Happy Holidays!

Civic Center
Denver, CO, 2010

I want to wish you a very
Happy Holiday season!

May you relax and
enjoy the people around you...
and find peace.

Thank you for being a part of the
Wild Women of the Universe Community.

See you next year!

Intuitive Tuesday -- The Star (Reversed)

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

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 The Star from the Aquarian Tarot Deck by David Palladini.

I have previously covered The Star (reversed) here and The Star. If you remember The Star card is a card of hope, optimism, inspiration and luck. Even in the reversed position, it retains a lot of its positive attributes.

Remember that The Star is a Major Arcana card (indicating a spiritual or life lesson). In the sequence of the Major Arcana cards, The Star follows The Tower. In a couple of my tarot decks, The Tower reminds me of watching television on the morning of 9/11 and seeing the Twin Towers in flames, breaking in half. On the cards, there are bodies flying out the windows, falling to the ground.

When I was going through my divorce, The Tower repeatedly came up in my readings. It indicates a significant change, the collapse of a structure or an old way of life. It typically causes disruption, shock and pain. The more locked into the structure, the more painful it can be experienced.

On the flip side, The Tower (even though painful and shocking), can also be liberating. I found some of my biggest intuitive and spiritual growth as I picked up the pieces and moved through my divorce. Perhaps you have experienced something similar in your life either with a relationship, a career, etc.

The Star is that glimmer of hope that you see or feel or long for as the dust settles. Perhaps in the case of 9/11, The Star was the way people pulled together to help, donate and pray, not only for the loved ones lost, but for our nation and for mankind as a whole.

The Star is also quite prevalent during the holiday season. The story of the first Christmas tells of the wise men and the shepherds following the star that led them to the beautiful nativity scene. No matter what your religious beliefs are, I am referring to The Star in the story being a sign of hope.

Pulling The Star for today's Intuitive Tuesday is a sign of hope...beginning with you. Hope for you, your family, your community, our world.

It reminds me of when I was growing up. I LOVED our Christmas Eve service. Still do. We'd sing familiar carols, hear the story of Jesus' birth, and end the service by singing Silent Night.

Each person was given an unlit candle as he or she walked into the service. When it was time for Silent Night, the pastors would light their candles from the eternal flame of the altar candle. The lights would dim, and the flame would be passed one candle at a time until the church was glowing -- all while we were singing one of the most beautiful hymns, Silent Night.

I feel like The Star is just like the candle lighting. It begins with me and moves out to others, spreading its hopeful light.

This season (and from here forward), may we each recognize, internalize, integrate, and radiate the energy of The Star starting right now, beginning with me, with his breath, extending to you and others. Just like scattered points of candle lights growing into a beautiful glow...by beginning with me...I can make a difference.

The Star. Amen.

Perfect Moment Monday -- Snickerdoodles

Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WriteMindOpenHeart.com According to Lavender Luz, "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.

Who could look at a plate of Snickerdoodles and NOT have a Perfect Moment???

Last week I went to my Intuition Through Tarot group and our hostess, Suzi, had made the most beautiful looking (and delicious) Snickerdoodle cookies.

Suzi's entire house was completely decorated for the holidays. I am constantly amazed at her enthusiasm for the holidays and for life! She is a pleasure to be around and such a wonderfully intuitive woman.

Our meeting included lots of sharing, intuitive hits, support and love...and M&M's, Snickerdoodles, chocolate covered almonds, mints, coffee, etc. We decided that we'd combine our intuitive powers to make all of the sweets calorie-free. Perfect!

Kind of makes you want to join our group, doesn't it? Hanging out with intuitive women, lots of calorie-free tasty treats. What could be better?

Thanks, Suzi, for a wonderful Perfect Moment!

Wishing for a Child -- A Conception Blessing

One of my close friends, Tina, has been trying to get pregnant for several months...after enduring the loss of a miscarriage. 

Since I haven't gone through these situations myself, I can only imagine what she is experiencing, but I would anticipate that in addition to the loss and frustration of not being able to get pregnant, there may also be a sense of being alone, and possibly continually asking the question, "Why?" Of which there may not ever be an adequate response.

Last weekend I got an intuitive hit to pull together a tarot spread and an affirmation to help open the energy for my friend to conceive. Since other people (and some WW readers) are dealing with infertility, I wanted to share this with you here.

For my friend, Tina, I'd like to select a couple of tarot cards and provide an affirmation to use as you move through this waiting time.  I referenced Renee's book to create this spread, but also personalized this message for Tina.

The cards I pulled are The Sun, the Three of Cups, The Empress, The Emperor, the Ace of Wands and The World.

• The Sun is a card of opportunity, success, joy and fulfillment. This covers you, your husband and your family. 
• The Three of Cups, which is about coming together for celebrating and enjoying good times. It can also symbolize conception, gestation, pregnancy and birth. 
• The Empress (and click here) and  Emperor are the archetypal parental symbols in the deck. The Empress symbolizes powerful female energy, motherhood and fertility. 
• The Emperor is the most powerful male energy in the deck and complements the Empress as they are father and mother, husband and wife.
•  The Ace of Wands symbolizes birth, new life, virility, procreation, success in a new venture and sexual passion.
• The energy of The World supports you and your family.This is a card of attainment, harmony, fulfillment and a culmination of your efforts.

To use these cards to summons this energy, sort through your tarot deck (or use the graphic provided above) and layout the cards mentioned above. Feel free to substitute cards that you feel more accurately represent you and your situation.

Layout the selected cards and ground yourself by closing your eyes and taking ten deep breaths. Then open your eyes and say the following affirmation (again know that you can change the words in the affirmation to personalize it to fit your situation. The more personal this feels, the more powerful it will be).

The affirmation I have written includes:

I/we layout these cards to make my/our
intentions known to the universe.

I/we ask for divine guidance and assistance
in summonsing this energy.

My/our intention is to conceive a healthy child
to welcome into my/our life/lives.

Please help bring this about in perfect timing
and give me/us the patience and
faith to wait, knowing that all is in divine order...
even if at times it doesn't make sense
to my/our human mind(s).

I/we open my/our heart(s) to Your divine guidance
through this process.

And know that there is complete order in the universe.

And so it is...Amen.

May you find peace in your heart as you layout your cards and repeat this affirmation.

Intuitive Tuesday -- Four of Rods

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

Today I pulled a card from my very first deck of Tarot cards, The Aquarian Deck, by David Palladini. I originally used this deck for all of my readings, but about a year ago, I made it into my own personal tarot deck.

Recently, I purchased another Aquarian Deck to use with my friends and clients. It is such a familiar deck to me and I'm sure it will bring guidance, support and comfort to the people who select this deck for our tarot readings.

I have already written about the Four of Rods (Wands) here, and noticed a key phrase from that post:

There is a peaceful, happy feel to this card. It predicts the coming of happiness and the ability to enjoy life. Potential celebrations might include marriages, adoptions, graduations, awards ceremonies, promotions and other important, positive life-changing events. It can also indicate improved family relations and peaceful times in your home.

Being the holiday season, you may be spending time with your first family (the family you grew up with). Depending on how you get along with your family, this can be a picture perfect reunion...or it can stir up anxiousness and dread (or anywhere in between).

I recently read an article in the November 2010 issue of Yoga Journal (page 55-61) called "Branching Out: Going home for the holidays can mean getting stuck in old family patterns -- or growing into something new."

In this article (which I was unable to find online), the author, Sally Kempton, talks about the dynamics that can arise as you visit with your family over the holidays. It begins with the line, "If you think you are enlightened, go visit your family."

Later Kempton said, "Memories, rivalries, and disappointments are only a piece of it. More basic is the forced encounter with parts of yourself that you thought you outgrew years ago, and the equally insidious confrontation with the ideas that family members have about who you are."

Kempton describes how easy it is to fall back into those old familiar roles (or be seen in the old roles), even if in your everyday life, you have outgrown these roles...but for some reason, just going back in your familiar (root word = family) setting and BOOM, you are 9 years old again and are known for being selfish or eating too much, or being seen as the "baby," etc.

Seeing the bigger picture may help as well. Kempton says, "No matter how different you may be from the rest of your family, you were born into this particular configuration of souls for a reason...At the very least, being with your family is a powerful spur to self-understanding."

In the article, Kempton suggests to people who have problems with their extended family to use time with them as a training opportunity. "Maybe you are training yourself to notice your own emotional triggers. Maybe you're training in compassion or in letting go of resentment."

I am excited about spending  time with my family for the holidays and even so, I found some great information in this article. What I found particularly useful was the way yoga lessons were folded into the perspective of family time as an opportunity for growth.

For example, she mentioned the yoga lesson of Seva (selfless service or karma yoga), and how it might be a great thing to focus on. Instead of getting caught up in old dynamics and possibly becoming frustrated, maybe you focus on service instead (cleaning up the dishes after family meals, wrapping presents, helping unload the car, etc.).

Kempton gives several other examples of how you can be mindful about being with your family and see it as a learning opportunity instead of a potential source of frustration.

If you get a chance to read this article, it is well worth it. Integrating Kempton's ideas may help bring out the Four of Rods (Wands) energy this holiday season so that you are focusing on your growth while being present for your family.

Remember to step into the perspective of seeing this as a training ground and a way to practice. And as my father said/says, "Perfect practice makes perfect."

Go forth and have fun while you practice with and enjoy your family this holiday season. Remember...it's an opportunity for growth.

Perfect Moment Monday -- Holidays Are About Memories

Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WriteMindOpenHeart.com According to Lavender Luz, "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.

In my Perfect Moment Monday post a couple of weeks ago, I mentioned that I had a series of Perfect Moments over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend. Here is yet another...

This year my parents decided that instead of giving gifts to us, they'd rather spend the money, time and energy to create memories. That, in itself, is Perfect...because we don't need anything and we all really enjoy spending time together.

On Saturday night, we all climbed into a bus/limo to drive around Denver and see the holiday lights. Our teenage sons teased about us being on the "short" bus...but it was very relaxing to sit, look out the windows, see the lights, and enjoy each others company.

The bus driver, Steve, had taken the time to decorate the inside of the bus and provided soft drinks and candy canes.

He took us to downtown Denver to see Civic Center and the 16th Street mall...complete with horse-drawn carriages, holiday lights and an ice-skating rink.

After several hours of laughter and fun, we hopped off the bus, knowing that we had all just received the Perfect gift...being together.

I am extremely grateful for my family and our special time together.

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

Intuitive Tuesday -- Six of Wands

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

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 the Six of Wands (Rods) from the Gateway to the Divine Tarot deck by Ciro Marchetti.

This is a card of victory. On the card you'll notice a person riding into town on a prancing horse. He is home from the battle of the Five of Wands (Rods) and is celebrating his success. Yeah!

I could stop there because that is so positive...But wait, there's more!!!

From the book, Heart of the Tarot: The Two-card Layout: Easy, Fast and Insightful, by Thomson, Mueller and Echols, the Six of Rods is a card of doing well and getting recognition for which you've been striving. You are overcoming adversity and may be experiencing another successful accomplishment. 

Now is a time for celebration and receiving accolades.  This is a time to put your ideas into the best possible use. It's time to find an ongoing, constructive use of your abilities. You are able to influence others as well as inspire them to follow you.

There is a huge likelihood of success -- either in something you have already done (and will receive recognition for) or will do. This card reflects appreciation, possibly vindication, good news, fulfillment, reward, promotion.

A personal example...

Friday morning as Ryan (one of my 13-year old sons) walked out the door, he reminded me about his recent selection as the Student of the Week. The Six of Wands represents not only his feelings about his accomplishments, but also my proud feelings as his mother and perhaps the appreciation and recognition from his teachers and fellow students who selected him for this award.

If you are experiencing the Six of Rods energy in your life, bask in it. Take it all in. Most times we don't give ourselves enough credit (or may not get recognized when credit is due).

If you have read all through this post and think, "I wish I could feel that way again..." then DO. Here are a couple of ideas on how to do it:

• Remember the last time you felt the Six of Rods sense of accomplishment and reward and fully embrace your feelings. The more you can step into that energy, the more you attract it back to you.
• Project it out to others to help bring that energy to you. Compliment your spouse, friend or child on something today that maybe you wouldn't normally mention. Remember the idea of karma -- what comes around, goes around. 
• Take something that seems mundane (for me it's laundry), and find a sense of accomplishment and victory in completing that task. (Note: The term "complete laundry" may be an oxymoron...can you really "complete" laundry?)

Remember that you can choose to feel this sense of accomplishment and victory at any time.

Today -- purposely generate the Six of Wands energy for yourself and others and see what happens!

Perfect Moment Monday -- Hallelujah!

Each week I participate in Perfect Moment Monday, sponsored by the blog, WriteMindOpenHeart.com According to Lavender Luz, "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 good friend, and Wild Women of the Universe reader, Laura, sent me a link to this wonderful video. I clicked on it and turned to take care of something else while it loaded.



I glanced at the mall scene as the video started and found myself captivated by the scene. I love the music from Handel's Messiah because it's SO moving. What also fascinated me was that this mall food court looks A LOT like the one at our mall (and probably every other in the U.S.), but I could almost imagine it happening here and witnessing it myself.

I enjoyed watching the (somewhat staged) spontaneity of the crowd, and loved watching what must have been the everyday people enjoying this outburst of music.

This reminds me of the flash mob dance that was featured on my sister's blog, www.writemindopenheart.com of the Oprah Winfrey show featuring the Black Eyed Peas, with a flash mob scene of the song, "I've Gotta Feeling." Check it out here.

EVERY time I watch this video I get tears in my eyes and feel so motivated. There is so much collective energy!

I gotta a feeling that it will be the same with the Hallelujah video.

Just think what would happen if we could coordinate our energy more often for positive purposes?

We could change the world!

I hope you take five minutes to watch and enjoy this video and feel inspired.

Thanks to Laura for sending it to me. It was PERFECT!

Happy Holidays...and may you get caught in a flash mob scene like this during one of your trips to the mall!

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

Love It And Let It Go -- The Tarot Reading

In my previous post, I told you the story about one of my clients, Lynne, who just completed her first book. After submitting several book proposals and query letters, she requested a tarot reading. After giving you the details to Lynne's story, I asked readers to provide any intuitive insights you have that might be helpful for Lynne.

Lynne's Reading:
Here is the email I sent back to Lynne which talks about which tarot card(s) I selected and how I interpreted them. See if your intuitive hits matched mine...

Dear Lynne,

I asked the questions you sent me and felt a flowing feeling, which I interpreted to mean that the book is well on its way. All you have to do now is continue to lovingly guide it on its journey. That is...allow it to flow forward without becoming emotionally attached to it...but still loving it and the process.

You have created this idea and it is now time to let it go and become what it is supposed to be and reach the people it's supposed to reach. Your job now is to escort it along its path and facilitate its journey.

Then I shuffled the cards and pulled the Queen of Cups.  According to the book Tarot Wisdom: Spiritual Teachings and Deeper Meanings by Rachel Pollack, the Queen of Cups signifies, "being intense and deeply committed to her path, which we might call the creative path of love...she sees but also acts, and her activity feeds her dream...she blends intense feeling with manifestation." 

The keywords are: "intensity, dedication, love, someone who blends feeling with action. She may represent a creative artist or creativity itself...a sense of protection in some difficult situation."

The Queen of Cups symbolizes a very motherly, loving and nurturing energy. It also calls you to tap into your own intuitive voice. If you ever feel confused, simply tap in and follow your intuition, even if it doesn't make complete sense. This is part of your journey -- listening, trusting and acting.

You can read about this card on my blog: here (tapping in to your emotions -- but not getting hooked), here (nurturing yourself) and here (nurturing yourself and others and about using (yours or others') intuition to help you move forward .  

I asked for any other clarification on your questions and pulled the:

• Knight of Coins (reversed)
• Knight of Cups (reversed)
• 8 of Wands

Since knights symbolize change, new people and experiences entering your life, news, courage, etc. I interpreted that after two rejections (since the cards were reversed), things will begin to move really quickly (8 of Wands).

Hopefully this gives you some insight into your questions. 

Let me know if you have questions or further insights.

Lynne's Response:

That's about as good a reading on this as I could get, I think. Thank you for this. I am pleased with how well I've done my part and then let go. And keep doing my part (sending out more) and letting go. It's quite the yin/yang dance.

Don't you think I handled the reversed Knights well? I didn't take it personally, on a deep level. Instead of a rejection of my book or of me (which I may have interpreted in past years) I took it as a "this isn't the best path so I'm closing it off for you. Love, the Universe."  I'm breathing through the 8 of wands. I do feel it coming.

Do you have your Intuitive Tuesday readings categorized and on a spreadsheet by topic? Impressive. 

A special thanks to Lynne for allowing me to share her story and her intuitive reading.

Love It And Let It Go

I recently did an email tarot reading for one of my clients, Lynne. I asked for her permission to share the reading with the blog readers of the Wild Women of the Universe. Here is her story and the tarot reading I gave to her. Perhaps you can relate to these insights for a project you are working on and possibly struggling with...

My client, Lynne, first talked to me about her project over two years ago. She was in the midst of researching and writing a book on something that Lynne had first-hand experience with and a lot of passion about.

We've kept in touch throughout the project and when Lynne would lose steam or inspiration or needed guidance or support, she would contact me and ask for a reading.

Usually the readings didn't uncover anything that Lynne didn't already know, but having the confirmation of the cards and my intuition gave her more confidence and certainty.

After months of disciplined writing, taking some time off, and then writing again (and again and again), editing, sending out for comments from close friends and advisers, Lynne finally completed her book proposal.

She took a sigh of relief knowing her work was done. The important thoughts that she felt needed to be transcribed, the beautiful stream of information from both her heart and her head, was neatly saved on her computer. Ah....

But could she really relax? Was her work truly done?

Perhaps her thoughts were on paper, but unless other people could read her work, it would simply be 550+ kilobytes of information trapped on her computer.

Lynne realized that getting her work into the hands of a literary agent and/or publisher was the next step...and it didn't happen easily or automatically. Finally, she had her query letter ready and sent out the initial proposals to a handful of prospective agents and publishers.  And then she waited...

Lynne recently emailed me a couple of questions and asked me for a tarot reading. Her questions had to do with the book proposals she had recently sent out, after month/years of lovingly writing her book.

Lynne's Email Request:

A request for a full proposal came yesterday from two of my sister's colleagues.  Their request and my response is below.

So. My questions are: What is the state of my book, and, what do I need to know to help it manifest?

I sat down with my tarot cards, focused on her questions and shuffled the deck.

Before I provide the card(s) I selected and the intuitive insights I received, I'll give you a chance to tap in and give your impressions, maybe pull some cards, and/or otherwise support Lynne and help her find answers to her questions.

Even if you think, "I don't have an intuitive bone in my body..." you have probably already received some thoughts, feelings and insights that would be helpful for Lynne. If you are so moved, take a few moments to give Lynne some of your intuitive feedback. I'm sure she'd love to hear from you.

Then tune in Saturday to find out what card(s) I selected for her and what messages I received.