Playing Your Cards Right!

Seven of Wands

Whether you are familiar with tarot cards or not, I have randomly pulled a card for you today. See how this relates to your life:

The Seven of Wands shows a man defensively holding a wand while six others appear in front of him. Just looking at the card, you may get the feeling of being backed into a corner. But wait! Just behind you is a door slightly open...giving you the option NOT to fight. This gives you the advantage!

What are you fighting for anyway? What is the reality of the situation? Are you being sensitive about what was said or done?

If you feel defensive, figure out what is really bothering you? Are you reacting to it in a healthy way or possibly blowing it out of proportion?

Look beyond your own defensiveness and realize that you have the advantage. Take a stand, but don't be aggressive...doing so will only make matters worse.

Even if things look daunting, the Seven of Wands reminds you that you have the advantage. You have the self confidence and wisdom to cope successfully with this situation. Take it one step at a time and your hard work will pay off. Victory will be yours...if you play your cards right.

Two Degrees of Separation?

As I jump into the world of blogging, I have been amazed at the connections I am able to make -- all across the world -- right from my home office.

This past week I had an interesting thing happen. My real world and my virtual world intersected.

As I was checking comments on my previous blog posts, I came across one from some time in late January. I linked to her profile and commented on her blog. I noticed that just above my comment was one from my cousin who lives in Oregon.

My first thought was that my cousin had talked to her friend about the tarot reading I did for her over the summer...and her friend logged onto my blog for more information.

Come to find out, my cousin had no idea that her friend had even found me or my blog. The friend had simply typed in the words, "Christianity and Tarot" and found my blog.

My cousin had her computer set so she'd be notified of any additional comments...which included the one from me. When she saw my comment, she was stunned because she had not talked to her friend about me and wondered how we had connected.

My cousin then emailed to let me know about the coincidence. Or was it? It really is a small world, isn't it?

This again confirms the fact that we really are all connected. The Internet just makes it THAT much more apparent!

I'm convinced that as we evolve, there are less than six degress of separation. What are your thoughts? Do you have any cool examples of how connected we really are?

How I Found My Intuitive Voice

I find it interesting learning how others have found their intuitive voice. In fact, I find it encouraging along my journey. So here is my story:

I spent the first 30+ years of my life creating and living a life of illusion. I was following the path that had been laid out for me: college education, professional job, getting married, and having kids. As I took each step, it seemed like I was moving ahead, but in looking back, I realize that each step took me into a deeper trance-like state. It took the very emotional crises of divorce (which shattered the illusion) to get me to "wake up." This is when I discovered that I was very intuitive. This was the beginning of my "New Age" journey. Here's how it happened:

The divorce left me feeling lost and alone. How could I be leaving my marriage? This wasn't part of the story/illusion that I believed and yet it was happening to me. Out of desperation and curiosity, I heard about a woman who read tarot cards and scheduled an appointment. As she laid these foreign-looking cards on the table, she accurately explained what was going on in my life and how I was feeling. Through the reading, I found clarity and felt as though someone finally understood.

Although I didn't know her before the reading, we became good friends – even though we are polar opposites. She later told me that I had a gift of intuition and could read tarot cards. At first I didn't believe her, but we went to buy some cards for me. I hesitated, thinking that I would probably use them for a while and then they would sit in a box somewhere.

I found that I could read tarot cards and it helped me to get in touch with my intuition and my emotions. I wrote in my journal and noted what questions I had, what cards I pulled, etc. and I got pretty good at it.

One day I remember trying to communicate with a friend of mine. He couldn't put into words what he wanted to say, so I summed up what I thought he felt. I was right on...and both of us were amazed. I asked him, "Can't you tell what others are feeling?" He said he couldn't. I realized I had been doing this my whole life. I could somehow feel other people's feelings and identify/describe them – some times better than they could themselves. It's called being empathic.

I started reading tarot cards for other people. In the beginning, I didn't charge because I thought it was no big deal. It was a cool "party trick." I was amazed at how accurate the cards were and how much people got out of a reading. Three years later I started getting paid to read cards. I did it on the side and didn't talk about my hobby very much for fear that it would not be accepted.

My business cards for tarot readings now hang in several locations and I read cards as part of my life coaching business. I have even started a class on how to read tarot cards. People want to get in touch with their intuitive voice and the tarot cards provide a great tool in which to do so.

Tarot cards and life coaching go hand in hand. Tarot helps people discover what's going on emotionally; life coaching takes their progress to the next level. As a life coach, I help clients move forward and keep them accountable and supported as they make changes in their lives. Life coaching is a bit more "main stream" and more generally accepted than tarot cards. Some of my clients prefer a mainstream approach, and with some clients, I use tarot cards as a tool. It just depends what feels right.

Before I "woke up," I depended on my left brain to help me navigate through life. This would amount to listing pros and cons and trying to intellectually analyze what the right answer was in making a life decision. With the tarot cards and through my intuition, I have added my right brain into the equation. When there is a decision to be made, I pull out my tarot cards long before I even think about creating a spreadsheet to analyze the pros and the cons. I have found that my intuitive voice is much stronger and more accurate than my analytical, left-brained, logical side. Plus, it's more fun to play with my intuition!

I guess the shock of the divorce, meeting my friend the tarot reader, and the emotional growth that came from the crisis of divorce opened my eyes to all of the possibilities. My empathic abilities and my tarot cards were the first steps on my intuitive, New Age journey.

What is your story?