Tuesday 31 December 2013

Happy New Year, Blessed New Moon



1st January 2014.  Happy New Year!  2014 is finally here.  

Everyday, I would jot down my personal thoughts with a Card du Jour that I would pick for the day, as well as the numerological highlights for the day.  As I started writing, my thoughts spilt over several paragraphs because there were just so much information to cover.  So I had decided to jot these down within my blog.

There was the year numerology, the day numerology, the Tarot year card, and highlights about the New Year.  To complicate matters, the New Moon fell on New Year's Day!

So here are my personal perspectives for the year 2014 as well as my thoughts on this special day, 1 Janauary 2014, when the New Moon coincides with New Year's Day for the first time in 19 years.

My Perspectives on 2014

There is a strong 7 energy this year.  Numerologically 2014 is surrounded by 7 energy ( 2 + 0 +1 + 4 = 7).   It is a year when you are encouraged to think through issues, galvanize your thoughts with a proper evaluation of the pros and cons of your actions and not just react to these issues hastily. 
  
It is also the year of the Horse in about 4 weeks time, which is the 7th animal in the Chinese zodiac.   Again, you are urged not to act impulsively or you might "gallop" in the wrong direction.  

And this gets more fun.  The Tarot card that governs the year 2014 is the Chariot - the 7th card of the Major Arcana in a Tarot deck.   The Chariot is a card representing victory and success in achieving goals through sheer determination and focusedness.  The card urges you to strive for success not through aggression and manipulating but through self discipline and the courage to step up and assume responsibility.

7 corresponds with the Sahasrara chakra or the crown chakra, so mental, spiritual transformations and introspective views are expected.  You might feel more connected to your spirituality or be more spiritually aware.  Morals and values become more important to you.  There will be many opportunities for soul-searching and thinking or analyzing through a situation before dealing with it.   It is a year you might fall back on your spirituality or religion for comfort and support.  It is also a good year to pursue more knowledge and learn new skills.  


New Moon On New Year's Day

Today, 1st January, is numerologically governed by 9. It is a New Year that promised new possibilities, new experiences and new challenges ahead. Incidentally, it is also the first New Moon that coincides with the New Year in 19 years. So if you want to ready yourself to step into a new work day after the New Year holidays tomorrow, you are encouraged to make an effort today, to let go of all the negativity that is unnecessarily burdening your heart and mind. 

With the New Moon in Capricorn appearing on New Year's Day, it is a good time to ask yourself -  Would you want to be bold, take a risk and gamely embrace new experiences and new beginnings, or would you rather stick to your comfort zone?  Would you allow power and  ambitions to drive you or would it be best to stay grounded and practical?

When I wished my friends and family today, I told them that my theme for the year will be BALANCE.  I hope to balance my priorities, balance my needs with the needs of others, balance my lofty ideals with reality and balance my ambitions with my need to stay grounded.

What's your theme?

“It’s not about 'what can I accomplish?' but 'what do I want to accomplish?' Paradigm shift.” – Brene Brown


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 28 December 2013

Finding Career Fulfillment With A Tarot Spread Inspired By The Hobbit

Feeling Disengaged And Uninspired

As a professional Tarot reader that operated within the central business district with clients that were mostly mid-level careerists in the finance, technology or creative industries I had often gotten career-related questions.  These clients sought guidance to manage their careers particularly when some felt disengaged and uninspired at specific moments. They trusted me to provide them with guidance through my Tarot cards because they knew that as a mid-level careerist in the financial industry myself, I could empathize with their respective situations.  

Like my clients,  these feelings of disengagement would creep up on me from time to time.  And I felt it increasingly this month.  I was not sure if it was because it was the year-end period at work when our minds were mostly focused on the family and the year-end festivities.  For me, this was compounded by the fact that Dad suffered a stroke suddenly and threw the family into a period of stress and worry.  This had put my work in the back seat for awhile as I tended to what mattered most.  And when I could finally settle down upon Dad's recovery to scroll down my emails again, I was filled with a sense of dread at the seemingly insurmountable pile of issues waiting for me to tackle when I got back into the office after the New Year.

Light of Earendil Tarot Spread Inspired By The Hobbit

Thankfully, a friend Olivia Destrades, created a very interesting Tarot spread inspired by The Hobbit, for the recent Yule Tarot Blog Hop.  It is called the Light of Earendil Spread and you can read her blog post here http://firstearthtarot.blogspot.com/2013/12/yule-blog-hop-2013-bringing-light-into.html    

I had the chance to put the spread into practice.

Card 1: Gollum (What shadow am I currently encountering?) - 7 of Cups

Card 2: Frodo (What hidden/unrecognized strength may help me work with this shadow?) -The Devil Reversed

Card 3: Light of Earendil (What illuminates the darkness for me?)- 6 of Cups

Card 4: Gandalf (How can I master my power?) - 4 of Pentacles Reversed

Card 5: Elrond (What counsel will help me confront my current obstacles?) - King of Wands

Card 6: Mirror of Galadriel (What may the immediate future hold?)- The Chariot Reversed 

Card 1 - 7 of Cups:   
The Seven of Cups was a reflection of my constant habit of dreaming big dreams, some of which would be unrealistic and some were just dreams that I had never had the guts of putting a plan together to turn them into reality. My dreams got bigger when I had to maneuver many daunting changes in the workplace.   I would escape into a world of fantasies when the going got tough at work and  start working through my career choices built out of ideals.  And we all know, ideals alone would be unsustainable if they were not balanced with practicality.  The shadow that I am currently encountering was escapism.  I really had to be more grounded

 This situation corresponded with my Moon Persona card which is the Knight of Cups.  The Knight  is a highly sensitive dreamer, full of insecurities and craves recognition and attention.  As a figment of my shadow the Seven of Cups warned that if I got too caught up in all my wishful thinking without discerning the "do-able" ones with wisdom or without confronting them with a practical plan to turn some of these into reality, they would forever be hidden in the closet as a shadow, wheeled out only to fill the void of mundane and unfulfilling days when I felt disengaged and uninspired.  

The 7 of Cups card was a warning that there were indeed choices that I had to make.  These were not career choices, as in, what job I should be pursuing next, particularly when the workplace environment got muddier with the usual corporate changes.  Rather, the choices should be about i) the clarity of my career goals and ii) if I was unhappy about a situation at work, what I should be doing about it.

Card 2 - The Devil Reversed:  
Recognizing that the shadow cast on my career choices were often driven by my insecurities, fear of change and my career ambitions, the Devil reversed showed up as an advice for me to remain emotionally detached.  By being detached from the bonds that had strapped me tightly into what I had momentarily considered  a career rut, I would free myself to gain more  clarity of mind and heart to make the right choices for my career. 


Card 3 - 6 of Cups:   
The memories from the past from which I drew lessons for the present, were what I needed to throw some light onto my shadow of escapism.  I remembered how I callously changed jobs for the sake of money and big titles years ago when I was younger and dumber.  When I worked for a local bank without seeing the light of day and having had to manage a very difficult manager fond of micro-managing his staff,  I fell very ill and was diagnosed with severe hypertension that needed daily medication.  Hello, Joanna, do you remember those dark days?   

At the same time, the 6 of Cups was also an advice for me to look back at what I had  endured in the last couple of years with the management changes at my current  work place.  It assured me that whatever trials and other changes that might lay ahead, I would have the strength to overcome them the way I overcame the difficulties these current changes brought.   So I need not have to 'escape' just because I was tired of changes and the usual quagmire of corporate politics.  I had experienced these before in the last 20 years of work life and my experience had taught me well enough to manage more of these in the years ahead.

Another advice the 6 of cups gave me, was the reminder that I was doing  what I loved in my current role.  It gave me room to express my creativity.  As I has been a marketing professional for almost 20 years,  I was very familiar with the work in my current job and should be confident in my skills and experience enough to know that I could create a lot of fulfillment in whatever I put my heart, mind and soul to.
.

Card 4 - 4 of Pentacles Reversed:  
The 4 of Pentacles reversed suggested that I could do better and allow more room for strategic and creative thinking if I could just learn to let go.  I  had spent so much time focused on career-building rather than on intrinsic things that could benefit my team and I, for example, further training and skills upgrading, mentoring the team and maybe even not getting so fixated over my turf and trusting others to do a job well without being over-critical of them.   Sometimes, others might not be as experienced and skilled in a job, but they might bring new perspectives to it.   The 4 of Pentacles reversed asked that I loosen my hold in my need to feel secure and be recognized for my efforts all the time.  I could master my power, if I acknowledged that letting go would go a long way to developing myself as a better leader.

Card 5 - King of Wands:  
The counsel that could help me confront my obstacles would most appropriately come from my boss.  I had to make an effort to articulate my career goals, and be open about what I needed from my boss to help me find fulfillment in the work that I did.  I came across situations quite often amongst my Tarot clients when communication between boss and subordinates were not opened and each side was left to second-guess the other, thus creating tensions and conflicts at work when expectations were not met.  I believed that the King of Wands beckoned me to step forward boldly and stake a claim on the future of my own career path by getting the necessary support I needed from my boss.

Card 6:  The Chariot Reversed:
My immediate future might see me letting go of my worries and insecurities about the changes in the workplace and the usual corporate dynamics.  Let's face it.  These are decisions made by the powers that be which they have considered as beneficial to the business.  I would instead be  focusing my energies on what is within my control as far as own work, projects or career growth within the company are concerned.  If I felt disengaged or uninspired again within these areas, I should make the effort to evaluate how and what I could do to make necessary changes to help myself and the team.  I should not be distracted by everything else that did not quite matter to my own project or career goals.  More importantly, I should never allow any changes within the corporate environment to rock my confidence and personal power.  

I always advised my clients that if they could change a situation to make it better, than change it.  If they could not change a situation to make it better, then change how they think about the situation.

I should really take my own advice. 


The Light of Earendil Tarot Spread is reproduced here with the kind permission of Olivia Destrades.

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



Thursday 26 December 2013

The Star's Zodiac Tarot Spread

I really dig the Card du Jour I picked today, The Star from the Wizards Tarot deck by Corrine Kenner.  This deck is one of my personal favorites.  The Star card in particular  is so full of symbolisms.  I urge you to study the symbolisms as detailed in www.wizardstarot.com

It also comes complete with The Star Zodiac Tarot Spread which is worth trying if you are not daunted by a 12-card spread.  The below is lifted directly from the website.

Lay the cards in a counterclockwise circle, and read them just as you would read a natal chart. The positions are based on the houses in a horoscope.

  1. First House: Physical appearance, first impressions

  2. Second House: Money, possessions, values

  3. Third House: Communication, siblings, neighborhoods

  4. Fourth House: Motherhood, home, and family

  5. Fifth House: Fatherhood, creativity, and recreation

  6. Sixth House: Work, duty, responsibility, service to others

  7. Seventh House: Marriage, partnerships, intimate relationships

  8. Eighth House: Sex, death, other people’s money

  9. Ninth House: Philosophy, long-distance travel, higher education

  10. Tenth House: Ambition, status, career and public image

  11. Eleventh House: Social groups, causes, long-term thinking

  12. Twelfth House: Psychic ability, the occult, hidden places


    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





My Six Of Cups Moment


Mum And Dad's 45th Wedding Anniversary

Mum and Dad will celebrate their 45th wedding anniversary tomorrow.  Mum originally had a big party planned but cancelled it last week when Dad suffered a stroke and was hospitalized.  With Dad making a recovery more quickly than we had imagined, he was discharged earlier than expected and Mum had decided to cook a big feast to celebrate their wedding anniversary instead for just close family members.  I love going home to Mum and Dad's for a big meal. I always enjoyed getting pampered by them.  Even in my 40s they still think I am 14!

Happy Memories 

Over the last week, Dad and I shared  fond memories of the past when we regaled his antics as a political detainee incarcerated for off-center political views.  I used these memories to help him to cope with his dementia.  I questioned him about things we ate, places we went and names of his old friends just to "exercise" his memory.  The great bit was that these memories made Dad laugh a lot. This had probably helped with his recovery.

I too had fond memories over the last week of my younger days when Dad and Mum used to take me everywhere they went.  These memories helped me cope with my depression over Dad's stroke, his hospitalization and the uncertainty of when he might get discharged.   I remembered that we travelled to many places, went on culinary adventures all over Singapore in the middle of the night, went to dinner parties with Dad and his friends where we talked politics.  Even at the age of 4 or 5, his friends would sit up in surprise when I could talk about Marx, Engels and Lenin, and hum to the tune of The International.

Dad's hospitalization also taught me to find the child in me. I was trying to hold up my stoic appearance for awhile until I broke down and looked to David to hold my hands through this episode.  We  also found the child in us by encouraging Dad's hilarious antics in the hospital when he pressed the bedside buzzer just to annoy the nurses.  With the stress, we needed that laughter.

6 Of Cups In Tarot 

With these fond memories and as I enjoyed the familial environment afforded by the Yuletide season,  I meditated over the 6 of Cups card.  The 6 of Cups card helped me connect with happy memories of the past to cope with the stress of the present.  I also drew lessons from the past to help guide me to make choices for the future.  Below are some of my favourite 6 of cups Tarot cards that I had picked amongst my decks.

6 In Numerology

6 in numerology, is a symbol of domesticity and familial matters.  It promises lots of love, care and nurturing support from one influenced by the 6 energy.   6 also represents harmony, unconditional giving and generous support.  It was written in the bible that God created everything in 6 days and rested on the 7th day.  The Jewish holiday of Shavuot starts in the 6th day of the Hebrew month of Sivan.  There are 6 points to the Star of David.  And my rocker-want-to-be husband David, who happened to be the Master of useless information told me that #6 is the pseudonym for Shawn Crahan when he played with the band Slipknot!

VI - The Lovers Tarot Card

6 is also the number of the Lovers Tarot card.  The card represents not only love, union and partnerships but also personal choices.   The card is ruled by the planet Venus.  The Goddess of Love, Venus presides over relationships, marriage, union, harmony.   It is a number appropriate to mull on, particular during my parents' wedding anniversary.  The Lovers card also represents personal choices, and the balance between  values, principles, and ideals.  The card urges one to stay true to personal beliefs and reassess one's goals when confronted with having to make hard value choices.  You see, when I had to manage a difficult week coping with Dad's hospitalization and Mum's depression, I had to make that personal choice to drop everything to focus on the family.   Even when I had so many issues at work and my Tarot clients were calling me during this very busy month for readings to help them prepare for what was to come in the new year, I had to just drop everything to focus on Dad and Mum.  The family came first. They were my responsibility.  Nothing else mattered.  As J.K. Rowling said, "It is our choices that show what we truly are, far more than our abilities."

Do enjoy meditating on the 6 of Cups Tarot card. In the words of Charlotte Davis Kasl, "Happy memories become treasures in the heart to pull out on the tough days of adulthood."

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


6 of Cups from the Morgan Greer Tarot deck created by Bill Greer and Lloyd Morgan

6 of Cups from the Gilded Tarot deck by Ciro Marchetti

6 of Cups from the Book of Shadows Vol. 2 - So Below Tarot deck by Barbara Moore

6 of Cups from the Wizards Tarot deck by Corrine Kenner




The Lovers from the Rider-Waite Tarot deck published by US Games System Inc


6 of Cups from the Aquarian Tarot deck by David Palladini

Wednesday 25 December 2013

The Christmas Tree Tarot Spread

The Christmas Tree Tarot Spread
Christmas is a celebration of light.  So, I created a Christmas Tree Tarot spread to help one find light to illuminate one's journey into the new year. Try it and let me know how it has worked for you.
Meanwhile, may you have a blessed Christmas full of love and light.

1)    You, in your search for light
2)    Where can you find that glimpse of light?
3)    What is blocking that light?
4)    How can you illuminate your journey towards your goal?
5)    Lessons from the past
6)    Lessons from the present
7)    Advice for the future

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 21 December 2013

Turning Darkness Into Light This Yuletide Season


This blog post was written as my contribution to the Yule Tarot Blog Hop. Welcome to the last Tarot blog hop of 2013.  If at any point you are daunted by the length of my blog post below, you can visit the blog before mine,  the blog after mine, or comb through the Master List for the rest of the participating blogs by following the links here:

The Blog Before      |       Master List       |      The Blog After

Rebirth At Yule

This Tarot blog hop is Yule-themed and focused on understanding how each member of our Tarot Blog Hop community had  “Turned Darkness Into Light”.   


Yule night or Winter Solstice sees the longest night of the year.  When the sun rises the next morning, we celebrate light with the rebirth of the sun as the dark half of the year makes way for the lighter half.   In the Northern Hemisphere, Yule was known as the Winter Solstice while in the southern hemisphere Yule was known as the Summer Solstice.  No matter where one was located and whichever religion or traditions one followed, Yule was always a magical time filled with excitement and steeped in traditions.  Yule saw the triumph of light over darkness.  As Celtic Yule lore went, Yule was celebrated as the rebirth of the Sun when the Oak King who ruled over the light part of the year, defeated the Holly King who ruled over the dark part of the year. So Yule brought with it the opportunity to be reborn with new light.
As the wrangler for this Yule 2013 Blog Hop, the season offered me a time to think about rebirth.  You see, it's been just over a year that I had been part of this Tarot Blog Hop community.  When I joined the community, I got more than the chance to share my thoughts about Tarot.  I gained so much more.
Gaining New Friends
Throughout the year, as part of this Tarot blog hop community, I built new friendships that transcended race, religious beliefs and geographical barriers.  Through them, I gained so much knowledge about how the Sabbats along the Wheel of the Year were celebrated. Besides gaining new friends, amongst them, I had found wonderful Tarot professionals who had become mentors, teachers, and confidantes so critical to my growth as a Tarot reader.
Indeed, the members of this Tarot blog hop community were my light along this journey of growth.  One cannot possibly fathom the number of reading techniques, Tarot spreads, astrological and numerological correspondences, as well as spiritual practices that I had learnt from this group of Tarot professionals. Because of their openness, I realized, I need not be bothered with an “ism” to feel belonged.  I need not be a Pagan to be celebrating the Sabbats together with my Pagan friends, just as one need not be a Tarot enthusiast, to be opened to the advice and guidance I could provide with my Tarot cards.  Through the darkness of ignorance, my fellow Tarot pals held my hand towards the light of knowledge.
Gaining New Perspective On My Faith
I finally went back to church.  Raised as a Roman Catholic, I made peace with myself and with my God over the course of the year.  You see, I grew up realizing that my spiritual journey was a matter between Him and I, so I welded magical systems and rituals within my Catholic framework to create what was uniquely a path of my own.  As Monte Farber said, "Rituals help build a spiritual connection in our daily lives by acknowledging the existence of a Higher Power."  

In a way, this experience became my rebirth.  Comfortable with my relationship with my God, no longer ashamed of my intuitive gifts and believing that He accepted my eccentricities and loved me as I was, I finally went back to church to attend mass every Sunday.  That period of "darkness" had indeed turned into light because I accepted that I was given a gift for a purpose.  My full moon ritual every month, was always dedicated to thanking Him for the abundance that surrounds me.  This Yule, as I held the energy within my sacred space, I thought of the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines who do not have heat, clean water, shelter and food.  My ritual  was dedicated to bringing warmth, light and comfort to those who are not as fortunate as we are during this yuletide season.
I would like to take this opportunity to share my prayer specially written for my Yule ritual:


"Poinsettias, mistletoe and holly bright.  
We welcome Yule and the return of light.
Angels guard and guide me as I cast my circle tonight.
 The sun returns, with His birth, the Lord of Light.  
As I light this candle to dispel darkness, doubt and disappointments,
I thank God for blessings of love, hope and abundance. 
I pray that I bring light , healing and love as I go forth,
To touch the world from East to South to West to North.”


Gaining A New Spiritual Awakening - The Judgement Card
Perhaps, the most important thing I had gained just recently, was my spiritual reawakening.

As Yule for me was like a rebirth, I had decided to meditate on the Judgement card.  For this purpose, I used the Judgement card from my Radiant Rider Waite Tarot deck updated by Virginijus Poshkus and published by US Games.
The Judgement card depicts a  man, woman and child rising from the dead on judgment day, to the sounds of the trumpet being played by an angel.  Mountains and turbulent sea in the background represent  life’s challenges that they had been through and are being called to be judged on their response to each of these challenges.
I meditated on how my spiritual journey had evolved and this card was so appropriate.  My new spiritual awakening saw me walking into a new discovery with my Tarot cards.  As I grew my intuitive skills, I had become more opened to receiving spiritual messages in whatever shape and form. I have recently learnt to use the cards to connect with those who had passed.  

I had a conversation with my late father-in-law a few weeks ago.  You can read about it here: http://sungoddesstarot.blogspot.com/2013/11/a-conversation-with-my-father-in-law.html    The conversation I had with him through my cards had made me conscious of what I needed to do more to solder my relationship with David. 

Also, because my conversation with my father-in-law opened an opportunity for me to convince David about the reality of the afterlife, I was 'urged' to describe an incident whereby David had a huge fight with his brother, Rob when he was quite young.  Now, David is much younger than Rob, so with that age gap, it was quite out of character for them to be in an intense fight like that.  I described to him about the vision of how he pinned Rob down in an attempt to rain some punches at him when his usually docile Dad stepped in to break the fight. His Dad was a gentle, quiet soul who was never known to be angry but he was terribly angry and disappointed then.  When I related this incident to David, he said, " How did you know this?  I have never told you about this incident before. It was so long ago".   I calmly replied, " Your Dad told me, so you can believe me enough to have a proper conversation with him. And you have to do so soon before he goes back into the light."  I encouraged David to spend a moment to talk to his Dad, and he did, so that he could 'close the loop' on the conversations he should have had with him but never could.  

I am not sure where this new discovery will lead me.  However, I am still awed by how much more depth I could build with my cards, and what else I could do with them.  As long as my heart and mind remains open to spiritual messages, I could help clients  beyond the usual career, family and relationship issues. Perhaps, with practice, I could hold the hands of some clients through their period of grief and bereavement. After all, true to my purpose, my intuitive skills were meant to help them turn darkness into light.

Thanks for allowing me to share what Yule means to me.  Do visit Louise's blog lined up before mine or Olivia's blog lined up after mine.  And do not miss out on the rest of the wonderful blogs.  The respective links are below:


The Blog Before      |       Master List       |      The Blog After


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
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Judgement card from the Radiant Rider Waite Tarot deck updated 
by Virginijus Poshkus and published by US Games.
My Yule Candle - This particular candle was used at a service at church to
pray for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.  I have brought it back to grace
the altar at home for my Yule ritual

Friday 20 December 2013

Yule 2013 Tarot Blog Hop Masterlist

YULE 2013 TAROT BLOG HOP

Welcome to the Yule 2013 Tarot Blog Hop.  

Below is the master list of Tarot bloggers who are participating in the Yule 2013 Tarot Blog Hop.  Come celebrate Yule with us on 21 December at 2pm GMT. 

The Masterlist:

 1.  Stella Tarot http://www.usgamesinc.com/tarotblog/2013-yule-tarot-blog-hop/ 
3. Cassandra Santori -http://www.quickcardreading.com/yule/  
20. J Jordan Hoggard http://wp.me/p1u5kt-/Oq
23. Chloe for TABI http://tabitarot.blogspot.com/


 About The Blog Hop:
In the Northern Hemisphere, Yule is known as the Winter Solstice while in the southern hemisphere Yule is known as the Summer Solstice.  No matter where you are located and whichever religion or traditions you follow, Yule is always a magical time filled with excitement and steeped in traditions.  Yule sees the triumph of light over darkness.  As Celtic Yule lore goes, Yule is celebrated as the rebirth of the Sun when the Oak King who ruled over the light part of the year, defeated the Holly King who ruled over the dark part of the year. So Yule brings with it the opportunity to be reborn with new light.

 The Blog Hop Theme:
 TURNING DARKNESS INTO LIGHT

 What Was Expected Of The Bloggers:
 Yule night or Winter Solstice sees the longest night of the year.  When the sun rises the next morning, we celebrate light with the rebirth of the sun as the dark half of the year makes way for the lighter half.  In the spirit of welcoming back the light, the bloggers were asked to unleash their creativity with this topic.  For example:
  • Use their Tarot cards to guide them on how they could bring light to the people around them.
  • Share their experiences on finding light at the end of a period of darkness
  • Use their Tarot to guide them on re-charging themselves with strength
  • Use their Tarot to guide them on how they are going to imbibe vitality to their endeavors
  • Share how they celebrate light with Yuletide traditions
  • In a nutshell, use this Yule Tarot Blog Hop to celebrate light together with me in their own way.

Whether or not you are a part of the Tarot Blog Hop community participating in the Yule 2013 Tarot Blog Hop, I hope you will enjoy these rich gifts in the form of knowledge, insights and experiences shared within these beautiful blogposts. 

For me personally, these Tarot bloggers have truly brought me light through the friendship, mentorship, support and advice they had given me along my journey with Tarot.  I know their blog posts will bring you the same light they have brought me. 








My Yule Candle - This particular candle was used at a service at church to
pray for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.  I have brought it back to grace
the altar at home for my Yule ritual

Friday 29 November 2013

A Tarot Reader's Perspective On Public Relations


Tarot - My Conversation Starter
I spent 2 days at a PR conference recently in my capacity as the head of corporate marketing and communications of a financial organization.  I met peers from different companies, some were multinational companies, and some were start-ups.  Throughout the conference, I made comments, and asked questions via Twitter.  Other PR professionals at the conference did the same and some engaged in a lively conversation with me about specific topics that were covered at the conference.
My Twitter handle is @SunGoddessTarot.  Obviously, my discussions at the conference were not about Tarot, but about the role, function, opportunities and challenges of PR professionals like myself.  My Twitter handle might have caused a few raised eyebrows because during the tea and lunch breaks, I had a lot of conference participants come up to me to ask what I actually did for a living, so I gave them my “holding statement” and told them that I was a Marketing and Communications professional by trade and a Tarot reader and Numerologist by accident. 
That became a great conversation starter, and perhaps explained why I came home from the conference with my handbag filled with business cards, and a headache from doing impromptu numerology readings for quite a number of new friends whom I had made at the conference.   When I looked back at the exchanges between some of these PR professionals and myself during the 2 days at the conference, I was gratified that I need not have to explain my passion in Tarot and Numerology like I used to have to do so years ago when I first came out of the closet with my intuitive gifts.  Everyone I spoke to who came up to me because they were intrigued by my Twitter handle, were very opened minded.  One of them said to me “ If I do not have to explain my passion in music as I sing in a local rock band outside of my day job as a PR professional, why should you explain about your passion in Tarot and Numerology?”  Bless him.
Public Relations And Tarot
The openness I had experienced within my circle of new friends within the PR industry spurred me to think about some lessons Tarot could teach about PR.  Encouragingly, this was not far different from what I had learnt at the conference.  Here are some key take-outs from that conference that resonated with me – explained from the Tarotist’s point of view.
Conversations Management – 5 Of Wands
PR is the art of managing conversations online and offline.   A great PR professional will need to juggle between the malleable nature of the different media within which these conversations are held, whether they are spontaneous conversations about our brand and what consumers think about it, fuelled conversations about any content our brand pushes out through the line about our products, programs, or services, as well as direct conversations which could include a customer query or complaint.
The 5 of Wands is a perfect card to describe this.  It is a card that points to an environment full of differing opinions that could potentially escalate to tension and conflict. Amongst customers,  there are so many target audiences with varying needs and have different experiences with the brand.  Amongst them some  are brand advocates, some are detractors and others just have a passive opinion about a brand if they actually have one at all.   Differing opinions should be artfully turned into productive conversations with the aim of positively influencing the customer’s perspectives about our brand.  

PR With A Purpose – Ace of Swords
In order to manage these conversations productively amongst  customers, it is a PR professional’s role to help bind the different audience towards a clear purpose, and create positive conversations about this purpose.  That is why I pulled the Ace of Swords into the mix.  The Ace of Swords is a card that reflects a clear direction, and clarity of thought and purpose. During that conference, Jonathan Sanchez from Unilever spoke about PR with a Purpose.  Take a leaf from Unilever’s campaign Project Sunlight which aims to create a #brightfuture for the next generation.  When companies and  PR professionals can think beyond the top line and bottom line to deliver content that binds customers and the company around a single purpose, it is powerful enough to turn a negative opinion about a brand into a positive one, and significantly improve the customer’s consideration to buy. 

Telling Compelling Stories And Creating Quality Content –  The Empress
Mastering the art of story telling in PR is key.  In telling compelling stories, PR professionals are helping companies to build strong relationships with customers by  creating differentiated brand experiences. Every piece of content that PR professionals develop, plays into the brand’s overall message.  I use the Empress  to illustrate this point because she is the epitome of creative expression.  The Empress asks that one leverages all senses including touch, smell, sight, sound and taste to create fulfilling experiences....in the case of a PR professional, that would be content generate from these differentiated experiences.  She encourages one to connect with others through open communication and through nurturing relationships with authenticity.  PR professionals are called to create opportunities for brand to proactively engage with the customers. The Empress knows the art of telling a compelling story to influence people's opinions positively.  PR professionals should take a leaf from the Empress in Tarot.
My Skills As A PR Professional And A Tarot Reader
I am privileged to be straddling both paths as a PR professional and a Tarot reader.  These respective paths have taught me invaluable skills that I use interchangeably within each of these roles.  Thinking back, I might have made a mistake by describing Tarot reading as my passion because PR is a passion for me too.   In both roles, I have learnt to engage my target audiences with the art of telling the right stories, for the right purpose that help connect them to my brand.
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
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