Pick Three: Homework Set 2.5

Very simple assignment. Look through all your cards, and without necessarily looking for the names or meanings, pick 3 that call to you.

I looked through each card in the deck, setting aside all the ones that called to me in a pinch. Then from there, I looked through the actual photos, trying not to look at the name, and picked again until I got my three.

In the end, I actually ended up with four.

And they are........*drumroll*

VII The Chariot "Enjoy the Ride"
XIV Temperance "Love Transforms You"
8 of Pentacles "Apprenticeship"
II The Witch (High Priestess in more traditional decks) "Intuition will Reveal"

  

Now, The Witch was the cutoff. It was going to be just the three above her, but something was telling me not to put her away just yet.

Weirdly enough, I rarely pull any of these cards. I have pulled both the Chariot and Temperance before, but I think it was about two years ago when I first bought this deck. I thought hadn't pulled the 8 of Pentacles, but then I realized I've just never pulled it from this particular deck. This is the card I pulled and made a watercolor out of from my Dreaming Way Tarot.

 

It doesn't look like much, but it did help me remember the card.

After looking at just the three again, I realized that this was basically a reading. I'd just gone over the previous homeworks and learned what the Major Arcana meant so everything was still nice and fresh. 

The Chariot: I'm in control of my life and where I go from here.

Temperance: Balance is key to a happy and fulfilling life. 

8 of Pentacles: Apprenticeship, learning a new craft or skill.

I'm gonna sound like a broken record, but, I'm leaving soon to start a brand new job that I've been working towards for years. I'm finally getting to go where I want to go. And I keep referring to this new job as a paid vacation to my friends because the company is open basically 24/7 and I'm only going to work 40 hours a week. While I'm down there I have to learn how to function with only half of my week planned. Will I use my free time actually relaxing, or will I get another job like I've been thinking about? In my last post, when I went over the Temperance card, I said my perfect balance has more work than play. Maybe I'll learn to relax in the coming months; who knows? :)

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Now. When I was mulling over the best way to pick three cards, and the fact that it should be based on artwork, not technically meaning, I realized that I now own three decks.

My Main deck is Le Tarot Des Femmes Erotiques, with whom I've bonded greatly. 

My second is The Dreaming Way Tarot, with whom I've got an amiable relationship. 

And my third and newest deck is the Joie De Vivre tarot, which I just picked up on Monday on my last day of vacation! I opened her tonight specifically so I could do this...

I was going to discard immediate meanings, and pick one card from each deck so that I could see what was currently calling me without worrying about the artwork because they would all be different.

And THAT'S why I was holding on to my Witchy mama. She wasn't in my three, because she was my one; my individual.

I opened Joie de Vivre after setting aside my Femmes, and then looked through Dreaming Way.

Joie De Vivre,      Le Tarot Des Femmes Erotiques,      Dreaming Way

And who's that I see? Why, it's The High Priestess, the 'normal' equivalent to my Witch. And next? The Magician, of course!

Looks like I've got my two mystical parents looking over me this late night. I've got all the skills and drive I need to dance my way towards my heart's desire.

Have a lovely night,

Andy <3

Communing with Cards: Homework Set 2

*All questions courtesy of Veronica Varlow's Tarot Intensive*

13. Death
Did you have any experiences that felt like death, but were actually new beginnings?
I think all endings feel that way. A lot of people, including myself, hate change and it's scary! I had a relationship change a while back and I'm still in the process of figuring out how to make my life more full and rich.

14. Temperance
What would be an ideal balance in your life?
I feel like balance isn't always 50/50, and people forget that. I definitely need more work than play. I often forget to balance the two, and play goes completely away. I just need to remind myself to add it in, as having some is important and it would minimize stress without making me feel off kilter.

15. The Devil
What did you do to move past negative obsessions? What helped you move on?
I think that I am sometimes too logical. I know, in my heart, that I am an addictive personality, so I know right off the bat not to try things or start something, or I will be hooked. So I try in general to nip that type of thing in the bud. However, when it comes to friends and relationships, I do sometimes get into an unhealthy situation and my friends and past experiences are what helps me out of it.

16. The Tower
Has something fundamental crashed down around you, only for you to realize it was for the best in the long run?
Yes, the same relationship that I referred to with the Death card. It impacted, and still is impacting my life, but it is good that it happened early on, when my life is so fluid, rather than it happening later. I'm still recovering, but I realize that I'm lucky. And the friends that I mentioned in the Devil are what and who are constantly helping me to move forward.

17. The Star
What do you hope for in the future? What are some tricks to keep from giving up on your dreams?
I want to run my own company one day selling my crafts and potions and scrubs. I keep working for that time, and even when it looks like it's far away, I just remind myself that I am working towards getting the time and money I need to get started.

18. The Moon
What are the last 3 dreams you remember having? What mysteries lie in your subconscious?
Haha welllll my dreams that aren't prophetic are always crazy fever dreams. This is gonna be a long ass answer, because my dreams are always weirdly detailed...hold up
-Last night, me and my friend we talking about somehow being addicted to Candy? Or not knowing why people craved it? I don't know, why but I guess I thought the answer was in the Mandy Moore song, Candy? Because I was like, you know, like Candy. And I started singing the chorus to him; not belting it out, just kind of quietly singing him the lyrics like ya do. Then he told me I was  good singer.....
 -Thursday night, I dreamt that I was going to a hotel with one of my old friends from college. It was super busy because there was a convention going on and we didn't know it. We ended up getting separated and I remember our room number was something like 9450-something something. When I got lost trying to find the room, I ended up alllll the way down the hall at 9458-something something so I had to back track. I found my room and then I was apparently going to the convention? Which had shooting games/exhibitions? I've never fired a gun before, by the way. Everyone was dressed in white from head to toe in what looked like radioactive suits, except for me and a different friend from high school. We were wearing that, but with Kevlar vests over them. We were shooting at each other, through crowds, trying to hit each other only on the vests. We each hit each other in the back of the pants leg, leaving holes, but no injuries. Then I realize he was wearing one of my pairs of pants and that I had just ruined two pairs. And yes, that was my dream.
-I know I've had a dream just as crazy as the one just listed within the last month or so, but I can't remember it. Besides that, there was a semi normal dream I recorded in my Good Morning post from May.
Enjoy my nutty subconscious, guys.

19. The Sun
What makes you light up?
Redundant at this point, but creating. It makes me so much happier than anything else.
*as a side note, I don't normally pull this card, and I did during Veronica's Tuesday Instagram reading. Horray for a shining week!

20. Judgment (Rebirth)
What are your A-Ha moments? What are you most proud of so far?
I'm proud of the fact that I jumped ship my senior year of college to follow my heart and change majors during my last semester. That was a big a-ha moment; I just knew I wouldn't be happy if I followed through with that degree. Now I'm proud that even though it's taken a few extra years, I have jobs in my chosen field and I enjoy them :)

21. The World
Name 3 things you are proud of. You got this.
- I'm proud that I went on a spontanious trip across the country
- I've started the bones of my online store. Even though I'm not currently selling what I want, I can use this to figure out how to best work the online platform, shipping and pricing.
- I got accepted into a small working program for a company I've been trying to work with for years and I'm flying down there in 2 weeks!

Love always,
Andy <3

Communing with Cards: Homework Set 1

*All questions courtesy of Veronica Varlow's Tarot Intensive*

0. The Fool
When was the last time you threw yourself into something new and said, 'fuck it'?
It was about a week or two ago, right around this assignment started! I had 3 weeks to kill and no plans so I decided to run off to another coast and see if I could make a life out here. To be determined.

1. The Magician
Have you ever had a 'supernatural' experience?
I feel like I have...but I can't remember?
What is your own form of magic?
Making things; I love to create. I also am very intuitive and people tend to share intimate things with me.

2. The High Priestess (The Witch)
What do you feel you may have been in a past life? What are magical mysteries you have yet to discover?
In one of Veronica's previous classes, we took a quiz about who we may have been in our past lives. I may have been a voodoo woman as I love to create and solve problems through making things with nature.
Do you attach anyone specific to this card?
As Veronica cultivates the magic in all of us, I would have to say she is our High Priestess.

3. The Empress (The Goddess)
When was the last time you let yourself create without judgment?
It's been a really long time, sadly. I've been creating and enjoying my creations, but the last time I think I made something without judgment was when I was painting. I would love to work on that more.

4. The Emperor (The Abbess)
What can you benefit from being more scheduled? What can you schedule now to make things easier for you later?
I can/should schedule a lot of things. I am a person who is most productive when there is a deadline, more specifically, a every tight deadline and when I'm already bombarded with 18 other projects. I need to be busy to do things, otherwise I am a sloth. I always try to schedule non-work things into a tight group so I can trick myself into being productive...but it has yet to work. I need some Dom in my life.

5. The Hierophant (The Shaman)
What do you need a teacher for? What can you teach others?
Creating everything! I never want to stop learning how to improve myself in that aspect and learn from others, but I think it's one of the things I can teach as well.

6. The Lovers
Who is that person in your life who is truly ride or die?
No one currently. I have amazing friends, but no one that I would completely associate that with.

7. The Chariot
How can you be more 'in the driver's seat' of your own life?
I think I am already pretty in control of my life. I just need to make the effort to do what I want to do, rather than what I think I should.

8 (or 11). Strength
When have you shown inner strength and overcome obstacles in your way?
The first thing that comes to mind is my previous job. I really didn't like it when I first started and was considering quitting but made myself power through and ended up having a really rewarding experience.

9. The Hermit
The Hermit wants you to disconnect with the world so you can connect with yourself. What do you do to meditate and create peace of mind?
This card is always hidden for me. I rarely pull the hermit; I feel like in general I am fairly introspective so I don't usually need a reminder to look inside myself for calm and peace. However; I have started an unedited journal lately to help keep track of my thoughts and also to help in connection to writing this blog.

10. The Wheel of Fortune (The Wheel)
When has your luck suddenly changed for the better?
My luck (and life) has been going through a lot of changes recently. I am currently on a vacation I wouldn't have imaged 2 months ago and am on my way to move to a brand new and tropical state for a job I have been trying to land for years!

11 (or 8). Justice
What dream have you been working towards? Is there something more you can be doing?
There's always something more I could be doing! Like I said above, I work best when I'm already busy so right now I'm not doing much, but I am trying to write more, journal and organize my thoughts and what I want.

12. The Hanged Man (The Fairy)
What have you had blinders on for? What could you use a new perspective on?
 I like to think I rarely have on blinders. I like to try to see things from every logical angle. But that right there may be the rub, I need to try to think more with my feelings sometimes.

Respecting the Moon and her Cycles

Tuesday the 4th, at 12:08am I pulled my first tarot cards in Far too long.

I have been a part of Veronica Varlow's Tarot Intensive course, but am sorry to say I have not been keeping up with my homework or even the classes. I have been out of state every week since it started, and 5 different cities. While I wish I have been a better student, I do love watching everyone else progress and learn. It's a lot of fun to interact with people that are learning at a similar pace as you, and since I'm one of the few that have experience reading (simply meaning that I have been looking to cards for a while and am self taught), I still get to throw in my two cents along the way.

On Tuesday when I pulled cards in the early morning, The Moon slipped right off the top of the deck while I was trying to decide how to feel the shuffle. The Moon is a gorgeous card in most decks, but I adore the woman in mine. She is sitting with her knees up, angled away from me, lifting a sheer white curtain around her backside. Breathtaking and playful. Underneath she says there is "A Turning in the Journey."

Since I didn't quite feel she was my card, but more of a guide, I shuffled and pulled. Who was there to greet me? But the Queen of Swords of course! My number one lady and clearly a magnet card for me. She once again tells me "She Thinks the Unthinkable." My strong, logically lady telling me I am behind and need to get my shit sorted.

So here I am, two days later, on a different coast, trying to get my shit sorted.

I also wanted to say that this morning, before my flight, I pulled a Goddess Card, which I haven't done in an even longer time than the tarot.

This morning I pulled Maeve; the very first Goddess I pulled with my deck.

Underneath her dancing form it says, "Honor the cycles of your body, energy levels, and emotions." I think that while she was saying it's okay not to have kept up; lately I've been meaning to but have had a feeling of ick I didn't want on my cards, it is about that time to get over it, and get my bum back in gear.

Basically, everyone's telling me I gottta werk, bitch.

I want to shout out to VeVa again because she has started an instagram pull where she has 3 cards, you choose whichever one you feel drawn to, and then she posts a reveal. So cool; she's awesome. So I found out I was drawn to the Fool, which is kind of a hidden card for me. I'm a big planner, and while intuitive, I dislike not knowing what I'm doing. But I am now on the opposite coast for the first time in years, taking a spontaneous journey to see someone I haven't seen since high school! All planned within the past week!

She also did an August read for all the Zodiac signs which was spot on as usual. Tying in with my "logical, needs structure" type of life, I am a Capricorn and she pulled 3 of Wands for us.  That card, as stated in her video is all about rocking your shit OUT, traveling maybe, working hard and getting to where you want to be! Again, I am on a brand new trip this very second, but I am also moving to a completely different area for a new job before the month is out. It's a place I've been trying to get a job at for 4 YEARS and it's happening now, this August. Much love to Veronica Varlow and that lady's Danger Diary.

You can find those videos and by extension, the rest of her blog right here!

Lots of love and luck,
Andy <3

Pax

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

I didn't pull a card yesterday because I was emotionally and spiritually drained. In those times, I'm sure it would be extremely beneficial to have something to look to, but I wasn't ready to make peace enough to go through my deck. I also didn't want that negativity on the cards I just cleansed.

I've been having really bad insomnia lately which is also adding to the feeling of disconnect. I actually woke up around 1am last night (after falling asleep around 9ish) and freaked out my roommate who was just coming home from work. I was only half asleep and when he came through the door I still thought it was early and yelled at who I thought was a stranger entering my house.

After waking up again at 4, and falling back asleep for a couple of hours, I finally deemed it okay to get out of bed. I made some hot cocoa coffee (it's delicious if you've never tried it) and relaxed enough to pull a Goddess card.

This morning Eireen came to me. Goddess of  Peace. She says "There is no need to worry, as everything is working out beautifully."

I know, every card can probably be applied to every situation if you try hard enough. I'm not here to put on airs and pretend everything I see is gospel.

I just love seeing the magic in the days.

I was literally not at peace yesterday. I wasn't up to touching my cards and I freaked out in my own home.

Then Peace came.

It's  just nice when everything comes together.

Peace and Love Always,
Andy

Good Morning!

Morning, dear.

I hope you had good dreams.

I woke up singing a Dropkick Murphy song and I've been listening to them on repeat for the last three hours. It's quite a different environment here than it was last night.  I love that; daily differences.

Listening to my Celtic Punk, I poured myself a hot glass of homemade sangria. The warmth made my morning sweet and hopefully will bleed onto my entire day.

Normally, if I remember my dreams, I remember them the second I wake up and sometimes still think I am in them. But today, I realized belatedly that I dreamt I saw someone who's been a cause of strife for me lately.  I've dreamed of him before, and often see people I know in my dreams, but this was different. Rather than seeing something happening to him, or talking to him, I was enjoying my time, hanging with a couple of people, and I just walked passed him. I saw him, but I didn't acknowledge him. It was weird, and something that had never happened before.

I realized that in my dream, I had noticed my problem and literally moved on.

That's a pretty powerful message to  receive and I am once again grateful.

I thought the best way to top this off would be with another Oracle reading. I shuffled in my dominant hand, using my non dominant to cut the deck and I had a jumping card!

A jumping card is one that you don't necessarily draw, but slips out of the deck during shuffling.

I receive jumping cards fairly often, so it might just be that I'm a horrid shuffler, but I always like to read with them just in case; you never know!

This morning, Isis slipped right off the top of my deck.

When I was younger I was absolutely in love with Egyptian Mythology so I recognized this Goddess right away.  She says "This situation involves your past-life memories." I love Isis, but felt this card was more of a reference than my reading, so I went to pull another.

I felt my deck and didn't think it needed to be shuffled, so I simply pulled the next card off the top and it was Isthar. She says, "Boundaries, Love yourself enough to say no to others' demands on your time and energy."

This was my card.

Pairing the two together is a pretty great read. The issues I am having right now are actually extremely similar to an experience I went through ten years ago and it still hurts.  Part of my healing has been to know my limits and to try extracting myself from the narrative of others.  I think with my head rather than my heart, and I often feel like if I could do something to help out, the logical response would be to do it; but now I've seen the scars I give myself in those situations. I still like doing what I can, but I must learn that it can be healthier for me to take a step back and say no.

Love always,
Andy

Cleansing My Cards and My Life

I got home from work today and had this great surge of appreciation and thankfulness for the life I have.  This will (hopefully) sound commonplace for a lot of you, but those of us who aren't that lucky can tell you what a gift these kinds of days are.

I couldn't be bothered to get dressed today so I put on my roommate's skirt as a dress, threw on some blue eyeliner, and went off to work.  The day seemed so short and even regulars who can be annoying had me beaming all day. I got home to find the greatest gift waiting for me in my mailbox; the Goddess Oracle cards I've been waiting for.

When I walked through the front door, threw off my shoes and looked in the mirror, I could only think of one word; Goddess.

I felt so blessed. I've been going through a very tough time lately, and had only yesterday confided some of my trouble to my roommate, who proved over and over just how amazing she is.

I looked in my mirror, wearing what could easily be used as a tent, my hair messy and eyes red from allergies, and I just felt happy and whole.


A Goddess.

I opened up my Oracle cards and started reading the little work book inside. Based on both that and the Oracle Parlour class I took with the wonderful Veronica Varlow a few weeks ago, I gleaned that the best way to purify my deck and get it attuned to me was to hold them in my dominant hand and use my non dominant hand to touch every card.  Seeing as I am a tad OCD, I wanted to keep all the cards in order while I purified them so my first reading would be completely clean in my mind. I also figured this would be an awesome time to reconnect with the two tarot decks I own. I lit some incense and got started.

I bought Le Tarot des Femmes Erotiques years ago as my first ever deck.  I have a great love and respect for vintage ladies both as women and art so this seemed like a perfect match. I had originally planned to shuffle and pull 1 card every day until I had learned all of the cards, but life of course got in the way of such a strict routine. I toned it down  to pulling once a week, and then again to just whenever I felt the need.To this day there are cards in this deck that I have never once pulled.

My second deck is called Dreaming Way Tarot, and I got it maybe a year after my first. When I was picking these out, I was torn between this and another deck. I felt a tinge more of an affinity for the other deck, but at the last second decided to pick this one instead. Because of this, I have always felt a tiny disconnect. Also, I have never actually pulled from this deck because I was adamant that I learn the cards in my first deck before muddling it with other imagery. While I've looked through the cards before, they have stayed in their natural order for at least two years.

To make sure everything was the same (again, OCD here), I used my "touching" time with Les Tarot to actually reorder the cards. That way they were in the same natural state as my other two decks and I could purify anew. The idea behind purifying was to touch every card, maybe hold the deck to your heart, and whisper or think what you want the cards to do, or the energy you want the cards to have. I don't want to say exactly what I said, but I stuck closely with the examples in the Goddess Book which is basically "I want an honest reading that will help me in my endeavors." I then took each deck one at a time, shuffled using my non dominant hand to cut, and pulled a card.

My first ever pull from this Goddess deck was Maeve, the Goddess of Cycles and Rhythms. Underneath her image it says, "Honor the cycles of your body, energy levels, and emotions." As someone that struggles with my emotions and my darker side almost daily, it was lovely to see someone tell me to honor that, own it, and love your cycles. As I am on an up today, I have clearly begone to cycle through my emotions and start to move on. When I looked her up, her "meaning" is to love yourself, respect the changes you go through, and find someone that you are comfortable confiding in. As I have only just last night told my roommate what has been bothering me for months, I felt like this was perfectly timed.

Next, I went to my Le Tarot deck. I had already put my ladies in order, and shuffled in the same manner as I had the Goddesses. I pulled the Queen of Swords (King of Swords in most decks-Le Tarot is extremely femme based). I love this woman. I actually voiced wanting to get a tattoo of this exact card within the past week. She is strong. When my emotions flared a about a week ago, I pulled a card and it was she. She says "She Thinks the Unthinkable" and is about someone strong and complex. She is almost hyper logical to the point where it would be construed as cruelness, but the words and meaning are still important. While you might not want to face her,  she holds the answers you need. I thanked my deck and put it next the Goddess and moved on to Dreaming.

Now, as I said, I have never once pulled from Dreaming. She was in her original order and I have felt like I've neglected her in the past. Because this is the case, I will say what I asked of this deck as I touched every one of her cards. I asked her to forgive me and that while we haven't been close, I hoped that we could trust each other and she would give me the answers she felt I needed. I shuffled, pulled, and received the King of Swords. Remember how Queen in Le Tarot is the equivalent to King in most decks? I was too amazed for my jaw to drop. One of my favorite cards ever was pulled in succession in two separate decks.

You have no idea how blessed I feel and I can't stop staring at my spread.

Today as been amazing in so many ways.

Thank you for the love I feel. I hope you feel loved too, wherever you are.

Always,
Andy