What Daddy Gave Me This Christmas

Missing Dad

Last week, I wrote a personal blog that described the immense loss I felt this Christmas, because it was my first Christmas without Dad.  The month leading up to the Christmas celebrations filled me with emptiness and depression as I felt that  a Christmas celebration, which should be a celebration that involved family and close friends coming together, just would not be complete without the presence of Dad.  I could not bring myself to get to the garden centre to pick out our Christmas tree.  Dad loved gawking at my colourful Christmas tree each year, and he adored the smell of fresh pine. If Dad was not by my side at Christmas this year, why bother with a tree?  I could not bring myself to go grocery shopping to prepare for our annual Christmas Eve dinner, so David took it upon himself to put the Christmas feast together.  We did get on with it and celebrated Christmas in our usual way, inviting our extended family over for our annual Christmas Eve dinner, but I could not help feeling an even deeper sense of loss. So I set aside a glass of red wine and a plate of chocolates for Dad the way I had set aside a glass of milk and a plate of cookies for Santa every year when I was a child, hoping that wherever he was in spirit, he could see that I was thinking about him.

A Dream

Spent from entertaining the family the night before, I spent my Christmas Day curled up in bed just wallowing in even more sadness and exhaustion. Just as I drifted off into deep sleep, I remembered seeing an image of myself in a dream, walking into an all-white living room. The floors, the walls and a sofa in thet room was all white in colour.  Just beside the sofa was a corridor to a bedroom perhaps, and in front of it was a big Christmas tree that looked so beautiful.  It had glittery baubles all over it and orange lights twinkling around it.   As I was about to touch the tree, I felt a gentle nudge on my right shoulder that woke me up.  I knew in that instant that that dream was delivering a message to me, perhaps from Dad. 

It took me an entire evening of discussions with David before I realised what Dad was really trying to tell me.   In fact, what got me nearer to the essence of the message was when David drew a picture of exactly what I had dreamt. 

A Message From Dad

Dad was telling me that how beautiful a Christmas tree can be, a home will be cold and empty, if the family was not there to fill it with warmth, love and laughter. Christmas was all about the family. Dad loved Christmas when he was alive, and he had always loved how I had decorated my Christmas tree.  Most of all, he enjoyed being surrounded by the family during Christmas.  He enjoyed watching the kids tinkering with the baubles and putting a hole in the Christmas decorations from time to time, and laughed at my youngest nephew attempting to tear open some of my presents under that tree.  With or without the tree, a Christmas without the family, was not Christmas at all.

So I started a conversation with Dad, using my Hanson Roberts Tarot deck.  I felt Dad's presence as he guided my hand to pick the cards.  I picked the World Reversed, the 4 of Wands, the 3 of Cups and the Sun.

These cards affirmed Dad's message to me.  He acknowledged that when he had passed on, because it was so sudden, there was lack of closure, and we all just could not move on. There were so many things left unsaid. I felt particularly so because I was so busy juggling work, running my business and training most days at the gym that my conversations with Dad was relegated to the Sundays when I visited him.  He was taken so suddenly from me that I had no time to say how much I loved him, how I wanted to take him to see the world on his wheelchair, and how much I wanted him to see Joel start his 2-year stint in national service. I just wanted more time with him.  However, Dad wanted me to just accept that his time was up but he wanted me to get on with life and embrace it with positivity.  He was happy to see that the family had come together to celebrate Christmas and he wanted to assure me that in spirit, he was amidst the din of the merry-making and did enjoy the atmosphere of family bonding, chatter and laughter at my home.  At the end of it all, he wanted me to just let my hair down and enjoy Christmas for what it stood for - the family.  

Dad's Gift To Me

So that was my gift from Dad.  He "passed on that baton" to me, to ensure that I would continue to keep the family close, and did everything to fill the home with love and laughter.  He promised to be behind me always, and in his way, he would carry me through the difficult times and fill it with as much sunshine as he could.  He promised to continue to hold my hand through it all, in the way he had always done when I was Daddy's little girl.  He nudged me on my right shoulder to wake me up from my slumber, as if to say, "It's your turn."

My dream was captured in this picture that David drew.
Beneath it were the cards Dad guided me to pick from my Hanson Roberts Tarot Deck

About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and an intuitive reader by accident who deploys the combined modalities of  Tarot, Numerology and Astrology overlaid with her Clairvoyant, Claircognitive and Clairsentient skills to deliver her readings with authenticity. She was awarded a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America (TCBA) and is also a certified numerologist.  She is currently running a consultancy based in Singapore called Sun Goddess Tarot.   As a member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), Joanna governs her practice under the associations’ respective codes of ethics.  She is currently mentoring fellow intuitives on the path of developing their intuitive potential and teaches Tarot and Numerology as well. 

Website: www.sungoddesstarot.com

 Email:  Joanna@sungoddesstarot.com

 Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot

 Twitter: www.twitter.com/SunGoddessTarot

 Instagram: @SunGoddessTarot

Renewing Relationships On The Advice Of The King Of Cups

The Ostara 2014 Tarot Blog Hop

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

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

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

Ostara And Easter

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

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

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

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

The King Of Cups Reversed

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

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

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

Renewing Relationships This Spring

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

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

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

Turning The Reversed King Of Cups Around

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

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

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

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

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

Screw Mercury Retrograde

Accck! Mercury Retrograde

 

Last week, I wrote a blog post about my thoughts on the Lunar New Year of the Horse and the Super New Moon.  Within that post, I mentioned that the Mercury Retrograde was at our doorstep as well.

 

So Mercury Retrograde came flying through my window and slapped me in the face this week, with a couple of squabbles at the office with PMS-stricken colleagues, a couple of barky dogs, an irate housekeeper that mistook an innocent instruction for an accusation that she was lazy and a fight with my son.  Wow!  It was a rather forgiving Mercury Retrograde.  I had it worse before when I was still wet behind the years about astrology, numerology and tarot.  Now that I had armed myself with a bit more knowledge about these “woo woo crazee” stuff, I was quick to ancipate these periodic irritations that came naturally with the Mercury Retrograde.

 

Without having to explain that Mercury really does not move backwards, but just appears to do so a few times a year, I will just get on with the purpose of this blog post.

 

A Fight With Joel

 

Last night, Joel and I had a fight about him making plans without communicating these plans to us.  As a result of that lack of communication, it had impacted me as I was planning to host a home-cooked dinner tonight for a group of close friends. This dinner was planned a month ago, and it was communicated to the family from that time so that they would not forget the date.  Obviously, either by the stroke of Joel’s inability to be farsighted and more communicative, or the Mercury Retrograde, he made plans to have dinner somewhere else.  So that sparked my anger and I was extremely disappointed by his lack of sensitivity towards me.

 

My Tarot Cards as usual, provided me with the explanation and a calming word or two to help me get over this disappointment.

 

“For goodness sakes, what is happening?” – The Fool

 

The Fool explained to me that the entire incident was borne out of an innocent misunderstanding.  Joel was possibly trying to please everybody in the situation and ended up pleasing no one.  The Fool encouraged me to just move on.  He said, “It’s a nothing thing.”  Enough said.

 

“Ok, so why was he so dumb?” – Page of Cups + 2 of Pentacles Reversed + Knight of Wands Reversed

 

Joel approached his plans with a lack of maturity.  He might have followed his hunches and made his plans without thought of the ramifications it might have.  He could have initially thought that it was a great idea to go ahead with his plans, and he had not realized that he would affect the plans and sensitivities of others in the process. Part of the issue has to deal with the fact that he had to juggle multiple commitments, and ended up trying so hard to please everyone but without success. 

 

 

“Got you.  So what must I do?” – The Empress + 4 of Swords

 

The Empress assured me that it knew where I was coming from with my reaction to this incident. The Empress is a nurturing card, like Mother Earth.  I was trying to be “the Mother”, making sure that I had the perfect plan, and played the perfect host, with my perfect family as I welcomed my friends to my perfect home. And for the home and family to be perfect tonight, I demanded the presence of my son and my husband, naturally.  However, the Empress is also one who could step back and go deep within herself, drawing upon her intuition to understand why her son would do what he did, with no purposeful intention to cause me grief.  Together with the 4 of swords, it was a bigger affirmation to just “go sit at my ‘time-out’ corner and breathe in deeply”.   Yes, step back I shall.

 

Screw The Mercury Retrograde

 

I do love my Tarot cards.  So if like me, you are impacted by the shenanigans of the Mercury Retrograde, do re-think your approach to things.  And if you worry that talking to your bestie might end up in tears because of the Mercury Retrograde, whip out your Tarot cards, and let them whisper some comforting words of advice to you instead.

 

 

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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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

A Conversation With My Father-In-Law

My Father-In-Law

I never knew my late father-in-law, George.   I had only seen photographs of him.  In one of which, he was  looking all smiley next to my late  mother-in-law in a photograph taken when they went on a holiday in Belgium with a very young David then.

What I knew of my father-in-law was very little.  I heard snippets of him from David.  I understood that when he was alive, he used to take pride in the fact that people from near and far used to come by to his garden for a wee visit because he was quite the gardener.  I heard stories of how he would wash his hair in the kitchen sink with fairy liquid.  I almost fell off my chair when i heard about this rather "odd-ball" habit.  David also kept a box of his father's medals that the latter had earned from his efforts during the war.  David was very proud of this fact.

I Am Not A Medium

Knowing very little of him, I thought it was rather interesting that he chose to connect with me recently.  Now, here is where I get the shakes when I discuss my intuitive gifts.  I read Tarot cards and I can decode Numerology.. Period.  I learnt to do these over years.  I am not a psychic.  I am certainly not a medium.  I checked Wikipedia to find out what a Medium is.  Wikipedia described a medium as one gifted with the ability to connect with the dead.  While I am quite sensitive to the presence of anything paranormal, I do not consciously talk to them.  I had dreamt of talking to a couple of people who had passed on before but I do not as a rule, consciously make time to talk to the dead.  When I watched TV programs like The Haunting Of or Long Island Medium, i often thought that while they had a special gift, at the back of my head was an unwitting judgement that i had formed, that they were a little "woo-woo" crazy.

Connecting With George

In the last few days, I thought I sensed George's presence though.  I was not sure at first if it was George that I was sensing but I smelt an unmistakable smell of Old Spice aftershave mixed with tobacco smoke.  David did not smoke so there was no reason for that smell to be wafting around me.  The smell seemed to be lingering from just under my nose and David and Joel could not smell it.  I felt as if someone's face (stubble and all) hovered quite close to mine.  I also saw an older man's face in my mind's eye.  He was wearing glasses and he was peering up at me through his glasses.  His energy was reassuring, calm, and he was soft spoken and gentle.  I was not sure what he was trying to tell me. His reassurance seemed to gently pat me on the back to say that no matter what challenges I was facing sometimes, I had to keep my focus on what was important to me. Above all, I had to take care of David.  See?  It sounded "woo-woo" crazy to me already.

So I sought advice from a friend and a practising medium Olivia and asked her if what I was experiencing was bordering on what they called "mediumship".  She said that from some of the previous blog posts i had written detailing similar experiences of "connecting with people who had passed on",  it could be the beginnings of an ability which could be nurtured over time.   She had also advised me to use my Tarot cards as a tool to uncover the messages George was trying to tell me.  Good call, Olivia.  I was so glad I did just that.

I was always very confident in my Tarot readings.  The messages were always very clear when I read for my clients.  I always knew that my intuition would kick in at the right time as i formed a connection with my clients so that I could provide him or her with the messages needed to make the right choices that will help the client to move forward.   However, with this reading, I felt as if someone else was reading the cards for me.  It was surreal but it seemed as if someone else was  trying to reshape my interpretation of the cards before me.

Through my Tarot cards, here was what George had to say.

My Conversation With George

Knight of Wands reversed + King of Swords reversed

Me:  "Zowie!  All reversed cards.  George, these cards are telling me that David is filled with scattered thoughts and is pretty indecisive about his career directions. He should be stopped from making hasty business decisions. Correct?"

George:  "David is often frustrated by the constant need to manage your temper.  You are always prone to angry outbursts, and your daily communication with him is peppered by a lot of aggression and high expectations."

Knight of Cups + 7 of Cups reversed

Me:  *Now panicking a little* " This Knight is a messenger telling David that he is about to embark on a new creative venture but he is not sure where his best options lie and need to follow his heart to get to where his bliss is."

George: " David is extremely sentimental and intensely emotional. He desires a much deeper relationship with you filled with romance and perhaps the spontaneity of romance.  All he wants is to make you happy in every which way he can.  However, you are so busy with other things. You seem to be involved in so many other pursuits in a bid to find fulfilment when true fulfilment is really right in front of you, in the form of a husband who is utterly devoted to you."

Justice + Nine of Cups + Ace of Pentacles

Me: *Feeling like a lousy Tarot reader by now* "David will find a lot more fulfilment if I treated him more fairly and re-established a new perspective of our relationship to help us move forward to a better place."

George: " What you both could do with is an open and honest conversation about what each of you want out of each other.  This is a marriage.  You are both not room mates.  Establish where each of you stand in the relationship and affirm your love for each other.  Be fair to each other's needs.  The marriage needs a healthy dose of open communication to allow the relationship to deepen further and be more fulfilling for both of you.    With more opened communication, you both can look forward to a new beginning where you both will be able to manifests your goals together and maybe enjoy working together on projects jointly perhaps."

Me: " Interesting.  We both did think about combining forces using some of our respective talents as he had been getting increasingly bigger photography assignments. And that's just skimming the surface of all the things that we could do together because of our respective passions."

Devil reversed + 8 of Cups reversed + 3 of Swords

Me: " I give up.  What do these cards tell me?"

George: "Both of you need to recognise that each other do have faults  and be willing to accept changes and be more opened to new perspectives on your relationship.  You, especially know that you had been shackled by the bonds of your ambitions, trying to juggle the management of a high flying corporate career and build a business with your passions at the same time, leaving no room to reflect on what is more important to you in your life.  So when you get home, every little thing that David did which you considered annoying, would be framed in your mind as a big disappointment.  This then becomes a storm in a teacup, leading to your angry outbursts because you take your frustrations out on him.  You will need to learn to walk away from things that are not important, and focus on things that are."

6 of Wands + The World

Me: "We will have a successful retirement together, fuelled by a positive relationship as we walk our journey towards it."

George: "  Learn to appreciate each other.  Recognise each other's gifts, quirks, and positive traits.  Give positive feedback to each other as often as possible to assure each other.  David particularly, needs you to do this to help him regain his self confidence.  He needs to know that as a husband, he is always doing what is right as a husband and step-father.  He needs that assurance from you.  When you both surround each other with positive energy, you both will celebrate many more wedding anniversaries ahead of you.  And yes, as you walk towards your retirement together, you both will be retiring happy and successful not because of what you both have achieved financially but because you both have each other to turn your retirement into a fulfilling and even more productive stage of your life.

Mediumship

I still do not consider myself a medium.  Yes, I am extra sensitive, but I am not a medium.  I am not gifted as one.  However, I am extremely thankful to Olivia who opened my mind to using my Tarot cards to communicate with my father-in-law.

And more importantly, I need to thank my father-in-law.  George, I have never met you, but I can assure you that marrying David was a blessing.  That explained why I kept getting your message about taking care of him.   I can hear you say now, "Take care of my Davy boy.  He loves you very much."


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 father-in-law looked so handsome in his Blackwatch uniform

My parents-in-law and Davy boy on a holiday in Belgium

Having My Runes Read For The First Time

Getting To Know Runes

Yesterday, I chanced upon a Facebook post by Mel, a fellow member of the Tarot Association Of The British Isles (TABI).  He was offering 50% off the fees from his Runes and Tarot readings to help fund the operation of Charlie the donkey.  More information about Charlie and the Animal Rescue that had been helping him can be found here  https://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Andreas-Animal-Rescue-The-Henrietta-Foundation/101253493301277

Curious about Runes and excited about the opportunity to help Charlie, I then decided to purchase a reading from Mel.  It was my first time having a reading with Runes.  I didn’t even know what Runes were.  Until then, all I knew about Runes were that they were wee pebbles that had weird graffiti on them.

As I did not have a specific question in mind, Mel went ahead to do the reading for me using the Runes from the Anglo Saxon Futhork.  I might just add here that he was super-quick with his response too.  So if you are a skeptic or who are not familiar with Runes, do contact Mel for a reading at www.alfvin-runesandtarot.com

My Rune Reading

This is an extract of the reading Mel did for me with Runes:

The root of the reading is called Peorth.  It is the Rune of the hearth which showed me enjoying a comfortable home environment, and the company of good friends.  This was an accurate depiction of my current state.  I love my home and family and look forward to coming home to them every evening after work. They are my comfort and my joy.  I am also a bit of a social butterfly so my diary is always filled with lunch, dinner, coffee meet-ups and beer o’ clock with friends.

Working against me is the Rune, Nyd.  This Rune denoted need and was at that time a reflection of how I needed immediate gratification and spending on little luxuries like new clothes and massages were just my way  of enjoying some well-deserved pleasure after working so hard.  Ok, sometimes, I spent a little more than I should.  I doted on the family and bought more things for them than I should just to make them happy.  And obviously, for the social butterfly, dining out at nice restaurants is usually an expensive affair in Singapore.  Mel was right.  I was not good at saving money.  With this lifestyle of frivolity while providing financially for my aged parents, grandmother as well as my own family, I definitely had to think about the wisdom of building long-term savings.

The Rune, Wyn, which meant joy, was picked to denote some short term happiness or reward.  We both agreed, that this could possibly line up with the last Rune Nyd  as my spending on the little extras provided me with some instant gratification and I saw it as my bid to reward myself for all the hard work I put in at the office daily.

The Rune, Frig was picked to gain insight on my short term future. Frig corresponded with the Empress card in Tarot which was sometimes interpreted as abundance. It symbolized my reaping some rewards for the hard work put in at the end of the year.  When I discussed this further with Mel, it seemed to resonate with the fact that currently, I have been working hard, building a successful career, and providing for the family .  Most importantly I was enjoying doing what I did and getting paid for it.

The last Rune Mel picked was the Rune of Hagel which corresponded to the Tower in Tarot.  This was the worrying bit.  To quote Mel, he said “There
may be a prolonged period of misfortune.  Hail when it falls can destroy all the crops, all your harvest, so all the plans you’ve been making can go disastrously wrong.  However, once the hail has done its damage, the ice melts and turns to water, re- fertilizing the crops. So in the end, new opportunities will present themselves.  To sum up, don’t be complacent about what you have, don’t gamble or take risks. Take care of all your basic needs and don’t be extravagant.  Acknowledge the joy and abundance you have when and where you find it but be prepared for a long period of misfortune. However, remember that no matter how bad things may become, you will survive and begin perhaps a different path to the one you have planned.”

My Rune reading did not end on a pleasant note but as a professional Tarot reader myself who had to be the messenger of bad news to my clients sometimes, I did understand that the intent behind that reading was to help me prepare for the worst that could happen.  But what was it that could happen?

I had decided to overlay the Rune reading with a Tarot reading.

,
.My Tarot Reading

As Hagel seemed like the most unpleasant Rune that foretold an unexpected change that could impact me negatively, I picked the Tower card to be the significator representing the “hailstorm” Mel alluded to with the appearance of the Rune of Hagel.

I then shuffled the cards and picked 3 cards from it, while asking the question, “What is the key driver of that negativity that the rune Hagel had hinted at ?”  The 3 cards that appeared were the King of Wands reversed, the 4 of Swords reversed and the 3 of Swords reversed.

What an interesting outcome!  All the cards in the spread were reversed cards and 2 out of which were cards from the Swords suit.  This tells me that whatever that could happen would be causing me a lot of anxiety and frustrations.  1 card was a Wands card which often alludes to the fact that the key driver to that negative situation could be related to business, career direction or passions.

When I meditated on the spread, David appeared within my vision.  You see, as spouses, best friends and soulmates, whatever challenges we faced, in good times and in bad, we were committed to be by each other's side.  Whatever affected him, would naturally affect me.  When he was unhappy, I would be unhappy too.

The King of Wands reversed was a message that David might be saddled with huge challenges in  his business from Q3 onwards.  The King of Wands reversed was a card that symbolized his frustrations with the lack of progress in some aspects of his business particularly as it depended on other "moving parts" like his clients' budgets, human resource strategies, and corporate bureaucracy like complex internal approval processes.  It could also bode a hasty business decision made or perhaps the possibility of an impulsive exchange with a difficult client.

The 4 of Swords reversed was a reflection of his increasing frustrations caused by stagnation or lack of progress in his business deals. This is a warning that he should not take a passive approach to the negativity caused by the business challenges.  Instead, he should take the bull by the horn and look at developing a solution-oriented roadmap to get his business back on track, while managing the challenges one by one. 

The King of Wands reversed and 4 of Swords reversed were indicating that there could be substantial strains on the family imposed by these challenges.  I saw an opening of the floodgate of negative emotions, disappointment, anxieties and frustrations felt by David and consequently myself.  

The 3 of Swords reversed however, indicated that we might have issues moving on from the stress caused by the situation.  It was also an advice that we should just let go, and allow that period of negativity to wash over us, then look to the positive side of things.  This would include working together to change our lifestyle, creating a plan to build long term savings, living a life of gratitude for the abundance we have everyday, no matter what challenges life threw at us. If we could avoid a potentially disastrous situation from happening, we should take heed and do what we could to prevent it from happening.  If we could not change a situation, then we needed  to change the way we thought about the situation.  I always believed  that if the Universe had allowed something negative to happen, it would not leave us without the means to deal with it.   

I knew immediately that if David had to face a challenge, then I was the means the Universe had put by his side, to help hold his hands through his journey out of the tunnel and into the light.

Mel was trying to pass me a message from the Runes picked.  He was trying to tell me that  while the Universe had given me a gift to help my clients with my intuition, it had also given me the gift of using the energies of the Rune of Frig,  to support David through that period of darkness alluded by the Rune of Hagel. 

My Numerology Reading

Well, Mel had already done the Rune reading for me, and I had overlaid that reading with a Tarot reading too.  Now, the only thing that can help support these readings was an understanding of the numerological significance of his Personal Year.

David would be treading into his Personal year 5.  This would be a year of changes, challenges and conflicts. He would be faced with choices that required him to think on his feet, perhaps even think out of the box and act on situations almost immediately.  He needed to be adaptable to changes and be less rigid about the way he managed his business.  He had to be nimble enough to look for opportunities within these challenges, and grow from new experiences, create new ideas, and be opened to meeting new people.  The new approach of embracing his business throughout his Personal Year 5 would be critical to reducing any negative impact of sudden changes or challenges to his business.

Bring It On

I am grateful to Mel for such an insightful Rune reading.  I have not thought of learning how to read these graffiti-ridden pebbles yet but the reading had certainly piqued my interest enough to find out more about it.  I also have Charlie the donkey to thank, for without him, I would not have been able to discover the wonders of Runes.  

Finally, David and I have been married for 12 years.  We have been through plenty of ups and downs but because of these tools that Mel and I had, I could better shape our hearts and minds to prepare for that battle that is to come.  We are not afraid of challenges.  Ultimately, the Rune of Hagel, if it corresponded with the Tower card in Tarot, signalled to me that any disruptions to our lives, any signs of destruction to our plans and any major upheaval within our home would be necessary to break existing structures and kick us out of our comfort zone, so that we could rebuild and transform our lives for the better.

So BRING IT ON! 

The images of the cards used in this blogpost were from the Morgan Greer Tarot deck by Bill Greer and Lloyd Morgan. The Image of the Runes below that were used in my reading was kindly provided by Mel from Alfvin Runes and Tarot.

About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and a tarot card reader by accident. She has a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America (TCBA) and is also a certified numerologist based 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 Biddy Tarot as well as a mentor for the ATA.   She can be contacted atwww.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot

Creating Abundance This Chinese New Year

Welcoming The Lunar New Year Of The Snake

This Chinese New Year, we welcome Spring and celebrate the Lunar New Year of the Snake.  I thought it was quite apt as it reminded me of the stories friends told me about how snakes, a symbol of fertility, would appear out of their hidey holes to test the weather, some time after Imbolc, which celebrated the midway between the Winter Solstice and the Spring Equinox.

Chinese New Year is the most important event in the Chinese festive calendar as the food cooked for the all-important reunion dinner, the cookies and cakes hand-baked for visiting family and friends, the home decorations, and indeed right down to the cultural gestures of giving mandarin oranges and  red packets filled with money to children and the oldest, nearest and dearest, were all geared at ushering in abundance and prosperity. 

Every symbol and gesture during Chinese New Year is not only about hopes for good health, great wealth, career growth, and better business opportunities, it is also about upholding the Asian values of familial piety and respect.

For more information about the significance of Chinese New Year, please do read my other blog post at http://thecrazyangmoandhisangrywife.blogspot.com/2013/02/chinese-new-year-is-family-thing.html

The Abundance Tarot Spread

As our traditional customs at Chinese New Year is geared to ushering abundance and prosperity in our lives, I had decided to create a Tarot spread in the hope of getting advice about how I could create abundance around myself.  For this purpose, I used the Tarot of the Pagan Cats deck.

The Significator - The Empress

Central to this spread is my significator, the Empress, chosen to represent abundance.  Within the card, the image of the Mother cat wearing a golden crown lying luxuriously on a red cushion, reflected an archetypal Earth Mother surrounded by lush greenery, little kittens and flowers in full bloom, all symbols of fertility, prosperity and abundance.

I loved the Empress card and it is always a reminder to me to appreciate the love and abundance around me by nurturing my familial relationships with care and support and inject postive energy into everything I do.

Khalil Gibran said," You pray in your distress and in your need; would that you might also pray in the fullness of your joy and in your days of abundance."

Creating Abundance In My Career - The Fool

The Fool is a card promising of unlimited potential.  It encouraged me to take on my career with an entrepreneurial spirit, inject it with an overflowing stream of creative ideas as well as a boldness and courage to try new things, and treat each project presented to me as a new learning curve.   The Fool is unconventional, passionate and enthusiatic.  Most importantly, he doesn't cripple himself with unnecessary worries and anxieties but would trust in the universe to guide him on his journey towards his goals. 

I will need to harness the energy of the Fool, remembering always that sometimes, it is not all about that goal.  Rather it is all about the efforts that I put into every step I take to achieving that goal.

Harry Callahan said," Experience is the best teacher of all.  And for that, there are no guarantees that one will become an artist.  Only the journey matters."

Creating Abundance In My Finances - Four Of Pentacles

The Four of Pentacles reminded me to not be too attached to material gains.  With financial security as one of my goals, I had to plan to slowly and steadily build long-term savings.  I was advised by the card to continue to be prudent in my expenditure.

In my younger days, I spent years indulging in irrational spending on branded handbags, shopping trips in New York and London, expensive dinners at posh restaurants.  When I grew up and had to take on life as a single mother right after my divorce, build a stable career at the same time,  financially provide for my elderly parents and grandmother too, I realized this irrational spending and moments of instant gratifications had to stop.  I have been paying the price for the years of irrational spending since.  Today, I am slowly but surely trying to grow my savings.  In fact, after a life wrought with difficulties, I grew up to dislike the trappings of a lifestyle of luxury.  My main goal is be happy and be financially secure enough, just enough, to provide for the family, pay the bills and maybe have a little extra to buy more Tarot decks (LOL!)

Suze Orman said, "A big part of financial freedom is having your heart and mind free from worry about the what-ifs of life."

Creating Abundance In My Family - Six Of Cups
The Six of Cups is a card of past happy memories, nostalgia and childhood. The card must have appeared because Chinese New Year is a time that I try to connect with the happy memories of the past as a child.  Mum and Dad used to dress me in the prettiest frock, tied my hair with the cutest bows and take me out for home visits.  I loved collecting the red packets filled with money because it meant I could have more money for candy, ice cream and chocolates.  It also meant I could save up to add bits and bops to my doll's house.

The Six of Cups reminded me to create abundance within my family leveraging my happy memories.  I had to create opportunities for Joel to share the same when he grows older in the future.  As a family, I thought we had been leading our individual lives way too much.  Joel is now at the age where he spends more time at his school than at home.  Having a girlfriend didn't help hence my possessiveness of his time with me.  David is always busy with work, meeting clients and practising with his band mates.  I am the worst culprit when it comes "doing my own thing".  I juggle my time between my work projects, nurturing my team, studying for my various courses, mentoring my Tarot proteges, and doing Tarot readings for clients and at events.

So the Six of Cups advised that I should bring back the happy memories of my childhood and bring these happy moments into my own family now by creating opportunities to have more quality time with David and Joel.   Mum used to prepare a picnic basket full of food and took me out to the beach for a swim and a fun picnic.  I should be doing that more.

Charlotte Davis Kasl said, "Happy memories become treasures in the heart to pull out on the tough days of adulthood."

Creating Abundance In Myself - Three Of Pentacles
The Three of Pentacles is a card that signifies the manifestation of a goal through hardwork, cooperation and inspiration.  The card encouraged me to continue to work hard towards achieving my dreams, always fanning the fire of enthusiasm without the fear of failing.  In due time, prosperity and success will naturally come to me. 
As this card assumes that success can come quicker with teamwork and collaboration, it advised me to leveraged the skills, experience and knowledge of the people around me to guide me to my success.  As a Tarot reader that treads a neverending road of learning, my mentors, my proteges and my friends within the Tarot community worldwide are key to holding my hands along my journey with Tarot.  I see this spiritual journey as a combination of individual efforts  from amongst us, Tarot readers and fellow light workers in our respective spiritual paths, walking towards a common goal of bringing clarity and assurance to the people that matter.

I am well-stoked with this card because I also foresee a future of opportunities, working with my Tarot reading and Numerologist friends here in Singapore, creating unique individual and corporate coaching sessions and workshops using Tarot and Numerology.

I am assured myself, that I will never walk alone.

Henry Ford said, "Coming together is a beginning.  Keeping together is progress.  Working together is success."

Abundance 

Finally, before I end this blog post to go stuff myself with Chinese New Year goodies, I'd like to bring you back to the true meaning of abundance.  We will indeed be surrounded by abundance, only when we are ready to recieve it with an open and a grateful heart.  Never forget that gratitude is the mother of abundance and that life is a cornucopia of gifts waiting to be recieved.

Joel Osteen said, "When you focus on being a blessing, God makes sure that you are always blessed in abundance."

About The Writer Of This Blog:

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 a Tarosophy Tarot Diploma from Tarot Professionals Ltd.  She is also a certified numerologist, hence her reading style blends numerological significance with Tarot card interpretations. 

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 (FTN) and is a mentor for both the ATA and the FTN.

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