Perfect Moment Monday -- Tarot Tart Farewell

The Tarts each brought me a small gift to create my own
"Boozy Booch," which is a collection of special
items to draw energy from during a time of change and transition.

The Tarot Tarts gave me a beautiful wind chime to hang
in my new home. I also received a gorgeous key ring
(thanks Cindy), some powerful stones (thanks Lydia and Suzi),
a lovely home made bracelet (thank you, Suzi), 
a personal ATC trading card (thanks to Lydia)
and a journal to document our time in PA. I am SO blessed!

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.

Last week marked the last time I'd be able to meet with my Intuition Through Tarot group (aka The Tarot Tarts) prior to moving back East.

It was bittersweet. I was sad that this was our last face-to-face meeting ('til next year), but excited to continue to meet via Skype. Our Skype meetings will be my monthly connection with my life back home.

My life is blessed by this great group of women who are drawn together energetically to connect with each other and open up, each of us feeling comfortable to be our own unique, intuitive selves.

As I opened gifts from each of the dear Tarts, I could feel the energy in each gift, knowing that one of the Tarts specifically chose this special item to give to me to help me as I continue down my path.

The thoughtfulness of each of the gifts was so apparent; the true beauty of giving not only the gift, but a piece of themselves to connect with my spirit. I was deeply touched.

I'll miss our face-to-face meetings, the hugs as I arrive and leave, the way we select the tarot cards and interpret readings for ourselves and each other...but I know that some of this we can do virtually as well.

Thank you my dear Tarts for so many things. It's hard to put it into words. But know that I appreciate everything you do for me all of the time, and for the special love and attention you have been supporting me with as I prepare to move.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

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

Intuitive Tuesday -- Ten of Wands (Reversed)

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?

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 Ten of Wands (Reversed) from the Gateway to the Divine Tarot deck by Ciro Marchetti.

I covered the Ten of Wands (Reversed) last year (and previous to that too). You can check it out here. Some key phrases from this post includes:

Today the Ten of Wands is reversed, which means that if you have been feeling stressed or pressured with your responsibilities or deadlines, you will find some relief...as though your load is getting lighter for some reason. Either you have delegated or deleted some of the things that were on your plate, OR your perspective has changed, possibly by changing your thoughts and beliefs about the situation and the role you play.

The reversed Ten of Wands may also indicate that you have been preparing for some changes in your life, possibly subconsciously, and are getting ready to more fully commit to your new direction.

This card indicates that you are getting rid of the things that have been weighing you down and are starting to feel some relief...as though you've been holding your breath and have just opened your mouth to allow the cool air to rush into your oxygen-starved lungs.

If you've been feeling overwhelmed about life, a specific project, activity or relationship, and ready to release what's been holding you down, there is a very clear message for you today. It is time to let go.

That's right. Have faith and let go. It's time.

Just this morning, I was meeting with one of my life coaching clients who has been feeling overwhelmed and was very tired of dealing with all of life's struggles. She said she tuned in to figure out how to handle each situation, but as we explored what that meant, she was THINKING her way through (in her head), rather than FEELING her way along.

I asked her to explore how she feels, but not to think about how she feels. It sounds confusing, but there is a definite difference between thinking your feelings and feeling/experiencing your feelings and THEN translating them into words.

Do you tend to THINK or FEEL your feelings?

When I asked her what she loved, and what filled her up energetically, it took her a long time to come up with something. She explained how she just wasn't overly motivated or excited about anything in her life.

We discussed how people/situation/activities were either FILLING or DRAINING for her...and how if she would re-proportion how her energy and time is spent, she could either continue to feel more drained or more fulfilled, simply by noticing and making conscious choices about her life. 

The Ten of Wands (Reversed) encourages you to do the same...AND release those things that are no longer fulfilling. Be honest. And yes, I know that some things that are DRAINING have to stay, but in those cases, look at the overall goal and know that you endure the DRAIN for the possibility and probability of GAIN.

Example: She said that changing diapers is a DRAIN, but that the overall goal of having and raising a child is worth it. Get it?

A personal example:

OK...so here's the other story behind today's Intuitive Tuesday tarot card. As I was shuffling the cards, I asked a question about a situation I've been pondering over the past several months. My question was: "What do I need to know about either continuing writing and posting Intuitive Tuesday or taking a hiatus while we transition through our move to see how things unfold?"

The Ten of Wands (reversed) immediately invited me to take a break. The description of this card in Tarot Plain and Simple, by Anthony Louis, is, "The burden is lifted. Release from stress and pressure. Shifting the load."

I asked for clarification and selected one additional tarot card and got Judgement (I know it's spelled wrong, but this is how it is spelled in the tarot deck).

The key words for Judgement were, "Rebirth, a developmental milestone, a momentous choice; the ending of a phase of life and assessment of its worth. A change of position. The end of an era. The end of a situation. A time for evaluation. Transition. A cycle is ending and you must prepare for a new stage of growth. Now is a time of major changes and improvements, a kind of re-birthing process."

My conclusion? It's time to take a hiatus from Intuitive Tuesday as I prepare to physically move to a new state. It doesn't mean that I won't write an occasional Intuitive Tuesday post or a post about our experiences, or possibly a post about my spiritual journey through tarot, yoga, parenting...and life.

There are many things to write about, but not having to write on a schedule, every week, well...it sounds very Ten of Wands (Reversed) - ish.

If you are subscribed to my blog, you'll know when new things are posted. And I encourage you to check back and see what's here. If I am to go through a transformation (which I believe my life is a huge transformation), I'm excited to see what that will look like...and I'll most likely write about it here.

What is your Ten of Wands situation, you know, the situation that may feel DRAINING? Now that you know, what are you going to do to lighten the load and FILL UP?

Intuitive Tuesday -- Five of Coins/Pentacles (Reversed)

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?

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 Five of Coins / Pentacles (Reversed) from the Gateway to the Divine Tarot deck by Ciro Marchetti.

I covered the Five of Coins (Reversed) earlier this year. You can check it out here. Some key phrases from this post includes:

The Five of Pentacles (Reversed) is a small ray of hope that no matter how bleak it looks, there is hope. It is a reminder that you are in the midst of a cycle (and only half-way through with the five). So keep moving forward, connect with your higher self and your intuitive voice, to hear what is next. Then do it.

Then listen again. Then do it. And so on. And so on.

Each time I select a tarot card looking for intuitive messages, I tune in and ponder what the deeper meaning is and how it relates to my life.

Other meanings of the Five of Coins / Pentacles (Reversed) is feeling more spiritually connected and/or possibly getting stuck in the small details of daily life. It's so easy to focus on the small stuff, possibly at the expense of losing track of the big picture.  The Five of Coins / Pentacles (Reversed) helps you (and me) to find relief.

And the very next card (knowing that this is just one stop in the cycle), the Six of Coins / Pentacles, hints at flow of money and resources -- having enough of both flowing through your own life with a desire to pass it on to others. In other words...something to look forward to.

Personal Example:

I smiled when I selected this tarot card because I relate to the Five of Coins / Pentacles (Reversed) on many levels.

I've been feeling more spiritually connected recently as I release the struggles with change and moving, and allow things to flow. In not trying to control the process, I am enjoying it much more...exponentially so. 

One of the phrases that was included in the previous post on the Five of Coins / Pentacles (Reversed) was, "Out with the old; in with the new." There's been a LOT of that going on as we prepare to move. 

Every item in our house is under scrutiny. Our stuff is either moving with us, being packed for storage, given away or thrown away. It's a tedious process, but it feels cleansing too. 

We are moving into a smaller, completely furnished house (and returning after a year), so we don't have to take it all with us...what a relief! But then again, will it feel like home without all of our stuff in it? Will it feel like "our" home?

Yes...I believe it will. Because "our" home is NOT our stuff. Our home is our family and the love we have between us. And I know that taking on this year-long adventure will draw our family closer as we embark on almost everything new...except our relationships with each other...which I believe will only deepen.

As moving day approaches, I hope my sense of adventure and flow continue....and that if/when I get flustered, I gently remember the messages from today's Intuitive Tuesday tarot card.

So the broader message for me today is LET GO of the old (stuff, behaviors, beliefs, trying to control things, etc.) that keep me stuck. Because when I do, it's a heck of a lot easier on me and on everyone around me.

How does the Five of Coins / Pentacles (Reversed) relate to your life? What do you need to let go of?

Perfect Moment Monday -- Making A-Mends

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.

Starting a Perfect Moment Monday post with the news that one of my teenage boys punched a hole in the wall out of anger is ironic at best.

Testosterone, teenage-hood and strength may not always be the best combination.

And so, one of my kids (not mentioning any names), punched a hole in the wall. For those of you with younger kids, I know you are probably shocked.

If you have or are raising teenagers, you know that this sometimes happens (even though it's not pretty).

One of my friends told me that she still has a hole in her wall from one of her sons losing his temper.  Instead of repairing it, she has simply hung a picture over it. Her intention is to show his kids someday. HA!

The consequence to my unnamed son, was to get the wall fixed. He either had to call to get an estimate, set it up and pay for it OR fix it himself (probably with hubby's help).

He was restricted from precious time with his friends until he made significant progress towards getting this done. That was incentive enough.

By himself (because handyman-hubby was out of town)...he got online and learned how to fix a hole in the wall. He searched the workbench in our garage to find the materials and tools he needed to fix the hole. AND HE DID IT ALL BY HIMSELF!!!

He was SO proud of himself. He said, "I could be a carpenter or a handy man!" And I reminded him that he could be and do anything he put his mind too (very motherly comment, I know...but true, nonetheless).

As he was spraying the texture on, I said, "See there! You even learned something," referring to the skill of dry-walling.

And he said (are you sitting down)..."Yeah, I learned not to punch a hole in the wall."

THAT was the pinnacle of the Perfect Moments!

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

Intuitive Tuesday -- Eight of Coins (Pentacles)

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?

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 Eight of Coins (Pentacles) from the Gateway to the Divine Tarot deck by Ciro Marchetti.

I have covered the Eight of Coins prior to today. You can check it those posts here and here.  Some key phrases from these posts include:

The Eight of Pentacles is referred to as the "work card." You can see from the picture, a man concentrating on paperwork, with tools and coins all around him. Pentacles/Coins deal with the material world of business, money, finances, and anything that has to do with work.

Pulling this card indicates a learning period in the area of work. Perhaps you are getting ready to take a training, expand your knowledge, or branch out to try something new. This could be a new passion or interest, or something you currently do that it is expanding into a completely new direction.

To gain a deeper understanding of each card, it is sometimes helpful to look at the tarot card just before and just after the card you have selected. This can give you an idea of how it falls in the cycle you are currently in.

The card prior to today's card is the Seven of Pentacles -- a card of slow and steady growth. This card can feel like a pause to re-evaluate your progress and wait with patience, moving forward with perseverance and persistence.

The card just after today's card is the Nine of Pentacles -- a card of realizing and appreciating the benefits of all of your hard work.

The key phrase with the Eight of Pentacles is squeezed in between the Seven and the Nine: The pause and re-evaluation period (Seven of Coins/Pentacles) is over and it's time to get back to work (Eight of Coins/Pentacles), knowing that you will soon be able to sit back and appreciate your well-deserved success (Nine of Coins/Pentacles).

A personal example:

My family is preparing for a temporary move for the next school year. My husband has been appointed to a prestigious educational program through his National Guard career. We leave in a month. YIKES!!!

Can you imagine how much time, energy and patience has gone into our preparations so far? And a lot of our preparations so far have been planning, phone calls, Internet research, a couple of trips back and forth to find housing, communicating to all of the important people (including family, employers, friends, creditors, etc.) about the move...the list goes on and on.

Even though the Army will move all of our stuff, last weekend we got a stack of packing boxes and now our attention turns towards sorting through all of the stuff we've accumulated over the past 17 years in our house (that's a lot of stuff) to take with us, leave here, giveaway and throw away. It's kind of overwhelming...but it needs to be done.

The next four weeks IS all about the Eight of Pentacles. We have a LOT of work to do.

But I also know that the Nine of Pentacles energy is just around the corner. And then the Ten of Pentacles, an end to this particular cycle (a card of material abundance, strong family ties, financial security, etc.).

If you are in the middle of a project, and know that you have made some significant strides, the message of today's Intuitive Tuesday card, the Eight of Coins (Pentacles), is to put your nose to the grindstone and get back to work.

If you still feel delay, think ahead to the Nine and Ten of Pentacles and reassure yourself that it is all worth it. Perhaps that will be enough to encourage you to move ahead. You (We) are almost there!!!

Perfect Moment Monday -- Reversed Piggy Back

Ryan giving me a piggy back ride.

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.

What is a "Reversed Piggy Back," as included  in today's Perfect Moment Monday post?

For so many years, I held, carried, toted, dragged, walked, ran, piggy-backed my three sons all over the place.

When the twins were young (barely walking), James was just a toddler himself. I remember unloading the double stroller, unloading each of the twins from his car seat and reloading him into the stroller seat, while the other two patiently waited.

James was last out of the car -- first because I had to secure his brothers first, and second because (usually) he was more patient. James would either help me push the stroller, ride on the back or walk beside us hanging onto the side of the stroller or onto a rope as we walked inside (the store, my work, the bank, post office, etc.). It was quite a procedure.

I relished the days when I could still hold one kid in each arm...two at at time.

But not any more.  Last night Ryan offered me a piggy back. Could one of my kids really lift me up?

Well...he did. And not just once or for a second, Ryan hoisted me onto his back and walked around the living room.

Hence...the "Reversed Piggy Back". Instead of me giving a piggy back to one of my kids. One of my kids was holding me!!!

It's not so amazing if you simply look at the size of Ryan and see him lift me up. What's amazing is realizing that at one time, I could hold him in one arm. In fact, being a twin, I held both him and his brother, Bryce, in my body during our pregnancy.

And now, here he was holding me...easy as pie!

Life is an amazing process...full of Perfect Moments, like this one.

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