Seasonal Reflections and Special Offers

The winter season brings strong winds to blow leaves from trees.  Plants die back and the land rests.  The essential shape of the landscape is revealed; we see sky and distant mountains clearly.  What is ready to be revealed in your life?  What needs rest and renewal in your life?

The dark descends.  Out of these long nights, all traditions have created celebrations of light where rituals with friends and families are enacted and stories told of ancestors and wisdom teachers.    These remind us that the light will return.  Do you have or need to create rituals to dwell in the dark while remembering the light?  Are you ready to gather with friends and family?  Or are there relationships that need special attention or repair?  What stories would you like to tell in this season … of your life … your community … your country?

The holiday of the New Year is a chance to start anew.  Ancient cultures gave us the gift of looking at the new year as a time when creation can begin again, when the new year offers the possibility of ushering in a whole new era.  Our calendar year’s start of the year in January offers a quiet time for reflection, dreaming, planning, and putting in place what is needed for a positive and productive year ahead.  What are the seeds that you would like to plan for the new year?  What are your dreams and visions for the coming year, for the next 5 years, for the next 25 years?

 To mark the season, I am offering the following packages at very special rates:

Family Trigger Buster:  Does being with certain family or friends during the holidays drive you crazy?  Families and people we’ve been with a long time can set off unconscious actions on our part, often leaving everybody feeling badly.  Working with the cards, you can better understand your patterns/triggers, imagine new possibilities, and identify supports for acting differently.  In December, I have 3 one hour sessions to focus on your relationship with one person for the special rate of $42.  If you need to look at a whole web of relationships, a longer consultation is necessary and I have 3 sessions of sixty to ninety minutes available for the special rate in December only of $75

Beyond Resolutions – New Year’s Visioning and Planning That Sticks:  Focus your consultation of 75 to 90 minutes on visioning for and gaining insight into the dynamics of the coming year, or have me guide you through a 5 year visioning process.  I have 6 slots for this work in January for the special price of $70 (a $15 savings from my regular fee for these in depth consultations).  Add 3 follow up check-ins (monthly or quarterly) for $120 pre-paid (a savings of $30).

Stepping Out of the Seasonal Frenzy to Finding Meaning in the Holidays:  Do you have a question about how rituals of the season or in general can connect to or deepen your spirituality?  A focused session of 45 to 60 minutes can help you explore this topic.  I have 4 slots for this work in December for the special price of $42.

See more about how I work and my usual offerings and rates here.

As always, gift certificates are available.

Paradoxes of Change: Memory & The High Priestess

Preparing for a recent Tarot meditation, I delightedly explored a new aspect of the High Priestess.  I am constantly amazed how the meaning of the cards is revealed afresh to me despite the fifteen or so years that I have studied the Tarot.  This time my attention was drawn to the High Priestess’ connection to deep memory through Rachel Pollack’s writing in her book on the Haindl Tarot about the High Priestess’ correspondence to the Hebrew letter Gimel:

 “The Hebrew letter for this card, Gimel, means “Camel,” the animal we see crouched at the the woman’s legs (in the Handel High Priestess card).  A symbol for timelessness and patience, the camel, which carries its own liquid as it crosses the dessert, links the elements Water and Earth.  But the camel (on the card) is filled with light, radiating upward, reminding us of truth found in animal instincts.  The camel looks away into the past.  The images and myths implied in this card belong to humanity’s most ancient memories” (p. 31).

 The High Priestess is the conveyor of deep memory along with deep mystery.  But what does this really mean?  Certainly this includes wisdom passed by our ancestors through books and scrolls like the High Priestess holds in so many pictures as well as through the oral tradition.  But I have also been reading lots of material on the new cosmology which weaves together science and spirituality.  In Brian Swimme and Thomas Berry’s The Universe Story, they move through time from the Big Bang to the present day.  They describe the birth of the earth and tell the story of the first living cell, who they name Aries.  Aries is our first ancestor and we’ve been drawing on his life generating forces since his birth from a lightening strike.  As Swimme and Barry write, memory is what connects Aries to us:

 “Cellular memory powers all of life, for nothing is more important to a living being than memory of the past. …  For four billon years the prokaryotic organisms have been remembering the composition at the beginning.  Most impressive of all their feats of memory is to remember how they were created.  They display this memory every time they create another version of themselves.  These cells have the power to revivify that sequence of events that brought them to life” (p. 87).

 This memory continues creation, but not in a constant, stagnant way.  The memory of the basics of creation allow for the innovation of change.  From that first cell, life has evolved to include incredible complexity of organisms and ecologies. 

 This is the deep memory and wisdom of the High Priestess.  And this is what makes her, paradoxically, a key part of any change process.  She carries forward the necessary foundations of life, inspiration, tradition upon and out of which the new will be created. 

 Questions for a High Priestess spread drawn from these ideas would be:

• What do I need to honor and bring from the past into the future?
• How am I being supported by a particular tradition (or the fabric of creation…) right now?
• How can I receive the deep wisdom of the universe right now?
• How does my past shape my future?
• How can I cooperate with my own life-generating cellular memory to make change?

Awe, Children and the Pages

A child’s world is fresh and new and beautiful, full of wonder and excitement. It is our misfortune that for most of us that clear-eyed vision, that true instinct for what’s beautiful and awe-inspiring, is dimmed and even lost before we reach adulthood.” Rachel Carson, The Sense of Wonder, 1965.

These are the Days of Awe in the Jewish year, and perhaps that is influencing the multiple ways that awe and children’s ability to touch it has been coming into my awareness these past days. Last Saturday, I played a game of peek-a-boo with a two year old amidst late fall flowers. Her face was like an ever opening flower.

Then a couple of days ago, my friend Emily send me an e-mail about how the world famous violinist Joshua Bell – who performs at concerts sold out at a $100 a seat – went to a subway station wearing a T-shirt and baseball cap to play. A video recorded his performance and people’s reactions to it. Some people tossed him coins. One man stopped to listen for a few moments, but ran off after glancing at his watch. A 3 year-old boy stopped in his tracks, but his mother urged him on. She finally had to drag him away. Other children who went by tried to stop and listen, but were pulled away by adults. Only the children seemed to sense that some thing special was being offered them. They were in touch with that sense of awe that Carson talks about.

Last night, another friend told me about taking her four year old daughter Maya to her new pre-school’s picnic. Maya loves her new school and has made a special friend that she keeps talking about. Driving into the parking lot, she saw her friend also being driven in by her parents. They both pressed their faces against the glass and then jumped out of the cars to greet each other, take hands, and run together to the playground. Their ability to let their unlimited delight in each other show is inspiring and something that gets tamped down in us as we grow. This no doubt comes from our disappointments in relationships and their imperfections.

But awe can be stirred up in us, and the Pages, the youngest members of the Tarot Court can point the way. Although we think of them as the most inexperienced or even developed of the Court Cards, their fresh eyes and ability to be in awe have an amazing power, especially needed in times of transition and change.  (The images below are from the beautiful Gaian Tarot where creator Joanna Powell Colbert did reconceptualize the Pages as children and you can get a bigger view of them here.

The Page of Wands is in awe of, and gives attention to, the power of fire. This child invites you to embrace your creativity, enthusiasm, and self-growth. Drawing on the masculine energy of fire, this Page wants to see action and has the courage to try something new, shouting, “Go ahead and do something today to make your dreams real!”

 

 

The Page of Cups is in awe of, and gives attention to the power of water. This child invites you to embrace your emotions, bask in your imagination, and connect yourself deeply to others. This child invites you to go with the flow of your emotions and inner messages (perhaps intuitive or psychic) as well as to move toward where there is love in your life. Drawing on the feminine energy of water, this Page wants you to be receptive to what is and accept the responses that come from the heart and the unconscious.

 

The Page of Swords is in awe of, and gives attention to the power of air. This child invites you to embrace ideas, to explore them with your mind, and to fearlessly communicate your findings. This child invites you to learn, looking at all perspectives, and then synthesizing your findings to share with others. Drawing on the masculine energy of air, this Page wants to share discoveries with others and seeks to contribute to greater understanding and justice in the world.

 

The Page of Pentacles is in awe of, and gives attention to the power of earth. This child invites you to embrace the world around you and focus on what is in front of you. This child invites you to be in the present moment and trust that you will be provided for. Drawing on the feminine energy of earth, this Page is open to receive what is being offered and grateful for the small gifts of everyday life.

 

The other night I heard religious scholar Karen Armstrong on NPR’s Fresh Air. She was talking about how when religions were coming into being, people were using words like God to point beyond what could be named, and toward “the silent awe” of the Unnamable Mystery. Perhaps these children of the Tarot model for us how to move toward that Mystery. Perhaps they are the wisest people in the entire deck.

Rachel Pollack’s Tarot Blessings

As so many of you know, Rachel Pollack, Tarot Wisdom Woman, is my greatest Tarot inspiration and this morning she has a wonderful post on her (newly active) blog about Blessings in the Jewish Tradition.  She then ends with wonderful blessings for each of Marjor Arcana cards.  Here is the one for the World inspired by the Shining Woman from her deck:

 

Blessed are you, Dancer of Wisdom, who reveals our true home.

First Tarot Meditation Session at Awen Tree

“Meditation is stopping, calming, and looking deeply.”  Thich Nhat Hanh

 Buddhist teacher and peace activist Thich Nhat Hanh has wonderfully simple ways of getting to the heart of spiritual concepts.  Still, there are a range of meditation practices and outcomes.  Matthew Fox, theologian of Creation Spirituality, looks at meditation across traditions and sorts approaches into two categories:  the emptying kind and the filling kind.  Although the immediate picture that may come to mind when thinking about meditation is sitting cross legged and emptying the mind of thought, there are also approaches involving guided visualizations and the imagination.  I believe that a powerful practice is to combine both approaches, which is what we did at the first Tarot Meditation group at Awen Tree this past Monday.

 We began by shaking off the day the distractions of the day and did some deep breathing.  We imagined connecting ourselves to earth and drawing up that energy to balance our bodies’ energy centers known as chakras.  We opened ourselves up to the energy of the universe, and then imagined walking into a Major Arcana card that we had selected before the meditation began.  We engaged with the figures in the card and left with a gift of wisdom to better understand the deep meaning of the card and our own lives.

 After our journeys, we briefly shared some of the wisdom learned, and I walked away with new insight into the meaning of three cards:

 

The Star really is a representative of the whole celestial realm.  She is a multitude rather than singular and always there to support us in our healing.  We just need to open our eyes to see what is available to us and tap into these resources.  Humans once had a stronger connection to the Star and we just need to open ourselves back up to this light.  The Star demands no effort of us, just openness.

 

 

 I am looking at The Fool in a new way as a warrior of the heart.  In some places, it is seen as foolish to lead with your heart, but The Fool is fierce with a playful appearance in pursuit of the demands of the heart.

 

 

 

The High Priestess is offering her wisdom to us, always and without condition.  There is a tear in her backdrop and this wound or imperfection is a way to enter into and accept her invitation. 

 

 

 

It was a rich night of learning with ease and openess.  Thanks to those who came out for this first session.  These will be happening monthly on the second Monday of the month.

Change Model: Transitions and the Hanged Man

There are a number of change models that I find inspiring.  Each one offers unique insights into different types of changes we as individuals and groups go through.  I’ll be blogging about a number of them.  Today, we’ll look at Bridges’ Transition Model.

William Bridges, English professor turned psychologist and change process consultant, has written on transitions for individuals and organizations.  He lays out a change process that includes letting go of the old and creating a picture of the new.  Creating the new does not happen immediately so for a while those in the process of change are in the “neutral zone,” and, according to Bridges, this is where the psychological adjustment to the change takes place.  

Bridges says that the neutral zone is both a dangerous and an opportune place where the old is released and new habits begin to take hold.  He cautions that change makers who try to escape prematurely from the neutral zone will fail or fall short in creating the new.  This concept calls to mind the Tarot’s Hanged Man who appears almost in a state of suspended animation.  He is looking at the world from a new perspective, surrendering to his highest purpose, figuring out what truly supports him, and making a transition to death (the next card to come) and transformation.  (The image to the left is from the World Spirit Tarot.  One of my favorites to use with people and avaialbe from Llewellyn.)

This model inspired me to create a Tarot spread for how to work with the neutral zone.

Releasing the Old

Card One:  What do I need to give up?

Working in the Neutral Zone

Card Two:  What is the challenge of the neutral zone (i.e. before the change is finished) for me?

Card Three:  How can I work with this challenge?

Card Four:  What is the gift of the neutral zone for me?

Card Five:  How can I embrace this gift?

Moving Toward the New

Card Six:  What might be coming next for me in the process of change?

Change and the Unknown

Mary Greer has an interesting post on her blog about a 1935 deck and one of the Tarot spreads included in the little instruction book accompanying the deck.  The spread uses 13 cards, but you only turn over 5 of the cards.  The rest must remain facedown; you never see them.  In the comments, Mary and her readers discuss why this might be so and connect it to the importance of ritual in shuffling, selecting, and laying out the cards for creating the appropriate mind set for receiving the wisdom of the cards.

 I am intrigued with this use of unseen cards because it reflects how change unfolds in our lives.  We can’t always know what change will bring.  Even with careful planning, we can’t know everything that will unfold.  A layout on a question of change where some of the cards remain unseen is a symbolic reminder of that reality. 

 This also makes me think of questions that could be added on for further exploration of the unseen in the spread such as:

• How can I manage my anxiety about what I don’t know about this change?
• How can I prepare for unforeseen challenges that might arise?
• How can I be open to unforeseen opportunities that might arise?

So what other questions might there be about factors in a change process that you can not yet see?

The Moon and Cycles of Change

At last week’s Tarot Playgroup we explored the Moon card (#18) through looking at the meanings ascribed to the card over time, taking a meditative journey into the card, and, as always, reading for each other.

From my time spent with this card, I took away a new understanding of what the Moon offers us in thinking about change and the cycles of life.  The moon cycles of waxing and waning, light and dark are more subtitle markers of change in our lives than days or even a year.  A day (presided over by the Sun card, #19) with its quick passage allows us to look back easily and reflect on what happened, and a year (that can be connected to the Wheel, #10), while lacking the details of the daily, offers us markers of seasons and holidays as guideposts to see patterns of change in our lives and the world.

But a moon cycle – or lunation – requires a different type of attention.  In our modern lives, we can live in our well lighted houses barely noticing the moon.  But reflections on the 28 days of a moon cycle or a month can be revealing.  I use a planner, the Sacred Journey Journal, that has a space for reflection and the end of the month and I have been surprised at how much happens in a month:  often there are dramatic ups and downs, progress and set backs, numerous amazing events all crammed into a short period of time.  To pay attention to this passage of time constructs memory in a different way.  We can note more of the waxing and dark times of life along with what was clearly seen in the light.  Deep memory dwells in the cycles of the moon.

Our Listening to the Moon reading was based on the 4 main phases of the moon.  It could be used as a general reading or tied to a specific topic that you want to explore.  Here are the questions:

#1:  What is waning / passing away (in my life in general or in regard to my intuition or …)?

#2:  What is hidden from me right now (in my life in general or in regard to my intuition or …)?

#3:  What is waxing / growing stronger (in my life in general or in regard to my intuition or …)?

#4:  What is full of light and inspiring (in my life in general or in regard to my intuition or …)?

Someone brought the Anna K Tarot deck to the Playgroup and it was fabulous to see!  The World card actually contains a beautiful picture representing the moon cycles and it is here for your enjoyment.  Be sure to visit Anna K’s site to see more.

Imagination, changing the impossible, and Robert Desnos

A number of times at a recent Tarot happening, The Readers Studio, I had occasion to tell the story of Robert Desnos, the French surrealist poet, who in the 1940s was arrested by the Nazis for his work with the Resistance.  One day in the concentration camp, he was loaded with a bunch of men into the truck that went out each day but from which no one ever returned as its destination was the gas chambers. Both guards and prisoners were silent.  Death was inevitable.  But when the men were being loaded off the truck, Robert Desnos grabbed the hand of one man and read his palm.  Using the stream of consciousness gift of a surrealist poet (because I don’t believe he was a palm reader), he began to tell the man of his long life and the children to come.  He read other palms showing great futures for his fellow prisoners and the guards began to wonder.  They packed everyone back on the truck and these men survived the day.

I remember vividly reading that story in an Utne Reader article sitting in the Lilly Library on a warm day.  It gave me goose bumps so I vividly and bodily remember the moment.  Of course, I couldn’t remember the year!  But through the great labyrinth of knowledge that is the Internet I found that Susan Griffin had written it and an on-line version of the article can be found at http://thetyee.ca/Citizentoolkit/2004/11/15/CanImagSaveUs/ .

Re-reading the whole article reminded me of Griffin’s main point, that the imagination has the power to make change.  The story Desnos told from his imagination shifted consciousness and allowed people to question what was inevitable.  He transformed the group’s beliefs and their futures shifted.

But can just anyone do that?  Wasn’t he a specially gifted person? Perhaps, but I think that what he really had going for him was practice.  The surrealist poets would give performances of their stream of consciousness poetry and Desnos was especially adept in his performances.  Reading palms – whether he actually was training in this or not – came easy as his consciousness shifting muscles were limber and strong.

And this is where tarot cards can help us.  Over and over this past weekend, the presenters lead us into the imagination.  We looked deeply into one card to see how it showed us past, present, and future through images all on that one card (lead by Geraldine Amaral); we picked a central teacher or DNA card and then entered it to see and hear what advice a figure in it had to give us (under the guidance of James Wanless), and we took on personas of exotic fortune tellers with mysterious origins to free our voices of prediction (with the always imaginative Rachel Pollack). I think Robert Desnos would have jumped right into this last activity!

We can be as imaginative as Desnos with a little working out and tarot practice is a tool to help with this.  We need this imagination to move forward out of these times into a positive future.  Our major institutions of finance, government, industry, media, and religion are breaking apart.  We can put band aids on them, but the deeper underlying problems will remain and the fix won’t last long.  We must work hard at imagining this new world.  Time is of the essence.

Before I close, I must note that time ran out for Robert Desnos.  He died of typhus a few days of the liberation of his camp.  The larger circumstances of his life closed in on him.  But what of the other men?  Surely some survived and perhaps inspired by their palm readings believed they could have a better life, find love, have children.  This “cheap fortune telling” gave them hope and changed their lives.

Mary Greer has written about the value of hope and tarot readings on her blog at http://marygreer.wordpress.com/2008/11/24/guidance-in-the-economic-downturn/ and I think she might write something on this as well.  Always good to check out what Mary is writing.

Quotes on change & growth

We can connect with our own birthing and dying – not as two discrete happenings which will mark the beginning and ending of a linear experience called life, but rather as two ever present aspects of a continuous process whose revolutions stretch forth into infinity.  Sallie Nichols, Jung and Tarot:  An Archytipcal Journey

You take chances in life and you may lose.  But how else do you win? Sometimes you have to take a risk to break free of a closed belief system, or to experience a world bigger and more wonderous than the one you were taught.  Rachel Pollack, The Forest of Souls

To accept growth and change in oneself is also a kind of departure, a leaving behind of the safe and the known.  Sometimes we realize the poignancy of our loss only after the fact, but there is no returning home.  Margaret Guenther, Holy Listening