in front of the computer just boringly coding away at Harvard, he had turned this spark of idea to bring geographical and communication barriers down by creating Facebook. As a Knight of Wands, Zuckerberg had woven the tapestry of social media, changing the way we communicate and turning it into a wonderful space for sharing ideas, reuniting old friends, finding new friends and expanding a wealth of knowledge and information.

There are also negative aspects of the Knight of Wands that we'd need to be aware of. Sometimes, he can make reckless decisions as an "act first and think later" type of character. I don't want to allow the movie, The Social Network, to influence my thoughts about the friendship between the 2 best friends Zuckerberg and Eduardo Saverin. However, I see the manifestation of the reversed Knight of Wands in the acrimonious split between them, driven by different business visions and ideals.

Hmmm, as an aside ( and I don't mean to go off tangent from the topic), and while we are on the topic of Facebook, I start to worry that small business owners like myself won't have a chance up against the big boys. I had just come across a post from a tarot reading friend on Facebook that said "ATTENTION Fans: Facebook now requires page administrators to pay to promote their updates if we want our content to be seen by our fans. If we do not pay to promote our posts, only about 10% of the fans receive the updates on the Facebook home page feed. To keep RECEIVING ALL POSTS FROM me, you have to hover the mouse on the "Like" button near our name. In the drop-down menu select "ADD TO INTEREST LISTS". Then create an interest list (and make a name for your favorite sites). When you select that interest list you will see ALL of my posts and you won't miss anything important!"

I hope that you follow the above instructions for ANY Facebook page you care about, and I do hope that one of these pages that you care about is mine at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot.

Knight of Cups

The image on the card depicts a quintessential knight in shining armor trotting upon a horse and brandishing a cup, whilst wearing a winged helmet and shoes, a symbol of creative loftiness. His cloak is emblazoned by fish motifs, a symbol of his being in tune with his higher consciousness.

Governed by the element of Water, the Knight of Cups may be a reflection of a romantic opportunity sweeping you off your feet or a manifestation of one in the throes of a creative project. When I meditated on the card, and started talking to the Knight, I had a chance to feel the wings on his helmet and had a vision of him flying high and taking me with him. I had the chance to stroke the white horse and feel the power within the beast. I had the chance to drink from his cup and feel the surge of creativity flowing from it.

The vision of romance, ideals and creativity directed me to a picture of Justin Timberlake in the local news. Don't get me wrong, I don't even listen to his music but his story emblazoned across the news article has typified him as the Knight of Cups.

Timberlake had come a long way from his Mickey Mouse Club days to be the youngest member of the band, N'Sync, to then go on to a multi-million dollar solo singing career, acting career and on to opening his own record label and clothing label. His boundless energy, multi-talented creativity, visionary ideals all typified the Knight of Cups. It is obvious that his heart rules his career decisions and thankfully undramatic love life. To top it all off, just recently, he swept Jennifer Biels off her feet and married her at a romantic ceremony in Italy. Blessed.

Your Actions Must Inspire You To Success

The Tarot Knights, having come through the Tarot Pages' phase of planning and dreaming are a message to you, to turn these plans and dreams into action. The people you meet and the opportunities you get are all an inspiration for you to leverage the energies of these Knights to ensure your goals meet with nothing but success.

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 was recently certified as a numerologist in Singapore. 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 is a mentor for the ATA.

She can be contacted at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot or www.sungoddesstarot.com

Monday 15 October 2012

Tarot Pages - Messengers Of Inspiration

Understanding The Page

When one picks a Page in a Tarot spread, it can infer to the personalities surrounding the querants. Often, the card suggests that the personalities carry with them a youthful exuberance.

However, beyond the personalities surrounding the querants, the Page in Tarot can sometimes infer to the character traits of the querants and how they may respond to a situation.  Let’s face it.  There’s a child in everyone one of us.  Managing day to day issues, mean that we are often put on a learning curve of experiences regardless of age and capabilities.

I see the semblance of a Page in every one of my family and friends, as well as myself.  So I thought to share the different traits of each of the Pages that most inspire me as my muse depending on the situation.  For this purpose, I am using my Radiant Rider Waite Tarot deck.

Page of Cups

Governed by the element of water, he is the dreamiest of all the pages.  He is dressed in a “poofy” floral tunic, scarf and a beret.  His poofy get-up notwithstanding, he is standing on the seashore, brandishing a cup with a fish in it which appears to be having a conversation with him.  If I was in school back then, and I met this bloke that talked to a fish and dressed like a girl, I would have bullied the bugger no end, and left him locked up in the locker overnight, with the key thrown away.

Creative And Attunes To Intuition

However, this Page reminded me of myself.  The fish in his cup symbolizes his higher consciousness.  This is the muse that encourages me to listen to my intuition and to not be afraid of coming up with as many creative ideas as I can to take Sun Goddess Tarot to new heights.  Every day, I am inspired by people I meet and the various esoteric works that I study to create more depth in the services I provide at Sun Goddess Tarot.  I admit that I do dream a lot about what more I can do to help my clients with.   I am happy to let you know that I am in the throes of working on a new line of crystal and gemstone-inspired Goddess jewelry that not only looks pretty on those who wear them, but help in their healing as well.

This Page is also a bearer of positive news.  I see myself on a journey of learning. I am learning to deliver news and messages in a positive and constructive way, when I read the Tarot cards for my clients.  These constructive messages often allow these clients to uncover choices that can help them influence a positive outcome within their respective situations.

Page of Swords

The image in the card depicts this Page standing upon rocky ground, with rolling clouds above him and turbulent waves in the sea behind him. He is brandishing a sword and wears a look of determination.   This Page carries a lot of energy with him.  He can never say no, and will go all out to get what he wants and do what he needs to do.  And when he does, he’ll tell you so too.

This Page reminded me of Joel.  In fact, he is possibly Joel’s muse who inspires a lot of enthusiasm, vigor and passion vital to his new challenge as a nurse-in-training.  He is full of idealism and sees himself as a nursing director in a few years time.  He makes grand plans to pursue nursing in Melbourne and talks endlessly about his future when he would want to establish a private nursing practice for the elderly sick. 

Energetic But Wise And Communicative

The Page of Swords, governed by the element of Air, is an inspiring character.  While he is filled with so much energy, and seems to run at 240km/hr, he is smart enough to stop to ask for directions and obtain guidance from those more experienced than he is.  Joel is very young and eager to learn.  When he falls, he picks himself up and cursorily b brushes the dirt off his knees before he runs off to “build his ark” again.  His “never quit” attitude is an inspiration even to me.  True to the nature of the Page of Swords, he is also very honest and upfront about his feelings.  He expresses them quite openly, and is particularly vocal about people who are not driven to help the less fortunate, the sick or the elderly.

Page of Wands

The image in the card depicts this Page standing upon rocky ground, brandishing a wand.  He seems to be talking to the wand, verbalizing his intentions and carrying with him an air of confidence.

This Page is often mistaken for the Page of Swords because he has the same fire in his belly and governs his life with a lot of enthusiasm and passion too.  However, while the Page of Swords takes calculated risks with something he feels passionate about; sometimes the Page of Wands will take action first and worry about it later.   This Page definitely has the element of Fire raging within him.  And if he doesn’t harness his energy properly, he could often make hasty decisions.   

The  Confident Change Manager

However, the positive bit about him is that this Fire in him is a testament to his confidence. He is what I call the “change manager” who is not afraid to instill change no matter how painful it can be.  He is often struck by a spark of creativity which prompts him to want to quickly make things happen whilst inspired by that creative idea.

This Page reminded me of David.  While David is almost half a century old, and would be better classified within the category of a King amongst the Court cards, I feel his youthful energy makes him better placed amongst the family of Pages. In fact, I wished there was a Court Jester card in Tarot, but I couldn’t find one, so I thought he was most suitably regarded as a Page.

Inspires Creativity And Passion

David is my Page of Wands because he had to learn to be a stepfather overnight and judiciously chipped away to break the cultural wall between my family and him.  He inspires creativity in everything he does.  David was never trained as a musician.  He was a self-taught guitarist and bass guitarist.   He doesn’t play his guitar to earn his keep; he plays it out of his passion for British rock.   He inspired Joel to be like him, bold and fearless when tackling challenges in life. A clear example of this was when he left the UK to break into a new life in Asia; he left only with his suitcase and a heart and mind full of creative ideas to turn his life into a successful businessman running his own firm in Hong Kong.  When he left Hong Kong for Singapore, he arrived on our shores with a heart full of ideals and a belly full of fire, amongst other things, to make a life for himself here.  

Hasty But Determined

Marrying me was a hasty decision when he had to spend the initial years of our marriage dealing with my parents’ hostility, earning that respect from a step son and managing a “loopy” wife who talked to her cards and crystals.  However, he soldiered on and was eventually well-loved by Mum and Dad, and became Joel’s best friend and real life hero.  More importantly, when he was introduced into my life, he took upon himself to instill the mindset changes necessary in me to embrace my status as a single mother with some positivity.  Inspired by him, I turned my life around from a “housewife from Brunei” to build a successful career as a marketeer over the years in the banking and finance industry. 

Page of Pentacles

The nerd amongst the Pages, the image on the Page of Pentacles card depicts a Page standing amidst lush greenery examining a coin in his hands.

Governed by the element of Earth, this Page symbolizes one in the beginning of a new project, which promises successful completion only when one applies a practical approach to managing the project and is focused on attaining his project goals.  This project also promises one the opportunity to learn new skills and discover new experiences.  It’s truly an exciting journey for the Page to be in, that will culminate in success only if he works very hard at it and treat it like a great opportunity to grow his experience.

Pragmatism And Hard Work

I see the energy of this Page in one of my staff SC.  SC is a young, hardworking and ever-curious marketeer whom I had hired from my previous company when she was part of my team then too.  She has such an appetite for learning that she throws herself proactively into any project no matter how big or challenging it is.  As one of my team members, she is proficient at digital marketing, brand marketing, social marketing, customer engagement and marketing research.    

Recently, after returning from maternity leave, SC was given the opportunity to establish her own digital marketing team, and was tasked to create a holistic digital marketing plan for the company.    It was a big job filled with a lot of complexities but SC took it on without fear of hard work.  In her pragmatism, as she understood that the role demands a lot of cross functional team work, she has been employing a consultative approach to her digital marketing projects.

I am happy that SC was given an opportunity to grow and shine.  I know that one day she will be a highly effective digital marketeer critical to a company’s successful growth plans.  

Youthful Energy Of The Page

So when you see a Page in your Tarot Spread, just simply connect their respective personalities to people you know who display similar traits. 
For me, I describe a Page with just one phrase – a Messenger of Inspiration. 

You can’t go far wrong when you keep these perspectives of the Pages as messengers of inspiration. :

·       Page of Wands – He is inspiring me to breathe new life into the things I do
·       Page of Pentacles - He is reminding me to be practical about my decisions and stay focused on my goal
·       Page of Cups – He is inspiring me to listen to my intuition and come up with creative ideas to solve a problem
·       Page of Swords – He is inspiring me to be enthusiastic about the opportunity yet smart enough to ask for help

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 was recently certified as a numerologist in Singapore. 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 is a mentor for the ATA.


She can be contacted at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot or www.sungoddesstarot.com




Wednesday 3 October 2012

Which Queen Are You?

I Do Like The Court Cards

As a professional Tarot reader, I often get excited when I see a court card in a Tarot spread.  Whether it’s a Page, a Knight, a Queen or a King, regardless of suits, they lend so much depth to my querant’s situations by offering me insights about the personalities and attitudes of the querants, or the other people involved in the querants’ lives and their approach to their respective situations. 

I just returned from a wonderful 5-day vacation in Bangkok.  Well, it was wonderful for me but I’m not sure if it was the same for the family members who traveled with me because I was a completely intolerable bitch fussing over every detail and stressing over any unexpected change in plans.  The reversed Queen of Swords herself reigned in me that week.

So in this blog post, I would like to share my perspective about the Queens in Tarot by paying tribute to 4 key women who influenced my life positively.

Queen of Swords

I’ll start with her shall I?  .The Queen of Swords is a seasoned lass.  She’s got so much experience borne from her days of maneuvering times of gale force winds alternating with the gentle breeze.  A Queen that’s associated with the element of Air, she’s the mother of intellect, deep thought, wit, guile and communication. You can never fool her, because she’ll smell bullshit from a mile away.  She’s way too smart, way too savvy, extremely disciplined and if you annoy the hell out of her, she’s going to have you for breakfast.

This Queen is a manifestation of my Mom.  Mom’s sharp as a knife and she’s been through a lot to be able to take a lot of things in her stride.  However if you cross her path, she’ll make sure you’d never forget it.  Mum had been through tough times when Dad got incarcerated for having a different point of view from the establishment.  They weren’t that kind to alternative political viewpoints at that time, labeling Dad as a political dissident. However, Mom had balls made of brass.  She marched into Dad’s boss’ office weeks after his incarceration and demanded that his boss continues to pay Dad his salary in spite of Dad’s detention, so that the family could survive.  He conceded.

Queen of Pentacles

The Queen of Pentacles is the quintessential Earth Mother, rendering love and support to the people closest to her.  She’s got the ability to balance her family life, nurturing and taking care of them whilst financially providing for them.  Governed by the element of Earth, this Queen is so well-grounded, that she makes practical decisions in the interest of everyone around her.  She’s also independent in her outlook and is not afraid to tread life’s journey on her own.

This Queen is a manifestation of my ex-boss and close friend L. She was a positive influence in my life and a role model for me.  As a mentor, she was responsible totally for my career success.  I became a good marketer because she taught me how to be one.  But more importantly, she taught me to be the better person always during trying times.  She held my hand through that winding path as I managed a divorce, single motherhood and a remarriage.  At my second wedding, she was the one who walked me up the aisle.  It wasn’t Mom and Dad because as staunch Roman Catholics, they had initial misgivings about my divorce and remarriage.  It was L who was my best friend, mother, sister, mentor, boss all rolled into one. 

I saw L as a fantastic boss when she could rally a huge team of marketers under her to deliver the best results for the company.  Our team at that time, enjoyed a great deal of camaraderie and close friendships.  Because of L’s positive influence, today I have a team of great marketers under me, I affectionately call the A-Team.  They too enjoy a close and familial camaraderie envied by many other team members within this company. 

Like L, I am not done learning yet.  While she had gone on to attain a doctorate in the field and is happily teaching students who were once like myself,  I had gone on to pick up a skill of a different kind – Tarot reading and numerology which helped me serve my purpose of bringing light, comfort and assurance to the clients who come to me.  I could never thank the universe enough every day, for the light L brought to me.

Queen of Wands

My favorite Queen.  This woman has unleashed her inner Goddess and is filled with exuberance, warmth and energy that even I can’t keep up with her.  She leads such an active life, and welds her career with an iron hand, innate in a natural-born leader. She has a creative soul, always full of ideas and will waste no time sharing it with you quite openly.  I’d like to think that I am this Queen but because I am a bit of an overbearing cow at times, people around me often tell me to “get back in my box”.  Governed by the element of fire, this Queen is a ball of passion and enthusiasm.  She will get things done, and done in her way as well.  So watch out.

Ralph Waldo Emerson once said “Enthusiasm is one of the most powerful engines of success.  When you do a thing, do it with your might, Put your whole soul into it. Stamp it with your own personality.”  The Queen of Wands personifies this statement and is a manifestation of one of my favorite personalities Oprah Winfrey.  As a talk show host (I love her shows), producer, writer, publisher and philanthropist, she epitomizes strength, will and passion.  She grew up in an impoverished home, daughter of a teenage single mom but made it right to the top as one of the few black billionaire women.  From her, I learnt that nothing is impossible when you set your mind to it and conquer it with passion.  Her website www.oprah.com has become a fabulous source of information and inspiration for me.

Oprah, in fact, coined this phrase which I have taken to be the mantra of the Queen of Wands, “Think like a queen. A queen is not afraid to fail. Failure is another stepping stone to greatness.”

Queen of Cups

How many of you actually balance your head and your heart when you make critical decisions? This Queen does.  Governed by the element of Water, she has so much emotional maturity, warmth and sensitivity.  She is carried by the tide of a caring and compassionate disposition.  Anyone in her midst who need help and comfort will flock to her instantly to seek solace, like a port in a storm.

I tried very hard to find someone in my life that actually has the qualities of this Queen.  I’d like to think my Mom is one but really, I think there are times; I am calmer than she is and I have more composure than she does. So at this point, I am going to reveal a little secret of mine.

I had a privileged childhood.  I was never in want of anything and was the apple of Dad’s and Mum’s eyes until 11 years later, my brother came into this world to turn mine upside down. As a spoilt only daughter who had to share her world with a snotty boy,  I then grew up as a difficult and rebellious teenager because everything that I had, Jerome had twice more.  He was a sickly boy, and suffered from fits quite frequently, so Dad and Mom legitimized their incessant pampering of Jerome with this reason.  And where was my “port in the storm”?  I found solace in the Mother Superior, Sister Catherine, at the Convent of Our Little Sisters of the Poor.

Our Little Sisters of the Poor was an order of Roman Catholic nuns who specialized in elderly care.  They ran a home and a hospice for the aged years ago at Thomson Road in Singapore.  I was introduced to the order by my childhood friend G and spent all my weekends at the home assisting the nuns with the elderly patients. I fed them, washed them, changed them, talked to them, prayed with them.  My favorite moments were spent with Sister Catherine in the serenely beautiful and lush gardens of the convent grounds.  There, she recounted  her childhood stories and spoke to us about God and how she chose her vocation to help the elderly through their twilight years in a bid to make it as less painful as possible.  I was mesmerized by these stories and I wanted to become like her.  I wanted to be a nun.

Out of the 7-8 girls in our group that volunteered actively at the hospice, I only remembered 1 girl that had finally donned the habit of a novice.  I was so filled with envy but as I grew older, I realized that my efforts at the hospice and my time spent with Sister Catherine, was my way of escaping the harsh realities of growing up pains.

I woke up at the moment when I had to make a choice to go on to university to complete my studies.  Sister Catherine knew when to say goodbye.  To her, it didn’t matter whether or not I chose that vocation to be a nun.  What mattered to her was that she had been my guiding light in my teenage years and was critical in helping me develop my own emotional maturity and intellect to discern right from wrong, good from bad.  Through that gift of emotional maturity, I discovered choice, and more importantly, I discovered the importance of taking responsibility for my own choices.  I chose to leave Our Little Sisters of the Poor to find my life somewhere else and perhaps, one day, become the “port in a storm” for other people.

Don’t Be Afraid Of A Court Card

The protégés whom I mentor often tell me that their biggest fear in reading Tarot cards is having to interpret a Court Card.  However, do you see now, why I absolutely love the Court Cards in Tarot?  It’s not difficult to interpret them.    I like to attach a significant person or influence in my life whenever I pick a court card.  I do see the Court Cards as Tarot’s way of advising me to adopt the positive energy of that specific Court Card when I make important decisions.

When I pick the same for a client, I tend to have a deeper discussion with him/her about the people who have an influence on his/her situation.  Quite often, the Court Card picked might be a manifestation of my client too.

So, do share your perspective with me.  Which Queen do you most associate with?

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 was recently certified as a numerologist in Singapore. 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 is a mentor for the ATA.


She can be contacted at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot or www.sungoddesstarot.com