Living A Life Filled With Love And Positivity

Living A Life Filled With Love And Positivity

A few days ago, a friend sent me a lovely note on my Facebook wall.  She posted a picture of an old couple walking hand in hand, and said, “I immediately thought of you when I saw this picture. You, David, Joel, your dog, your stories about your Mum, your Nan, your Dad and your fabulous team at work…I always love reading your Facebook post and blog.   I wish to live a life filled with love like yours.”

It was such a sweet note that brought tears to my eyes.  Indeed, it was a stage I never thought I could get to, considering that I had walked a rather rocky past tainted by divorce, single motherhood, being cut-off from my parents and the struggle to find myself.  I went through a period of healing after, which affirmed my belief that the Universe will never throw a challenge at you without providing you with the means to deal with it.  

This was the classic manifestation of the 5 of Cups card in Tarot.  When the 3 cups got knocked over, I found the 2 upstanding cups.  One came in the form of my best friend who helped me believe in the institution of marriage again – so I got remarried, to him.   The other came in the form of my answering the call of my higher consciousness to provide support and comfort to other women who had to survive divorce and single motherhood all on their own.  I did not realize that when I put in that effort to a divorcees support group that I had set up, I was actually sowing the seeds of my work as a lightworker.

So, in response to my friend’s note, I sent her a message taken from a quote by Ben Sweetland.  It said, “We cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without brightening our own.”  The day I had decided to turn professional as a Tarot reader, I had decided to embrace life with positivity and live  in joy and gratitude everyday for every blessing around me no matter how big or small.

Here was how I took control.  The only person that I allowed myself to do battle with, is myself.. The only choices impacting me, could only be made by myself.  The outcomes I wanted to effect in my life, could only be influenced by myself.

Ultimately, I was in control.  And I was determined to remain in control of my life.

Taking Control Of The Devil Then

I would like to explain the concept of Control with the Devil card in Tarot.  Unpleasant to some, it was the card which provided positive advice for me. 

The Devil card in my Radiant Rider Waite deck created by Virginijus Poshkus and published by US Games, portrayed an image of a half-man- half-goat creature sitting behind 2 human figures who are shackled to each other by chains.  The chains however are loosely fastened and their hands are not tied, suggesting that they are chained to each other out of their own free will. They are not even chained to the Devil himself! They seemed crippled in inertia for fear of him.

My life was previously reflected in this card, the Devil.  He was the scapegoat I blamed for all the negative moments in my life.  This scapegoat was represented by what I felt were the causes of my distress then – the negativity within my previous marriage, the breakdown in communication with my parents immediately after the divorce, the friends who chose to be on the side of my ex-husband, and the nature of the corporate environment which had shaped my very hard exterior as a corporate careerist. 

These restrictions had generally existed because I chose then, to let them rule my life and shape my perceptions of my future.   I was holding onto these chains of negativity that imprisoned me for years, leaving me to look down at my feet as I walked along the path, whilst missing the embrace of the Sunshine above me.

I started working on myself when I saw what I was missing around me – my son who was growing up and needed me, my husband who loved me and needed me to love him back, and my parents who just wanted to protect me but did not know how.  Then when I saw a group of women who were going through the same negativity I did because of their respective divorces, I had decided to take control then, and promptly removed the bonds of negativity tightly clasped around my neck.

Taking Control Of The Devil Now

Today I am happily married, the family is very close-knitted and my relationship with my parents is better than ever.  While the days of negativity are behind me, I am managing a different kind of “devil”.  I think the Devil card most apt in describing this would be the one in the Book of Shadows Volume 2 - So Below Tarot Deck by Barbara Moore.

The Devil is portrayed by an image of a delicious Sundae. I could not help but laugh out loud at this wonderful card because it really was a manifestation of me at this moment.

The Devil card represented all kinds of harmful bonds like temptations.  It was an accurate depiction of how I had been using my extremely busy schedules and multiple commitments as excuses to lead a sedentary life of poor diet, and almost lack of exercise.  I was constantly stressed at work, and viewed everything around me with negativity.  I blamed the workload for my poor health.  I blamed the family for their lack of understanding about why I was not spending more time with them.  I blamed people around me for creating the pressures of deadlines and last minute demands.

 My Judgement card moment came about when I was hit with repeated health issues which culminated in an angiogram done 2 months ago.  That was when the doctor said, “Shape up or else.”  

So I promptly took control.  I revamped my entire lifestyle with a balanced diet and some exercise with my personal trainer. I also knew when to take a break, so when the juggling of these multiple projects seemed all too much for me, I would step back for a bit to give myself a breather.  I have also made it a point to get home before sundown when possible. This allowed me to spend more time with my family and the dogs.  This new lifestyle reshaped my outlook in life into a more positive one.  I had more energy, and I definitely had more fun.

I went for my medical review with the cardiologist this morning and I was so pleased when he said that I had made marked improvements with my health.  The medical report indicated numbers that had put me within acceptable range in the respective field.  He promptly halfed my dosage of hypertension drugs and told me that he had a goal to remove them totally by mid next year if I continued to show improvements in my health. I was so pleased.

Staying Positive

I was also determined to set an example with what I was doing with my life health-wise.  I wanted to prove that being fit and healthy, positive and happy were not just concepts owned by fitness freaks, dieticians, health gurus, yoga practitioners, healers.  I wanted to prove that anyone, in whatever shape, form, or background can be fit, healthy, positive and happy.  

That is why I am really proud of being part of the team that launched Singapore's first science-backed wellness program called AIA Vitality that is committed to making real changes to Singaporeans' health with every little healthy choice that they make.  Do check the program out at www.aiavitality.com.sg.

You see, there is no secret formula to staying positive and filling your life full of love, if you believe with conviction that you need to be so, to bring some semblance of positivity into other people’s lives too.

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 currently runs her own Tarot consultancy called Sun Goddess Tarot which is based in Singapore.  A member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), she is also endorsed as 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

What Can I Bring From My Table To Enrich The Community

What Can I Bring From My Table To Enrich The Community?

Welcome to my blog post written to celebrate the harvest festival of Lammas.  You may be my regular blog reader, or you may be visiting this blog after having read Jordan's at http://jordanhoggard.wordpress.com/2013/08/01/tarotbloghop-lammas-tenders-wisdom. Or you may have worked your way backwards from Vivianne's blog at http://kismetscompanion.blogspot.sg/2013/08/tarot-blog-hop-lammas-2013.html.   Should the links be broken at any point or you would like to read the rest of the contributions from the other Tarot bloggers, please visit the master list of blog links at  http://tarotbyarwen.com/?p=10468

Today, as friends around the world celebrated the harvest festival of Lammas, I celebrated the fact that I came full circle with the Wheel of the Year as a member of this fabulous Tarot blog hop community.  It had been a critical component of my growth as a Tarot reader.  I had studied under various Tarot teachers and taken many Tarot courses in my attempts to raise the bar on my Tarot reading skills.  However, nothing beat the knowledge I gained and the friends I made within this Tarot blog hop community. 

The blog topic to celebrate Lammas was themed “What can we share from our table to enrich our community?”  It was not difficult to find what I could share with my community.   I knew I wanted to share my experience and expertise as a Tarot reader with those who are still at the beginning of their Tarot journey, the way my fellow Tarot bloggers did. They had been sharing so much of their bountiful experience and expertise with me about Tarot and life in general.  This Tarot blog hop community was exemplary of the spirit of Lammas.  Inspired by them,  Tarot mentoring and coaching became my biggest passion.  But they served only 1 group of people within my community, so what else could I bring to the table and to whom?

Celebrating Abundance At Lammas With The Queen Of Pentacles

First, for those unfamiliar with the festival, Lammas is a festival celebrated on 1 August throughout the world, to honour the first harvest.  It honoured the bountiful crops, the first gathering of grains and the first plucking of fruits and vegetables, and a table full of food brought in from the garden well-planted in spring.  In short, it meant Abundance.  Lammas was particularly special for me because it fell on my birthday.  There was nothing I wanted more on my birthday each year, than to know that whatever  gifts bestowed on me by the Universe, served the purpose of bringing abundance to people around me.

The Queen of Pentacles was aptly picked as the “Lammas Muse”.  I saw her as the epitome of a nurturing earth mother and a capable career woman providing financially, emotionally, physically and spiritually for the family and the people around her.  In the Radiant Rider Waite deck, the image on the Queen of Pentacles card depicts a Queen sitting on a throne decorated in luxuriously abundant flowers, fruits, animals and angels.  The tree in the picture and all around her are adorned with flowers and lush greenery. These are symbols of prosperity and wealth.   A rabbit is seen at her feet, a symbol of fertility.  The Queen was my inspiration.  As I juggled a career as a marketeer, my passion as a professional Tarot reader and my roles as mother, wife and daughter, I aspire to be as successful, as generous, as giving, and as selfless as the Queen of Pentacles.

The Abundance From My Table Tarot Spread

Using the Queen of Pentacles as my Significator, and acknowledging that I have been blessed with gifts that allowed me to perform my multiple roles in my life, I created the Abundance From My Table Tarot spread to gain insights on what I could “bring from my table to enrich the community”.  To me, the community was specifically focused on 3 groups of people most important to me.  They are 1) my family, 2) my team at work and 3) my Tarot and Numerology clients and friends.  The cards picked were from my Radiant Rider Waite Tarot deck created by Virginijus Poshkus and published by US Games. 

What Can I Bring From My Table To My Family?  - Temperance

Temperance is depicted by an image of an angel with one foot in the water and the other on land, representing his balancing the realms between the material and the subconscious world. This was a reminder that I had to strike a balance between what my inner consciousness tells me and my rational mind as I managed my day-to-day routine at home.  The angel is also seen mixing water, pouring it from one cup to the other, a reminder that one had to adjust to circumstances and people, approach everything in moderation, and proactively create balance and harmony in one’s life.    

I see Temperance as a card advising me to think long-term as I reevaluate my priorities in life. I had been putting my work, my clients and everything else outside of my home before my family. My daily routine was controlled by 4 devices, a laptop, an ipad, a blackberry and an iphone.  They formed my army of technological administrators, dealing with my Tarot reading appointments, Tarot coaching sessions, Tarot events,  creative agency briefings, work meetings, PR events, courses and industry networking events.  I have not yet added my visits to Mum and Dad, medical appointments, David’s jamming sessions, photography assignments and time with Joel.  Temperance knocked me on the head with 1 word – BALANCE. 

As Joel was starting to spend more time out of the home, David and I had to familiarize ourselves with our new roles as Pre-Empty Nesters. This should have been the perfect time for David and I to have more time with each other.  However, my multiple projects, mounting work pressures and Tarot appointments were getting in the way.  Even my weekends were filled with Tarot appointments and coaching sessions.  When David started asking me over facebook if I was coming home for dinner, i knew the messages of these cards were very clear.  What I had to bring from my table to my family was my commitment to get my priorities right, and spend more time with them by balancing my busy lifestyle and multiple projects. 

Temperance supporting the Queen of Pentacles were the perfect cards pointing to the desire for creating balance in my life for the sake of my family’s and my happiness.  I could not get a more resounding message than this for my role as a wife, mother and daughter.

What Can I Bring From My Table To My Work?  - Chariot

The Chariot card depicts an image of a charioteer steering the chariot with 2 sphinxes in front of him. The stars and crescent moon depicted in the card point to the spiritual forces at work supporting his quest to victory.  The charioteer is not brandishing reins but just a wand which signifies passion and determination leading him towards his goals. 

The Chariot card urged me to maintain focus and determination as I worked towards our goals with my team at work.  My team is a very lean team built on highly skilled and experienced marketeers managing brand strategy, product marketing, corporate social responsibility, sponsorships, customer communications,  public and media relations.  As one could appreciate, the scope is humongous so I likened the 6 of us in the team to circus acrobats, juggling many big projects all at the same time in our bid to meet the company’s growth targets.  The energy and camaraderie within this team had been my motivation to jump into the trenches with them to ensure that we exceeded expectations with the delivery of these project objectives.

I do get really exhausted from time to time because of near-impossible project deadlines, cross-functional team complexities, last minute changes in project plans and resource limitations.  However, the Chariot reminded me to ascertain what the end-goal was and to work towards it.

That was when I thought I saw the light with the Chariot card.  There are 2 sphinxes in the card, one in black and the other in white.  It resembled the Asian concept of balance between the forces of Yin and Yang. It was urging me to balance my inner consciousness and my rational self to manage the challenges at work. 

The Chariot supporting the Queen of Pentacles were the perfect cards reinforcing the need for me to balance my determination to attain my career goals while appreciating that journey (bumpy roads not withstanding) I was making towards my goals.  As one would say, it really was not about the goal, but the journey towards the goal that mattered.  I loved that journey with these girls I called, the A-Team. These cards reminded me to nurture my team with the same appreciation for the balance between attaining their career goals and their journey towards these goals.  That would ensure that they came to work every day, loving what they did and doing what they loved.

What Can I Bring From My Table To My Tarot Clients?  - Queen Of Cups

The image in the Queen of Cups depicts an introspective Queen holding on to a cup sitting on a throne by the sea.  The water symbolize emotions over which the Queen governs and the fish represents her inner consciousness. The cup is closed indicating that her emotions run deep and that she could also be a trusted guide and mentor who could keep one’s secrets.

The Queen of Cups supporting the Queen of Pentacles together provided me with a clear message that as I sought to balance the commitments in my life with my passion as a professional Tarot reader, I had to do it with a lot of compassion, patience, emotional maturity and sensitivity.  As the Queen of Cups is a highly intuitive Queen, the card urged me to trust my higher self as I gained intuitive experiences and spiritual wisdom through my Tarot journey.  My rational mind sometimes got in the way as I indulged in the questioning of the science behind these intuitive experiences.  With such doubt in my mind, I had limited the opportunities to expand my professional Tarot practice beyond what I was currently capable of doing.  So, the Queen of Cups assured me of my purpose.  With the intuitive gifts that the Universe had given me, beyond the Tarot readings that I had been doing for clients, I should be doing more to help mentor and coach beginning Tarot readers. 

When I was a beginner Tarot reader myself, I was very involved in the different Tarot communities like the American Tarot Association (ATA), Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), the Tarot Guild, Aecletic Tarot, and Biddy Tarot.  The immense knowledge I got from the more experienced Tarot readers within these communities was invaluable.  I am still involved in these communities and I hope I could give back the same to the beginner Tarot readers by contributing my own knowledge and experience.

Making Abundance Count

The Tarot spread created to support the "Queen of Pentacles" reminded me that whatever gifts and skill sets I have would mean nothing if I gave only “bits and pieces” of my time and effort to my community. The cards were resoundingly hitting me on the head with one word – BALANCE.  

I realized I cannot offer the best of myself to the people that mattered if I did not strive for balance and harmony in my life.  This was critical for me to perform my roles as wife, mother and daughter, as well as marketeer and professional Tarot reader and Tarot coach.   The dynamics have changed.  It was no longer about my needing to raise the bar with even more certificates and qualifications under my belt to enhance my skills as a marketeer, a Tarot reader and a Numerologist.  It was more important for me to optimize my existing skill sets and re-prioritize my commitments so that everyone within my community gets the best of me.

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) as well as a certified numerologist.  She is currently running a Tarot consultancy called Sun Goddess Tarot based in Singapore. A member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), she is also endorsed as 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

The Abundance From My Table Tarot Spread

Welcoming My Personal Year 6

The Exciting But Challenging Personal Year 5

I truly hated Mathematics at school.  I sometimes got the wrong change back for things I bought at the shops, just because I "did not have enough fingers to count" my change. However, I loved Numerology.  I  loved the metaphysical science behind Numerology and had successfully used it to manage my interpersonal relationships at work and home, as well as to manage my expectations within the year, month or day.

I reckoned that my knowledge and skills of Numerology and Tarot had helped me to  anticipate the curves along the road.  There was no better time for these skills to come in handy then in the last year.

In the last year, I was in my personal year 5.  Personal Year 5 in Numerology, is a year of exciting changes and multiple challenges as well as opportunities.  The year called for one to be adaptable, "response-able" and tenacious.

Indeed I had seen multiple changes both at home and at work.  However, in this blog post, I am going to focus only on a key challenge each at home and at work.

Challenges At Home

At home, I was confronted by a very "emo" son who was grappling with his first year and second year at nursing school.  He went through the emotional mood swings from pure elation felt after a gratifying day at the hospital to the despondency of having to face a lack lustre examination results for one of his course modules.  Sometimes he felt that nursing was the best career in the world, and at other times, he might fall for the percieved sexiness of the advertising agency to want to pursue a marketing career instead.

Being young and impressionable ,  Joel had never experienced the struggles I had faced climbing the corporate ladder as a marketing professional.  So from time to time, I had to regal stories about my days past and hoped that he could pick up a lesson or two so that he would not make the same mistakes I had.

As a mother of a boy heading towards adulthood, I struggled with the challenges of balancing the need to protect him whilst letting him go out there to experience the wonders of what the Universe has in store for him.  At the same time, it was gratifying to watch him hone his maturity and resilience by the way he responded to each challenge he faced with his life choices.

Mom and Dad could not protect me from a life tainted with a divorce and single motherhood.  However,  together with David, they celebrated each moment with me whether it was Joel losing his first tooth, gaining his first zit, or enrolling into nursing school.  I knew I will never be alone as a mother.

Challenges At Work

At work, I was confronted with the challenges of having to adapt to new team dynamics, new projects laid on my lap suddenly and other multiple demands on my team that was already under-resourced.   Work, in every sense of the word, was never a big burden, because I enjoyed what I did.  What usually made it complexed were issues like non-clarity of roles, undefined scope, and different opinions or approach about managing a project and personal agendas.  Work challenges should be fun because of the learning curves they created for everyone in the project.  I was determined that nothing should come in between my team and I having fun in our work.

I was cognizant of this fact and attempted to find every way I could to turn each challenge I faced at work into opportunities for my team and I.  Ultimately,  it was genuine pride in our work that supported our drive to overcome these challenges.  For more about what my team and I did leveraging on our genuine pride in the work we did, please do visit http://thecrazyangmoandhisangrywife.blogspot.com/2013/07/genuine-pride-in-our-work.html

Adapting To Challenges In Personal Year 5

Understanding that my personal year 5 was going to drag me through the murky waters of these challenges, I knew I could not be stuck in my ways and attempt to cling on to conventional approaches to manage these challenges.  With Joel, I had to provide that "non-intrusive and non dogmatic" support.  From time to time I had to learn to let go and allow the Universe to help him navigate the bumps along that road.  With my work, I could either "throw my toys out of the pram" or learn to work within the new team dynamics and respond as best as I can to the demands of the business.  My focus was on doing what is right at every step of the way.

The key to a personal year 5 with less drama, is to adapt and be truly malleable. The best word I have for this is "response-able".  I learnt the concept of "response-ability" in my last job when we were taught that there were no mountains too high for us to climb.

In the course of climbing those mountains, remarkably, I found my opportunities.  The first opportunity was my ability to rediscover a new relationship with  David because we were going through a new life stage as Pre- Empty Nesters, with Joel walking towards adulthood.

The second opportunity came in two-folds.  I learnt new skills that came with the new project and I gained new knowledge from my bosses which I had previously taken for granted because I "was a marketing professional and not an actuary".  I was truly grateful for the new learnings.  I could read a stack of books and attend months of courses but they would not have taught me as much as my experience with the project at work and from my bosses.

I gambled on taking on my personal year 5 head-on with enthusiasm.  I felt I came out the winner.

Welcoming My Personal Year 6

As today is my birthday, I am now into my personal year 6.  Today is my lucky day!

The personal year 6 is a year that promises progress, personal growth and recognition for all my efforts from the past year.  I think immediately of the 6 of Swords card in Tarot where I am advised to leave all the negativity of the past behind me so that i can unlock the door to embracing new opportunities in the future.  I think I am ready for that.  I braved the storms in the past year and I want to be able to lock lips with positivity ahead of me.

However, like everything in life, I know that life is not going to be a bed of roses all the time.  Personal Year 6 is also a year where domestic or familial issues may surface.  I can anticipate another emotional melt-down from Joel as he approaches his final year at nursing school.  I can also anticipate that as this will be my "growth and expansion" year, I will be so busy that time spent with David might be limited. This can be especially challenging when I noticed that in the last year, he was more impacted by the pre-empty nester syndrome than I was, as he had taken issue with Joel about the latter's increasing absence from home.

That is why I love Numerology.  I can anticipate the year ahead and be prepared to face them with a pragmatic approach.  I could choose to face my year ahead with fear and trepidation for the challenges coming, or I could face it with a passion to show these challenges who's "da boss"!

Ultimately, I know that the Universe will never leave me with a challenge without the means to deal with it, so bring it on!


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 currently runs her own Tarot consultancy called Sun Goddess Tarot which is based in Singapore.  A member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), she is also endorsed as 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

6 of Swords from the Gilded Tarot deck created by Ciro Marchetti