Tarot Tuesday

The Devil

The keywords of the Devil include...money matters, feeling the burden of the material side of life and the desire for physical and material things. Feeling of frustration and oppression. A tendency to collect and hoard money and material objects... lust and sexual obsession. Wow, that's a heavy list! 

The lesson the Devil  tries to teach us is one of simple awareness and human empowerment. Once we begin to realize that darkness or the potential to do evil is a natural part of each and every member of the human race, we can then begin to gain mastery over it. All human beings have the capacity to get the upper hand over this by tapping into the goodness that also dwells within us all. 

Once a person becomes properly self aware to the point where they are no longer controlled by the pull of addictions, wants and greed, it  allows them to gain freedom from fear of being controlled by other people, as well as other forces that are always at work in the world at large.

When the Devil card makes an appearance in a tarot spread, it is typically letting the querent know that he/she is currently in a situation that has robbed him/her of control over their own life in one way or another... most likely through their own mistakes (or perhaps mistaken perceptions). However, the appearance of this card also signals the possible start of a chain reaction that can lead to no good if it's not nipped in the bud sooner rather than later.  

Poorly thought out actions lead to loss of control and loss of control in turn leads to insecurity, depression, and further inactivity. Once elements like that set in and begin to affect a life, it can be very difficult to turn things around.

The solution to this problem is for the querent to reclaim control over his personal power and identity. The Devil can only conquer you if you believe it can. This is a call to leave ignorance, indolence, and materialism behind. True happiness and success results from getting in touch with the spiritual being at one's core and realizing that strength comes from within... not without.

Tarot Shadow Work- Into The Light

In the Star of Discovery and the Star of Recovery, I was able to identify my Shadow qualities and therefore become acquainted with them, delving further into where they came from and how through the years they had grown. My journey now, as I work through Tarot Shadow Work, using the dark symbols to heal, has brought me to learning how to communicate between my intellect (my conscious mind) and my non-rational Shadow side (my unconscious mind) in order to bring them out of the shadows and into the light.

The personal Shadow resides in the unconscious mind and can  be accessed by dreams, artistic expression, fairy tales and myth...in my case.. writing is my form of creativity to which I express myself (and you have all come with me on my journey each time you have read my posts). We all dream each night but not all of us remember these dreams... a terrific idea is a dream journal. I am going to be keeping a dream journal beside my bed so that I may jot down my dreams  (that I remember) in the morning while they are still fresh in my mind.

Our conscious self (or ego as identified by  Carl Jung) is the gatekeeper and most of the time our rational mind prevents any communication with our non-rational mind. We develop defenses or coping skills in order to help us survive painful emotional traumas and events... they serve to protect us from fears and anxieties and when we try to bury these uncomfortable emotions they can often emerge as depression. The Shadow will never be deceitful about itself but the ego (or acceptable parts of our conscious self) will falsify it's true motives.

The intellectual side will refuse insight and actually contribute more to it's unhappy state than the very Shadow it tries to  repress. These repressed parts hold a great amount of energy and potential for growth but we must travel the path through the darkness into healing and freedom...all that is required is honesty on our part.

Serenity Sunday

When we were children, our parents were the people who made our everyday choices for us...if we were lucky, our parents made wise choices that took into account our safety and well being and helped us grow into mature, well grounded, loving, respectful, law abiding people. When we became adults, we were responsible for our own choices and as a result, the consequences depending on whether they were wise choices or foolish ones. I thank the goddess for this unbelievable freedom that we, in the democratic society are part of, can make our own choices and not have them made for us.

How often do we take this great gift for granted...? In many other countries there is not that option and much of what they read, hear or buy is decided by someone else. I ask today that you sit down and truly imagine just what it would mean to you if the choices we are presented with every day were suddenly taken away... How would you react...? What kind of atmosphere would you be living in...? I am grateful that I can decide what kinds of books I like to read, radio stations I like to listen to and which television channels I find interesting.... and  the ability to make my voice heard....to think thoughts I choose to think and have the opinions I choose to have.

My List:

1.) My children

2.) My friends

3.) Choices

4.) Pansies

5.) Splashing through puddles

6.) Pumpkins

7.) Pagan/wiccan podcasts

8.) Digital cameras

9.) Soaking in the tub

10.) Scented candles

Freedom: Another Word For Responsibility

Preamble

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common , promote the general welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity do and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

This is the Preamble to our United States Constitution, within the Constitution itself, there are 27 Amendments starting with The Freedom of Religion; Press and Expression and ending with limiting Congressional Pay Increases. How often do we reflect on our rights handed down from our founding fathers but hesitate to recognize the responsibilities that go with it. If freedom of religion is a right then this freedom is our responsibility to ensure that it encompasses all religions. We are all just a small part of a grander Universal Mind and each has been given the flame of spirituality within us.

We must acknowledge that freedom of speech means all speech...even the words we may find offensive or vulgar for if we put restrictions on types of speech and kinds of words then we must realize that we may run the risk of our very own speech becoming censored. Our responsibility in recognizing freedom of speech is to allow others to speak their mind and write freely without hindrance. It is also our responsibility to ensure that we speak and write within reason and without malice...freedom of speech is not license to slander or malign others with differing opinions.

So, this Independence Day, let us be thankful for not only our rights but the responsibilities that go with them. Our founding Fathers bore a great burden on their shoulders but they bore it with pride and great vision for all of us today... Happy Independence Day!

Bright Blessings!

This Memorial Day...

Memorial Day should be a time of solemn reflection on some of the most sacred of human ideals: faith, family, duty, commitment, heroism and honor. We are so profoundly indebted to all those Soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen who have given their lives defending us.

My father fought in WWII, aiding Great Britain in defending freedom that stretched far past the English channel. My room mate Coral's father served two tours in Vietnam...the most unpopular war in American history. It is with great pride I see Memorial day as all this and more because the graves of those pagans and wiccans who fought and died for our freedoms and the choices of everyone's spirituality are now allowed to show their honor by having a pentacle on their headstones.

Freedom is not just for the mainstream, it stands for who we are, our choices and what we believe in whether it be Christian, Jew, Muslim, Hindu, Native American or of the Old Ways. Today, as a solitary and a very proud American, I stand and honor all of the men and women who gave their lives and put in their tours of duty in order to ensure every freedom we have today. Bright Blessings to all on this Memorial Day.

Losing Yancy....

I recieved some very sad news today, my cousin Clint lost his oldest son, Yancy, in the war against Iraq. Yancy Levi Goodwin was born just four days after my daughter Caitlin on May 14, 1988 and was in the National Guard doing what my family has for decades, supporting the United States of America to ensure the freedom of all who call this great land home. My father and his three brothers (my uncles) were all Navy men and served in WW2, something he and all of us were very proud to speak of. Although I shudder at the mention of war and conflict, I am well aware that without them and so many more whom stood up for our freedoms, my spirituality and way of life would not be possible today. The loss of Yancy breaks my heart and I cannot help but join the ranks of friends and family members and all those across this great country in grieving the losses of our men and women so very young. Let us all remember that without their sacrifices we could not call ourselves Americans, free to choose our beliefs, convictions and blessings. Good bye Yancy and blessed be your sacrifice on the behalf of us all!