Intuitive Tuesday -- Temperance Reversed & Nine of Cups (Reversed)

Every Tuesday I select one card and give you my interpretation of it. See how it applies to your life and ask, "What messages are here for you?"

As I shuffled the cards to select this week's Intuitive Tuesday tarot card, I said, "Tell me what messages I need to bring to my readers this week." I selected Temperance (reversed) from the Gilded Tarot by Ciro Marchetti and Barbara Moore.

To confirm the message and impressions I was getting, I pulled a second card, the Nine of Cups (reversed), which has a similar meaning to Temperance (reversed)...thus confirming today's messages.

Temperance is one of the Major Arcana cards, which indicates an overall life theme or spiritual lesson. Temperance in its upright position is a card of moderation, blending, taking a middle course or combining energies.

In its reversed position, it can indicate being extreme in one's behavior and or some type of excessive behavior or lack of balance.

The Nine of Cups (reversed) -- the card that confirmed today's message for me -- is a card of being out of balance as well, smugness, too much of a good thing, greed, overindulgence, etc.

These two cards combined may be a heads-up that something may be out of balance in your life.

The underlying thought might be, "If this is good for me, more of it must be even better."

This reminds me of my father's saying, "Everything in moderation...including moderation."

To me this means that things work best when there is balance and moderation. Whenever you get too into anything, there is a tipping point and it can become excessive and possibly bad for you.

Think about things that are labeled as "good for you." Even broccoli, exercise, and religion, can be taken to an extreme.

I remember my college professor in Micro-economics describing it as decreasing marginal utility. He gave the example of eating potato chips. When you eat your first chip, it tastes DELICIOUS and you want another chip. As you continue, there comes a point when your enjoyment increases at a slower rate...and at some point actually diminishes (possibly after a couple of handfuls of chips).

Today's cards -- Temperance (reversed) and the Nine of Cups (reversed) -- ask you to take a look at what you might be doing that is good for you (in moderation), but may not be as good when taken to the extreme.

Does something pop up for you as you are reading these words? If so, perhaps slowing down a bit may be helpful for you. Stopping excessive behavior and introducing temperance may be just what you need.





 

Perfect Moment Monday -- Anniversaries Celebration

Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WeeblesWobblog.com. According to Weebles, "Perfect Moment Monday is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect Moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between." And so, here is a Perfect Moment for this week.

My DH, Tom, and I celebrate our anniversaries (yes, plural) this year by taking a hike. Halfway up the trail, I took this photo of our shadows.

It reminded me that no matter how many anniversaries we celebrate (which I hope is a lot), and no matter how old we are or what we look like, our love will remain and we will be companions on the path of life.

"Which anniversary are you celebrating?" You might ask because for some reason, that number hints towards where the couple may be in their lives.

For example, if it's your 1st anniversary, you may think, "Oh! They are SO in love...still on their honeymoon, really!"

If it's their 30th anniversary, you may think, "Wow! You made it through all of that and still like each other?"

So here is the scoop on us so you can surmise where we are in our marriage.

We just celebrated our 2nd, 5th and 6th anniversaries.

"How can it be so many anniversaries all in one month?" you might ask. Let me explain:

Tom and I were legally married in early July 2004 while he was home on leave from his one-year tour in Iraq with the Army National Guard. It was a private ceremony with my three sons (who were 7, 7 and 8 at the time) and a couple of friends.


A week later, Tom's leave was over and he flew back to rejoin his unit for the rest of their tour -- which had more than six months remaining.


During that time we had a standing date every day via Instant Message at 9:30 p.m. my time (as I was ending my day), which was 6:30 a.m. his time (just before he started work).


When his deployment was over in February 2005, we planned our wedding ceremony the following July, but had to set the date almost two weeks later than our official first anniversary date...which means we have two July anniversary celebrations that are two weeks apart.


Today marks the 2nd anniversary that we have celebrated this month. This year marks both our 5th wedding (ceremony) celebration AND our 6th marriage celebration...which is how we celebrated our 2nd, 5th and 6th anniversaries this year.

Get it?

The good thing is that if people forget our first July anniversary, they have a two week window in which to still acknowledge it AND not be late.

The better news is that we agreed today to renew our contract and stay married yet another year.

Happy Anniversaries, Dear Hubby, Tom!!! <3 XX OO  <3

If you'd like to check out more Perfect Moment Mondays go to Weebles Wobblog by clicking here.

Eight of Cups -- A Personal Example

For this week's Intuitive Tuesday, I selected the Eight of Cups, which is a card of walking away from something, moving on or having a change of heart.  For more information on the Eight of Cups, click here.

After meditating on the Eight of Cups energies and pondering some important questions, I had the following insights:

I'm not surprised by this week's Intuitive Tuesday card, the Eight of Cups. It's been coming up in my own readings for the past two weeks.
 
My question now is what am I outgrowing or needing to move away from? I feel as though I've invited and nurtured people and situations that are nourishing to me, and weeded out the things that no longer serve me.
 
Maybe this process is like laundry in that it is never DONE, but ongoing.  :)
 
Just the other night I felt Eight of Cups energy after I did a reading for a couple who have some significant changes happening in their lives. The cards were RIGHT ON...so much so that the man said, "It's kinda freaking me out!" 
 
My gifts are not there to "freak people out" (although sometimes that happens).

My Eight of Cups insights have to do with the way I’ve read cards in the past. I now have the opportunity to leave behind the "old" way of doing a reading, and add in other aspects of my gifts to enrich my readings. 

For example, I could connect with the client by doing an Aura Healing as we begin our session. This will allow me to connect with their energies and open their chakras.

As I finish their tarot reading, I could possibly use the “outcome card” from the tarot spread or select another card for insights on what questions they need to ponder.

If there are limiting beliefs, I might have the opportunity to use PSYCH-K to help them balance these beliefs and move forward.

All of these insights and ideas came in a flash of insight after pondering and writing in my journal about the Eight of Cups energy present for me.

Tarot cards are so very powerful and I am constantly exploring their many healing gifts. It continues to be a fascinating journey.

So, if you haven’t taken the time to ponder your own Eight of Cups energy, I encourage you to do so now. For a list of potential questions to ponder, click here.

You may be surprised what you discover!!!

Intuitive Tuesday -- Eight of Cups

Every Tuesday I select one card and give you my interpretation of it. See how it applies to your life and ask, "What messages are here for you?"

This week's card is the Eight of Cups from the Gilded Tarot by Ciro Marchetti and Barbara Moore.

The Eight of Cups is a card of emotionally moving away from something or someone that no longer fits. It could also indicate that there is something missing in our current lives.

There is a feeling of sadness and longing with the Eight of Cups, as though you realize that something isn't right and even though you may be comfortable (but not necessarily happy), you know that it's time to move on. Maybe you've recently become aware of a feeling of dissatisfaction and have had a change of heart.

The Eight of Cups invites you to look at what emotionally needs to be left behind...in order for you to continue growing. And perhaps underneath it all is an invitation to search for a deeper spiritual connection, no matter what situation or relationship you are in.

An AHA Moment:

I originally thought reading tarot cards was a way to predict the future. At first it was a cool party trick to help tap into what was happening and let them know what the cards said about what was most likely to happen.

Then I stepped into a deeper, more meaningful aspect of the cards -- helping people peel through the layers of situations and their emotions to better see and understand what's happening in their lives AND how their thoughts and beliefs create their life situations (which gives them great power).

Now I understand that tarot can help do both of these things -- predict the future and help gain understanding -- but perhaps even more powerful is the way tarot can be used as a meditation tool to tap into what you know.

Even if you don't regularly practice meditation, you can still use tarot cards as a way to take a pause in the action to see what's happening for you, to determine how you feel and for intuitive insights as to how to move forward.

Here are some questions to ponder surrounding the Eight of Cups. Don't feel you have to answer all of them. As you read through them, your intuition will emphasize the questions that are most important to you right now. See what's here for you --

• What does the Eight of Cups mean for you? 
• What are you emotionally moving away from and how does that feel? 
• How does moving away impact you and your life? 
• Where else should you be directing your energies? 
• By walking away, what else are you making room for in your life?

I'll post a personal example of how the Eight of Cups dynamic is playing out in my life, later this week. Stay tuned!

Perfect Moment Monday -- I Feel Complete

Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WeeblesWobblog.com. According to Weebles, "Perfect Moment Monday is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect Moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between." And so, here is a Perfect Moment for this week.

Last week I was sitting in the lobby of my health club, reading at a book while waiting for my kids to show up after their camp. When I am the carpool driver, I drop five boys off at camp and then go to the gym to get in a quick one-hour workout before they walk to the gym and pick me up.

Engrossed in my book, a gentleman walked up to me and said, "Are you Sheri Fisher?"

"Yes, I am," I said.

"I have wanted to meet you," he continued. "My name is Mark, and I read your column each week. I particularly liked the one you wrote for Father's Day. It was a great article. You have some real talent."

We continued our conversation for about five minutes and I could tell that my energy was beaming. I was SO touched by his compliment and that he went out of his way to introduce himself and mention my column, particularly the one about Father's Day because I believe it was divinely inspired. If you'd like to check it out, click here.

He said, "I am not really into this kind of stuff, but if I could read auras, I imagine yours would be huge and colorful."

I thanked him for his kind words, which meant a lot to me.

It's not the first time that someone has mentioned my column or complimented me on one of the articles, but it really hit me that I have an impact on many more people than I realize.

It's easy to get caught up in simply writing the column from the comfort and perceived anonymity of my computer...so when this happens, it is like the circle becomes complete.

I get inspired.

I write an article.

My article gets published.

People read my article and are impacted by what I say.

They compliment me and I again know that I am on my spiritual path fulfilling part of my life purpose.

Somehow this completion feels so gratifying. I feel complete.

This, to me, is...Perfect.

If you'd like to check out more Perfect Moment Mondays go to Weebles Wobblog by clicking here.

Intuitive Tuesday -- Page of Cups

mai

Every Tuesday I select one card and give you my interpretation of it. See how it applies to your life and ask, "What messages are here for you?"

This week's card is the Page of Cups from the Gilded Tarot by Ciro Marchetti and Barbara Moore.

A Page is one of the Court Cards (Page, Knight, Queen and King) which typically represent people in your life and/or attributes or characteristics in your personality.

If a Page represents a person, it tends to be people who are novices or less mature (either chronologically or emotionally).

A Page can also indicate some type of change, a message or important communications.

Cups is the suit of emotions, feelings, intuition, romance, relationships, creativity and imagination.

As you read the following, tune into your intuition to find out what messages are here for you:

If the Page of Cups feels like it is referring to a person in your life, most likely it is a younger person, a student, someone who is artistic and/or intuitive or someone who looks at life with a fresh, open perspective. It may be someone who is new to something (a beginner), possibly an employee in your firm who is either new to the organization, fresh out of school or in some kind of training program.

If the Page of Cups has to do with a characteristic in your personality, it could be a feeling of newness and excitement -- perhaps something you've recently been introduced to and are passionate about. The Page of Cups would be represented by the new emotions and excitement you have about something or someone. You may not know much about him/her/it, but you know that you are excited and ready to learn more and move forward.

If the Page of Cups indicates a message for you, it will most likely be a message of the heart or something that has emotional meaning for you. This might be a letter or email from a loved one or a friend from the past; it could also be news about a wedding, birth or some other important announcement.

A personal example:

For me the Page of Cups indicates a message about the next stages of my career.

Last week I asked the editor of my weekly newspaper column for opportunities to expand my audience by having my column published in other sister publications and/or possibly syndicating the column. She emailed last week to say she would check with her publisher and get back to me.

In addition, I'm waiting to hear back from the creator of a fabulous Website, Therapy In Transition**, in which I am currently the Small Business Marketing and PR Expert. Although I have almost 25 years of experience in these areas, I'd like to write about one of my current passions which include: family life and parenting teenagers, yoga, my spiritual studies, tarot and intuition and, of course, life coaching. 

In regards to my new endeavor of the Yoga Teacher Training, the Page of Cups represents the excitement I feel each time I attend either a yoga class, the teacher training classes or have an opportunity to read about yoga. I have such growing excitement about the possibilities that await.

I am encouraged to pull the Page of Cups because there are many new avenues and emotions I am about to explore...and THAT is exciting to me.

How do you relate to the Page of Cups today? What does it symbolize in your life? What messages are here for you?

** If you are interested in Therapy In Transition and you'd like to subscribe, let me know. As one of the Web site's Experts, I have a limited number of discounted subscriptions that I can give away. If you are interested, email me (sheri@coachwithsheri.com) and I'll get you the information you need. 

Perfect Moment Monday -- Hiking on the Mesa

Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WeeblesWobblog.com. According to Weebles, "Perfect Moment Monday is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect Moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between." And so, here is a Perfect Moment for this week.

Tom and I stopping in "the meadow."

Last weekend we took a family trip to The Grand Mesa, the largest flat-top mountain in the world!! According to Wikipedia, "it has an area of about 500 square miles and stretches for about 40 miles, east of Grand Junction between the Colorado River and the Gunnison River...Over 300 lakes, including may reservoirs...are scattered along the top of the formation."

Amazingly enough, we had all three teenage boys with us on our trip. Because the boys have SO many IMPORTANT things to do, friends to see, etc. it is difficult to get us all in the car at the same time. But we did it and had a great time.

We visited our good friends, Skip and Jackie, and enjoyed lunch at their new home and then drove to the top of the Mesa. The boys did some fishing, while the adults took a hike.  Here are some photos along the way.

The last picture is my favorite as we all came back together as a family. Me and Tom as bookends, with the three boys in the middle.

A picture is worth a thousand words...and in this case, these pictures are worth at least three words: "Perfect Moment Monday."

If you'd like to check out more Perfect Moment Mondays go to Weebles Wobblog by clicking here.

My Yoga -- Doubting Your Doubts

I began my Yoga Teacher Training this summer and am completely enjoying learning more about myself and my yoga practice. As I go through my training, I wanted to share my thoughts and insights along the way.

In reading my yoga materials this week, I found some very interesting and pertinent information about the negative messages inside your/my head. In my life coaching practice, I refer to this as the "Saboteur."

I'm working with a client right now who is discovering just how much of her life is influenced by her Saboteur.

When I asked her to personify her Saboteur, she said that he looked like Jabba the Hut from the Star Wars movie.  She even sent me a video clip of Princess Leia killing Jabba the Hut. My client said she related to doing this to her own Saboteur and felt SO much power! You can check out this scene here (less than a minute in length).

Wouldn't you love to do that kind of damage to the voice in your head that keeps you stuck??

In reading the book, Journey Into Power, by Baron Baptiste, he covers the Seven Most Common Mental Mistakes in Yoga Practice and How to Avoid Them (pages 61-70).  I could probably add the words (and in life) right after the words, "in Yoga Practice..."

He says:

Believing your doubts is one of the most insidious mind tricks that your ego can play on you. Doubts are not real; they are just illusions created to keep ourselves from taking risks because we are so afraid of failing. Your yoga practice will reveal the real limits that you confront in your body, but it may astound you to discover that many of the limitations you perceive as physical are actually mental. When you believe that you can't, you can't."

And later he continues:

As the saying goes, fight for your limitations and the prize is that you get to keep them. We have the capacity to move beyond where we are right now. All we need to do is have faith.

Many times I've found myself in a pose...that we have been holding for a LONG time. My shoulders can be burning, my legs are tired and my mind is saying, "Give up!" Then the instructor will say, gently, "Doubt your doubts. Your body is stronger than your mind thinks it is..." and it is true.

Then s/he adds, "When you think you need to give up, take just one more breath before you release the pose." I breathe just one more time, shoulders and legs still burning and tired, and find that I CAN do it. Sometimes I get two breaths in before we change poses. I DID IT!

Knowing that true growth happens when you push past your "limits," is fascinating. Experiencing it in my practice and in my life is exhilarating!

I have definitely applied this as a yoga student and plan to use it as I move into a teaching role. These are the most important lessons for me as either a student or a teacher. Things that happen ON the mat also apply OFF the mat.  And so, it's not only yoga, but life lessons.

Where in your life are you "burning and tired?" What messages is your Saboteur telling you? Are you believing these messages and acting on them? If so, maybe it's time to create your own death scene for your Saboteur.

Try doubting your doubts...and see what growth happens.

If you'd like more information on the Saboteur and get a sense for how destructive s/he can be, you can also check out an article that I wrote  for my weekly column that used to be published in The Free Press, but is now published in The Daily Sentinel.


Namaste!

Intuitive Tuesday -- Nine of Wands and a Bonus Card

Every Tuesday I select one card and give you my interpretation of it. See how it applies to your life and ask, "What messages are here for you?"

This week's card is the Nine of Wands from the Legacy of the Divine Tarot deck by Ciro Marchetti.

With Wands being the suit of energy and action and nines symbolizing the near completion of the cycle, the Nine of Wands is a card of recognizing how far you have come, but staying motivated to complete the project or cycle that you have been actively working on.

This card may also have to do with creativity, demonstrating leadership, and in some cases, standing up for what you believe. You may have one final challenge to overcome and you DO have what it takes to move forward.

If you'd like more information on the Nine of Wands, click here.

I pulled another card today (intuitive BONUS) from the Messages of Life deck by Mario Duguay. This card is called, "God Sustains Me."

These cards are so beautiful and have deep, meaningful messages accompanying the artwork.You can click here to check it out or go to your local (metaphysical) bookstore.

God Sustains Me -- I cease to worry about what might happen to me. I turn each day over to God and put an end to my inner turmoil.

I welcome things as they are, without resistance. I keep moving forward even if I sometimes feel alone; I know that the love of God sustains me.

Now, once more, I find my greatest strength: Faith.

These two cards combined (the Nine of Wands and the card "God Sustains Me") remind us that we may THINK we have what it takes, but perhaps what is easier (and more effective) is to relax into the flow and let divine energy carry us forward.

It reminds me of the scene in the popular movie, Avatar, when Jake Sully has just inhabited his Na'vi body and is exploring the beautiful jungle.

Suddenly a huge animal prepares to attack him. He confronts the animal who initially takes a stand, but then backs down suddenly. Jake says something to the effect of, "Yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" as though Jake and his might have scared the large animal.

The next scene shows Jake from the front, revealing yet another even more vicious animal behind him that Jake is not aware of, but is actually what the attacker in front of him is responding to...not Jake or Jake's powerful stance.

For us, we can act like we are in charge and have things in control, but do we really?

The Nine of Wands encourages you to do what you can...and the Mario Duguay card, "God Sustains Me," reminds us to be grateful when God does the rest.

Perfect Moment Monday -- Brotherly Love

Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WeeblesWobblog.com. According to Weebles, "Perfect Moment Monday is about noticing a perfect moment rather than creating one. Perfect Moments can be momentous or ordinary or somewhere in between." And so, here is a Perfect Moment for this week.

The first three weeks of the summer a couple of our kids were staying with my family in Denver. Having just one son home was like a vacation for me and Tom. It was SO quiet with only one kid asking for rides, money, etc. and no teasing or bickering. Peaceful!

Towards the end of the three weeks, Ryan (the one who stayed home), asked several times when his brothers were coming back. One night he was lying on Bryce’s bed watching TV -- (ahem) not that he was missing him, mind you, but more that Ryan was simply tired of being in his own room.

The three boys are typical brothers and since they are so close in age, they tend to argue, tease and fight a lot…but in a brotherly way. And I say to them what my parents said to me about my two sisters: “They will be your best friends when you grow up.”

Even though I fought with my sisters too and we got on each other’s nerves, they are my two best friends in the whole world. And I know my three sons will find the same thing, even when I see them wrestling, fighting or teasing relentlessly.

Over the weekend I watched as James and Bryce hung out together. They were creating a plan to install a pool in our yard, complete with a slide from the upper story window and an infinity pool effect off the side of the hill. They went as far as coming up with a plan as to how to pay for it and what business they would go into together. It was great to see them cooperating.

I was particularly touched when James offered to help Bryce install a screen guard on Bryce’s phone. In fact, it was a perfect moment to see them talking and working together.

It gave me a glimpse of how close they will be as they continue to grow up. I took the picture above to capture the moment – since at these ages, they are so few and far between…

…but still perfect when they happen.

If you'd like to check out more Perfect Moment Mondays go to Weebles Wobblog by clicking here.

My Yoga -- Stepping Up to the Edge

I began my Yoga Teacher Training this summer and am completely enjoying learning more about myself and my yoga practice. As I go through my training, I wanted to share my thoughts and insights along the way.

You probably know that yoga dates back thousands of years...and that there are many styles, philosophies and practices of yoga. The one I am studying is warm power yoga -- a vigorous, fitness-based approach to vinyasa-style yoga. It is closely modeled on the Ashtanga style of practice.

This week we learned (and were tested on) the eight principles behind this type of yoga, which I believe is attributed to Baron Baptiste in his book, "Journey Into Power."

As I prepared for my test, I got the opportunity to workout with my oldest son, James, who is almost 15 years old. Our time together is rare, which also keeps our conversation limited.  Sometimes the time we have together in between activities, work, friends, etc. is so short that it needs to be used for the details and logistics of life (schedules, activities, expectations, etc.).

But not yesterday. We had a cherished hour to workout and talk.

As you know, teenagers can sometimes be short on conversation. Questions are usually answered with one or two words, tops.

When I mentioned my yoga teacher training and the upcoming test, I said, "There are eight principles that I will be tested on tonight in class. Can I run through them with you to make sure I remember them all?"

"Sure," James said.

After each set or weights that we did, I would tell him one of the principles and explain it to him. As I mentioned the first three principles, James listened, smiled, and said, "Good job, Mom!"

When I got to the fourth principle, James started to apply the principles he was learning into a decision he was facing. Each time we stopped and I told him the next principle, he applied it to his situation. It was beautiful!

As we walked out of the gym, he said, "Mom, I've decided what I am going to do..." and then he told me his plans. Our conversation and the eight yoga principles helped to bring us together and helped him to figure it out. Yeah!

Here are the principles in case you are curious:

1. We are either here or nowhere -- stressing the importance of staying present. ALL life is lived in the present moment. As Baptiste said in the book (pp. 32-43), "'Now here' or 'nowhere.' Interesting, isn't it, how the only difference, really, is a little extra space."
2. Be in the Now and you'll know How -- When you tune into your intuition and into your body, you will find the answers you need. As Baptiste said, "The answer to 'how' is always 'be in the now.'" The answers come from the inside-out, not the other way around.
3. Growth is the most important thing there is -- if you aren't growing you are stagnant, regressing...or dying. Growth is forward movement. It is a choice. Are you growing or dying?
4. Exceed yourself to find your exceeding self -- if you keep doing what you've always done, you'll keep getting what you've always gotten. Fear is your greatest obstacle.
5. In order to heal, you need to feel -- it's important to face difficult things to get through them and begin the healing process. 
6. Think less. Be more. -- Let go of your thoughts and just allow yourself to be. Stay mindful, but not focused on specific thoughts.
7. We are the sum total of our reactions -- Things happen in life and it is our reaction to those things that creates how we experience our lives. Our quest is to widen the gap between the stimulus and the response so we are not reacting to life, but responding to it instead.
8. Let go. Try Easy. -- if we allow our thoughts to crowd in (and possibly take over), we can create tension and anxiety. By letting go, we allow flow in our lives.

I find there is a lot of wisdom in these principles...and I think James would agree...if I could just find him to ask him. He's been out with his friends ever since our deep, philosophical conversation.