A Quantum Leap In My Understanding Of Tarot

This blog post was written as my contribution to the Mabon Tarot Blog Hop 2014.  Please follow the links below to read the contributions of my fellow Tarot bloggers who are part of this wonderful Tarot Blog Hop community.

 BLOG BEFORE    |     MASTER LIST     |    BLOG AFTER

Autumn

I like Autumn.  Although there isn't Autumn in tropical Singapore, the pictures of trees in their various hues of red, gold and brown, swaying in a wind-swept Autumn day just seem so poetic to me.   It is the changing colors of the leaves, the weather and the impending dwindling sunlight, that makes this a season of transformation.  Often, the word transformation sparks fear in many.  To me, transformation is the necessary pathway to growth.

Mabon

During this period, my Pagan friends around the world celebrate the Autumnal festival of Mabon on 23 September.  For some of my blog readers who are not familiar with Mabon, the name Mabon came from an age-old Celtic myth about the Welsh god, Mabon who was abducted when young, and found again by King Arthur so that he could be reborn into the light. For more on the story of Mabon, do read it here. 

The Quantum Leap In My Understanding Of Tarot

A festival borne from a myth about rebirth and transformation is an ideal basis for the theme for this Mabon Tarot Blog Hop, designed by the wrangler, Morgan Drake Eckstein. I swear, he comes up with such difficult topics to stress me out but I love Morgan for his wit so I took up the challenge to write this post hoping to see if the creativity could flow from my heart and mind through my pen  the way his did.  Morgan had asked us to write about the time our understanding of Tarot had taken a quantum leap.  That was when I got really stressed out with writer's block.  Doh...my understanding of Tarot took a quantum leap the day I entered that beginner's class, Morgan!

When Morgan challenged me to interpret this topic,  I started to think about the transformational aspects of Autumn, and mapped it against my life and the transformation I had gone through with Tarot.  There were actually 2 occasions when this "quantum leap" had happened.  

The Role Of My Tarot Cards Have Changed

One of these occasions was the time I had stopped being fearful and embarrassed about my gift of clairvoyance enough to use my clairvoyance as a "scenario-builder" and my Tarot cards as a "scenario -clarifier".  This allowed me to provide even more accurate and more focused advice to my clients.  In the past, my client readings were just a session of questions answered by a few shuffle of the cards.  Today, I spend a good amount of time tuning into my visions, talking my clients through them, sharing what I see in their situations, then I would spend the last 15 minutes of the session clarifying the advice with my Tarot cards.  I used to feel that my clairvoyance had "betrayed" my Tarot cards as the former had taken precedence in my readings.  I was called Sun Goddess Tarot and not Sun Goddess Clairvoyant remember?  However, as I slowly built my business and saw how satisfied my clients were, and the increasing fulfillment I felt about finally working my purpose to the fullest,  I realized that my own understanding of the role of my cards had changed.  The cards have not been less important to me.  Rather,  the process I took to do my readings have undergone a wee transformation as I had tweaked the role of each of my skills to better meet the needs of my clients.  An example of a reading that had undertaken this process can be found here, where I used channeling to navigate through my visions for my client, then validate the reading with with numerology and Tarot.  This is Ava's story which I had built through this process.

Avoiding Health Questions

The second occasion when I experienced that quantum leap with my Tarot cards had to do with my understanding of Tarot ethics.   In the past, I would never use my a Tarot cards to answer a Health question.  I often had clients who asked questions like, "Is that lump serious you think?", " Should I go for that surgery?", "How likely do you think that I can get pregnant?" and the classic, "I really feel so exhausted, and have been losing a lot of weight. Do you think there is something wrong with me?"   To each of these questions, I always responded with an encouragement to go visit a qualified medical practitioner.  These questions had no place on my Tarot table.  Even when Dad had suffered a stroke last year, Mum asked if I could do a reading to find out the outcome of his health. I refused to do it and assured her, "Pray Mum. Dad will be okay if you'd just pray."

I still stand by my code of ethics and refuse to read for a Health issue but that quantum leap happened just recently when I realized that in the least, if I had been promoting Tarot as a tool of guidance and advice, I should be able to use it for just that even when a client asks a question about his or her health.  I can't pretend to be a doctor, but I certainly could offer advice on how best to manage one's life as one journeys towards better health right? I will just have to tweak the question a little to get to a more advice -centric answer,  By doing so, I would be true to my purpose of using Tarot to guide and advice.  An example was a reading I did for myself some months ago when I felt extremely exhausted, stressed and was often down with the flu.  When my immune system seems consistently weak, I knew I had to do something about it.  I could have picked my cards to ask, "what's wrong with me?" Instead, I picked my cards to ask "how could I better take care of myself?".  It led to a "Self-Care Package" that I had designed for myself.  I have stopped flinching from health questions and have embraced these by seeing them as an opportunity to reframe the questions in a way that empower querants to do something proactive to manage their journey towards better health and well-being. 

Transformation

So I do dig the fact that Transformation is always a necessary step to growth and development.  My understanding of my Tarot cards certainly has grown leaps and bounds through the process of re-engineering my perceptions about what role Tarot should play and what questions it could be used to answer.  I don't think this learning process will ever stop.  And if one can embrace the season of Autumn as a season of harvest and beautiful colors, instead of griping about the windchill and raking a garden full of dried leaves, I embrace Tarot as a tool that evolves according to the relationship that I have built with it.

Don't forget to visit the blogs of my fellow Tarot bloggers!

BLOG BEFORE    |     MASTER LIST     |    BLOG AFTER

If you like this blogpost, do follow my blog at http://sungoddesstarot.blogspot.com and LIKE my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot

About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and an intuitive reader by accident who deploys the combined modalities of a Tarot, Numerology and Astrology overlaid with her Clairvoyant and Clairsentient skills to deliver her readings with authenticity. She was awarded a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America (TCBA) and is also a certified numerologist.  She is currently running a consultancy based in Singapore called Sun Goddess Tarot,  which provides confidential intuitive readings combining the metaphysical disciplines of Tarot, Numerology and Astrology via face to face and emails as well as readings at corporate and private events and workshops.  A member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), she also mentors Tarot protégés on behalf of the American Tarot Association

Website: www.sungoddesstarot.com

Email:  Joanna@sungoddesstarot.com

Facebook:  www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot

Twitter: www.twitter.com/SunGoddessTarot
Instagram: @SunGoddessTarot

Photo credit:  Jason Colmer.  Photo taken at the turn of Autumn,
at the Japanese Garden,
at the Hobart Royal Botanical Gardens in Tasmania

Tarot Tip Tuesdays - Designing A Self Care Package

Whether you are new to Tarot and in the throes of building a connection with your Tarot cards or an advanced Tarot reader diligently honing your Tarot reading skills, I am putting out a Tarot tip a week to help you to consistently make Tarot a part of your everyday life. This Tuesday's tip is focused on using your cards for advice about designing that "Self-Care Package" that Tarot readers might find useful.

In the last few weeks, I decided to give myself a break from writing my weekly Tarot Tip Tuesday posts.   I made a little readjustment to some of my commitments to give myself permission to take a break in between.  This is the self care I kept writing about because I truly subscribed to the notion that psychic empaths like myself, who often take on the emotions and other energies of others within our environment, need to frequently recharge and surround ourselves with healing energy. I was terribly exhausted, trying to do so much with so little time, and the amount of readings that I was doing in the last few months suddenly spiked to an extent that I could sometimes take in 4-5 face to face readings in 1 night, then get home to continue with Skype or email readings. I definitely needed to take stock of how I was managing my time, and I needed to step back to take a breather for awhile.

Just before I took that break, I felt so guilty about leaving my Tarot cards for awhile.  it had always been a part of my life, almost an extension of my limb and I never left home without it.  If I truly relied on my cards to provide my clients clear advice and direction, then I should rely on my cards to do the same for me.   The following is a spread I had created to design my "Self-Care Package" that I sorely needed.  

If at anytime you feel that you need to recharge yourself but not sure when, how and what would be the best way to do it, I hope this Tarot Spread helps.  This spread is meant to provide advice on how best you can take care of yourself when it gets all too much.

Caring For My Physical Self - Queen Of Wands

The Queen bodes so much positivity around health. It is a card charged with vitality. Looking at the Queen of Wands from my Radiant Rider Waite deck, I saw passion, radiance, beauty, confidence, and energy.  It beckoned me to do what I can to revitalize myself, bring back the energy into my life with a rigorous fitness regime and a sound diet. So that was what I did.  I made a conscious choice to not just "go to the gym ever so often to do my thing" but instead,  to focus my time on Muay Thai (Thai boxing) training.   I made arrangements with 4 coaches specializing in their respective areas of expertise who could help increase the intensity of my Muay Thai training with the goal of competing in the ring perhaps next year when I am ready.    I spent 6 days a week in the gym going through rigorous training sessiojs of boxing drills, strength conditioning, pad work and heavy bag exercises.  The Queen of Wands approaches life with passion, so like the Queen, I developed my passion for Muay Thai and gave it 100% commitment.  I got fitter and stronger as a result.  Most importantly, because I was fitter and stronger, I had more energy everyday!

Just last week, I paid a visit to my cardiologist for my regular checkup that I did every 6 months.  He was amazed at the weight I had lost and how toned and fit I looked.  The results of my medical tests also improved so much that he reduced the dosage of my hypertension medication even more.

The Queen nudged me wth her wand to remind me that if I wanted to extract the full benefits of an activity I had chosen to support in my health and fitness goals, I had better  be passionate about doing it right.

Caring For My Mental Self - The Empress

The Empress was an interesting pick.  It threw me back a little because I often associated the Empress  as a card associated with fertility matters when it came to a health reading. However, this was not a health reading! I reminded myself that this was about the advice the Empress was trying to provide to help calm my mind.  I realized then that she was telling me to take some time off to spend time with myself, enjoy the great outdoors and get in touch with nature again.  So I did that with long walks along the riverside, not purely for physical fitness but to enjoy the lush greenery around me, the sights of dragon-boaters rowing their boats along the river, lying on the grass to decipher shapes from the clouds and sinking my feet into the earth to feel the healing earth energy coursing through my body.  

The Empress also represented creativity.  So I focused my time on writing.  This time, instead of writing about Tarot related topics, in tandem with my recent love for martial arts,  I chose to write about sports!  I started re-using my skills learnt from my University days when I took up English Applied Discourse as a minor subject, focusing on journalistic writing.  Due to my love for Muay Thai and martial arts in general, I had decided to focus my writing on mixed martial arts.  I enjoyed it so much that I started writing for various sports media and was also invited to cover mixed martial arts events as a sports writer.  I even got my own byline with Asia Sports Network! I was so chuffed  because I was doing something I love - writing, about another topic that I truly enjoyed over and on top of Tarot.

Now that certainly was the best care I could give myself to enhance my mental well-being.  I deployed creativity through my writing skills to stimulate my mind around a topic I never was an expert in but learnt so much about.  It brought me so much happiness when I could chat on end about a sport that I loved.

Caring For My Spiritual Self - Knight of Swords

 This was a classic manifestation of the issue I had been dealing with right from the start.  I had so much going on in my life, juggling between a full time career in a fast-paced industry of finance, heading up a marketing and PR team.  At the same time, I was managing a Tarot business that was growing beyond my capacity.  I was engaged in private readings, corporate events, workshops and talks.  I was not managing my schedule  and not pacing my activities well enough that I started to lose touch with my spiritual self.  As a psychic empath, not having time to meditate and offload the. Negative energies that I absorbed during my readings led to my being extremely exhausted  and swaying precariously through mood swings.  I was badly in need of some semblance of stillness and solitude so that I could reconnect with my spiritual self.  

The Knight prodded me with his sword to do something about it quickly.  So I made the conscious choice to limit my face to face readings to only a couple of days a week.  Email readings were allocated  only one night a week.  I taught Tarot and Numerology lessons only a weekend of a month and I accepted reading engagements at corporate events only once a month.  I also decided to write my blogposts when I am creatively guided to share a topic and not because I was pressured into delivering on a schedule I had set myself on. These activities alone were already plenty for me to work with but the way I paced them  gave me time to meditate and reconnect with my spiritual self.

As I started to unshackle myself off my own expectations of who I was as a marketing and PR professional and an owner of a Tarot business, I threw myself into a Devotion To Self  course conducted by Jen Saunders from Wild Sister Magazine and a 30 -day Chakra Bliss Challenge conductive by Danielle Dove.  As the weeks went on, there were times I could not follow the pace of the course of the challenge, but I forgave myself  because I wanted to take my time and let my spirit lead me to whatever I needed to do to get me to be more connected with my spiritual self.

Eventually, i felt so grounded and my intuition was switched on whenever I needed it to do so, even to the extent of tuning into my clairvoyance during a hectic business trip, and providing the right advice when a friend hollered for help.

 How Can I Unite My Body, Mind And Spirit? - Temperance 

So now that I knew what I needed to do to recharge my body, my mind and my spirit, how could I ensure that I supported these 3 pillars of my life to get me back to a happy place?  I picked the Temperance, and I was not surprised by the message from the card. The Universe was very clear about the fact that whatever I pursued to help myself physically, mentally and spiritually, I had tocreate balance and moderation in order to achieve a sense of purpose and fulfillment with everything I put an effort towards.

I revisited my interpretation of the Queen of Wands, the Empress and the Knight of Swords and saw what pulled the three together - my spiritual path as an intuitive. 

 My effort and commitment into Muay Thai would be critical in helping me "offload" all that negative energy I absorbed as a psychic empath.  At the same time, by building my fitness and my strength, I was able to have more energy to take on more challenges as I continued to serve my purpose.  

 My foray into sports journalism was an alternative outlet for creative self expression which revitalized my love for writing again. I had spent months before suffering frequent writers' block with both my Sun a Goddess Tarot blog and my personal blog.  Now that I had regained my energy and passion for writing, I started an unconscious ideation of topics in my head that I wanted to write about within my Sun Goddess Tarot blog.  

I also gave myself permission to slow down, turned down some reading requests, took a short 'vacation' from writing my Tarot Tip Tuesday posts and generally just 'took a chill pill'.  

Temperance reminded me that the ultimate way to caring for myself, was to balance all these elements as I juggled my priorities.  This Self-Care Tarot spread is very small, and quite simple, but it empowered me to make positive changes to my life.  When I can learn to love myself and take good care of myself, then I can take good care of my clients.

May your Tarot cards provide you with a full deck of possibilities throughout your day.

If you like this blogpost, do follow my blog at http://sungoddesstarot.blogspot.com and LIKE my Facebook page at www.facebook.com/SunGoddessTarot

About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade, and an intuitive reader by accident who deploys the combined modalities of a Tarot, Numerology and Astrology overlaid with her Clairvoyant and Clairsentient skills to deliver her readings with authenticity. She was awarded a Certified Professional Tarot Reader qualification from the Tarot Certification Board of America (TCBA) and is also a certified numerologist.  She is currently running a consultancy based in Singapore called Sun Goddess Tarot,  which provides confidential intuitive readings combining the metaphysical disciplines of Tarot, Numerology and Astrology via face to face and emails as well as readings at corporate and private events and workshops.  A member of the American Tarot Association (ATA) and the Tarot Association of the British Isles (TABI), she 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

Muay Thai training with my Thai coach in Phuket, Thailand.
Photo courtesy of David Ash, www.singaporemaven.com

Meditating at the beach.  The ocean speaks to me.

Reclaiming Back My Power

Living Up To My Personal Year 6

This year, I have been living up to the vibrational energy of my Personal Year 6 in Numerology.  Having maneuvered  through several challenges at work and at home last year which had frequently made me combust into a raging ball of emotional outbursts and exhausting me to the core,  this was the year I focused a lot on re-energizing myself and spending more quality time with the family.   When I finally came to terms with the challenges I faced and mustered the strength to look for opportunities from them,  I began to understand  my gaps well enough to be able to plug them with a proactive plan that involved taking care of myself better, so that I could take even better care of my family, my work, my colleagues and my clients.  My ego was my greatest culprit that saw me cultivating an over-achieving streak whether I was at work, at home or running my business.  When I learnt to let go of that ego, and loved myself more for being me, flaws and all, I took the decision to take good care of myself by spending more time in quiet meditation, nurturing my spiritual path with authenticity, love and compassion, getting in touch with nature more to breathe in the green healing energy from the earth, and paying more attention to my health and fitness.

Taking Care Of My Spiritual Development

The first thing I did was to engage a couple of intuitive coaches, Danielle Dove and Karina Ladet who were critical to my spiritual development.  I learnt to let go of useless past energies in the process so that I could be more productive in helping my clients, learnt to meditate with more focusedness, was introduced to a spiritual realm of guides who became my "lightworker's support team" and developed my psychic abilities further to help support the existing metaphysical modalities of tarot, numerology and astrology that I had been working with.  As my intuitive coaches had opened my heart and mind to a world that taught me to surrender and trust my higher self and tap on my clairvoyant and clairsentient skills, as if by coincidence, the Universe blew a bunch of clients my way who were also in the throes of developing their intuitive capabilities.  I felt privilege to be walking that journey with them, teaching them to tap on their own intuitive skills so that some day they too could bring light to people who need it most.  

I have not finished learning from my intuitive coaches.  Every time they write a blog post, record a new meditation or share an inspirational story about their experiences, I learnt something new.  Having had their guiding hand in mind, I was now in a much happier place to start getting my body and mind fit and healthy enough to take on the challenges in the next stage of my spiritual development,

Taking Care Of My Health And Fitness

Naturally, the next thing I did was to take care of my health and fitness.  I believed that it is only with the alignment of a healthy body, mind and spirit, that we can genuinely serve our soul purpose with 100% commitment.  I engaged 2 personal trainers who are now currently working with me to support my fitness goals,  1 of them works on my strength conditioning and the rehabilitation of my knee post-surgery, and the other is my kickboxing coach.  Together, they had been responsible for pushing my boundaries in terms of cardiovascular fitness, building my strength back in my legs and allowing me to reclaim back my power through an increasing sense of confidence.

Reconciling My Spiritual Path With My Love For Muay Thai

A friend asked me how I reconciled my spiritual path as an intuitive reader with an aggressive sport like kickboxing.  I told her that the sport taught me that I could make the impossible possible when everyone told me that I could never do sports again after my knee surgery.  I imparted this spirit to my clients who called on me as they dealt with near-impossible life-changing issues. I resolved to show them that nothing is impossible. 

I was completely fascinated with the art of Muay Thai when I was introduced to the basics of kickboxing.  Just like the way I had spent years demystifying the metaphysical modalities of Tarot and Numerology, I set out to demystify the perceived violence in Muay Thai.  The martial art is a spiritual experience that taught respect of self and others.  Just spending time folding back my handwraps was a practice of discipline and respect for the skills I was taught.  Steeped in ritual and ceremony, the pre-fight ritual, called Ram-Muay, was itself an elaborate gesture of gratitude and respect for the skills learnt by the boxer.  Wai-Kru, the 3 bows was a demonstration of respect accorded to the boxer's coach and an invocation for divine protection. The music called Pi-Muay which accompanied the bouts, was meant to help focus the boxer's mind into a meditative state.

More than ever, Muay Thai taught me patience, humility, determination and discipline. These were qualities anyone on a continuous walk along that spiritual path will need.  I certainly did.  When I started reconciling my spiritual path with my love for Muay Thai, I realized it made me a better intuitive reader because of the ego that the sport had stripped from me, the patience and humility that I had learnt and the lessons of endurance and determination that were necessary for both myself and my clients to manage the hard knocks of life.  

Reclaiming My Power

By taking care of my spiritual development as well as my health and fitness, I was able to reclaim back my power lost to my attachment to my ego that had crippled me for years.  Today, I have been supporting my clients in their respective journeys to reclaim back their power as well.

About The Writer:

The writer of this blog post is a marketeer by trade and an intuitive 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 consultancy based in Singapore called Sun Goddess Tarot,  which provides confidential intuitive readings combining the metaphysical disciplines of Tarot, Numerology and Astrology overlaid with her Clairvoyant and Clairsentient skills 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 Muay Thai Coach And I In Phuket, Thailand

My Kickboxing Coach And I In Singapore

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

Getting My Health Back On The Mend

Health Issues

In the last 2 years, I had been battling health issues which led to a few surgeries. These included a knee surgery, which the doctor termed as Tibial Tibular Elevation, a breast surgery to remove some cells that could potentially be cancerous and then last week, I had an Angiogram done when the doctor found a myocardial bridge and excessive calcification along my left artery.

Eager to get back on the mend, I have made some radical changes to my diet and indeed my family's diet.  I have also decided to step up on my exercises, inspired by a colleague who walked 10km a day everyday.  I don't think I could walk 10km a day each day yet, but I certainly could stop giving excuses to cancel my appointments with the personal trainer.  Most importantly, I had to do something about my lifestyle.  I had to learn to take things easy and not jump at every chance I got to shove someone's head up his or her arse just because he or she smelt bad.  That was difficult to do.  I was a typical Leo -  aggressive and passionate about everything.

Then yesterday, while convalescing at home after the Angiogram procedure, one of my Tarot proteges called to ask how come it was near impossible for her to read Tarot cards for herself.  I told her that was not necessarily so and had decided to use this opportunity to prove her wrong.  And I certainly did.

I designed a Tarot spread to get advice on how I could help get my health back on the mend.  For this purpose, I used my Morgan Greer Tarot deck created by Bill Greer and Lloyd Morgan, and published by US Games.

Journey To Good Health Tarot Spread

1) Where would I like to be health-wise? - 7 of Pentacles:

The 7 of Pentacles Tarot card portrayed an image of a man savouring the fruits of his hard work put into harvesting.  Health-wise, this card signified my desire to see positive results from the hard work and determination I would be putting into getting back on the right track with my health.  I was aware that getting fitter and healthier would require time and effort.  Frankly, patience was not my virtue, hence past attempts at getting fitter was rather inconsistent.  3 surgeries later, the Universe was possibly hitting me on the head to tell me to get a grip.   My cardiologist gave me 2 months to turn my health around through a sound diet and exercise plan.  When he put me through the medical tests in 2 months, he would then assess if he could reduce the dosage of my high blood pressure medication.  That was enough of a carrot for me!

2) What am I doing now to begin my journey to good health? - Page of Swords :

The Page of Swords Tarot card portrayed an image of a young man brandishing a sword as if ready for a battle but he seemed to be thinking things through before charging forward.  The suit of Swords governed thoughts, and this card was definitely reflective of my current state of mind.  I was a workaholic.  Even through this period of hospitalisation leave, I had never really rested.  My heart and mind was at the office, literally doing battle with the usual daily work issues.  However, I knew deep down this had to change.  I had been trying hard to put my Blackberry away intermittently to give myself some time to meditate.

An additional insight I had gotten from this card was that the bloke in the image was wearing clothes that gave him an erudite look - a young scholar perhaps.  And this young scholar  certainly looked enthusiastic about his pursuits.  I saw it as a reflection of my continuous enthusiastic research about my health condition over the internet.  I wanted to eventually stop my medication if I could and perhaps replace it with homeopathic treatment for my high blood pressure.  I started reading up on organic food and benefits of certain herbs and plants to treat my condition.  I even started a regime of drinking a glass of"detox" water made out of lemons and mint every morning, followed by a glass of beetroot and celery juice.  My meals  were now healthier and complete with heart-healthy ingredients like garlic, flax seed and tumeric.

3) Where am I at currently with my health? - Ace of Pentacles Reversed

Such an obvious card to pick.  The Ace of Pentacles Reversed affirmed that my current poor health was due to lack of foresight and good health practices in the past.  I should have embarked on preventive care much earlier as I had known that hypertension was a hereditary issue in my family.  Dad suffered a silent stroke from years of unchecked hypertension and he was now confined to a wheelchair because of it.  My brother, a 30something year old young man led a sedentary life and was on medication for hypertension.  Even my son at almost 20 was slightly hypertensive with a recent blood pressure reading of 144/95.  These health issues were approaching me like an on-coming truck filled with explosives and I was just blinded by the immediate gratification of unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise.

4) What can I do now to get my health back on the mend? - Queen of Pentacles  + 2 of Wands + Moon Reversed:

I read all 3 cards together to build an advice for myself.

The Queen of Pentacles was all about balance.  It was an advice for me to create balance in my life.  I had been putting work, family, clients, and everything else before myself, rather stupidly, without realising that with poor health, I could not take care of all of them as best as I could.  I had to be resolute about creating space and time for myself to recharge and reenergise so that I could do a lot more things effectively.

The 2 of Wands was about planning and discovery.  It was an advice for me to do everything in my power currently to plan for the future ahead of me.  Firstly, I had to change my lifestyle to get my health back.  Secondly, I had to ensure I started Joel and David on the track to good health and fitness too.  This was particularly so for Joel who is still very young and had so many years ahead of him to explore a world of limitless possibilities.  Thirdly, I had to ensure I reviewed the family's insurance documents.  My hospitalisation recently and its associated cost was a reminder that not looking after my health was costly in more ways than one.  Lastly, I had to be ready to seek advice and opinions from other experts.  I had already sounded out my personal trainer who would be stepping up my training program.  I was planning to consult a dietician as well as a homeopathy practitioner who could help me make a difference to my eating habits.

The Moon Tarot card traditionally signified fear and anxieties.  The Moon Reversed picked to clarify this last question was an advice for me to release all my anxieties.  These were anxieties about my health and particularly my family's state of health.  I was already starting to do something about it.  The journey would be long and hard but it made no sense for me to be obsessive about it.  Ever since I was diagnosed with a heart problem, I had been literally breathing down my family members' necks about eating right.  There was a salad bar created in the refrigerator that fed the family for lunch and dinner every weekday.  Perhaps I was becoming too obsessed about it.   I learnt that eating right was not about stuffing vegetables down one's neck.  It was about not taking life to the extreme, not working non-stop, not eating excessively, not indulging in too much alcohol.  it was about moderation.

Health Matters

Health mattered to me most.  No money in the world could buy me happiness.  Only good health, contentment and living a life in gratitude for the abundance that surrounded me, could bring me happiness.   Lao Tzu said, "Health is the greatest possession.  Contentment is the greatest treasure.  Confidence is the greatest friend.  Non-being is the greatest joy."

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