Serenity Sunday

The Four of Cups depicts  a young man forlornly looking over three cups in front of him, off to his side, appears a bright shiny Cup just waiting for him to reach out to it, yet the man is disastified. This is a card of dissention, and malcontent. When this card comes up, it often means that the person is seeking more than their needs and is not content with just having their needs met, when maybe what is needed is being thankful for one's blessings.


Count your blessings, this is such a simple charge and a reminder to be grateful for what we have. Yet in the craziness and the hustle and bustle of daily living stopping to be grateful and count our blessings is often one that we fail to overlook. Instead of the losses focus on the positive aspects of life, it can help in shifting attitudes and life challenges.


My List:


1.) My kids


2.) My pets


3.) Roses blooming


4.) Birds at the bird feeder


5.) Overcoming obstacles


6.) Iced tea


7.) Great books


8.) Good friends


9.) Butterflies


10.) Good night's sleep

Deck Review- Upcoming reviews

I have some amazing decks that I'll be reviewing in the coming weeks...

* The Celestial Tarot by Kay Steventon and Brian Clark

* The Gendron Tarot by Melanie Gendron

* The Golden Tarot by Kat Black

* The Lover's Path Tarot by Kris Waldherr

* and a special review requested by Sheri, tune in to see which deck it might be!

These are really great decks and I hope that you will drop by to check them out!

Serenity Sunday

In Kindness

Author: Anne Marie Cline

Kindness speaks the words,

Your heart could never speak.

Your wings hold me up,

And give me strength when I am weak.

The warmth of your protection,

Brings music to my heart.

You open up the doors,

You show me where to start.

My List:

1.) My kids

2.) My pets

3.) Good friends

4.) New books

5.) Words of encouragement

6.) Iced sweet tea

7.) Sleeping in

8.) The sound of a waterfall

9.) Starry nights

10.) Evening walks

Deck Review- Tarot of the Cat Peple

Tarot of the Cat People by Karen Kuykendall and published by US Games is a truly unique and visually pleasing deck that is filled to the brim with cats of every sort...one of my favorite animals. Kuykendall, affectionately called "the cat lady" by those who know her, uses influences of architecture, anthropology, art history, costumes in history and her many travels, in creation of this wonderful deck.

This 78 card deck measures 2 5/8" x 4 5/8"  and is just the right size for shuffling. It has a glossy lamination and intriguing imagery that makes reading with these cards a real pleasure. I absolutely adore the cat mirror image on the back and that was what first drew my attention to this deck...well, I love cats too and with this deck I can combine my love of cats with my love of Tarot.

The Major Arcana is the beginning of five kingdoms, and is called the Diamond Kingdom, home to the Sky People. The imagery follows the Rider Waite tradition and meanings are easily recognized. I love the Fool, pictured with a small striped cat clinging to his leg as if to stop him from a dangerous fall and the Star card which pictures a finely dressed woman holding aloft a cat surrounded by glittering stars against a dark background. Card twenty is also impressive, named Rejuvenation, which is the Rider Waite equivalent of Judgement. 

The Minor Arcana starts with the suit of Swords and the Ruby Kingdom, home to the Fire People and their gorgeous felines. Next is the suit of Wands, the Emerald Kingdom home to the Sand People. The suit of Cups is the Topaz Kingdom where the Salt people live and last but not least is the suit of Pentacles, the Sapphire Kingdom, home of the Rock People. Each kingdom is described in the LWB (little white book) and descriptions are given of the landscape, inhabitants personality and even products that each make.

I simply adore this deck and it's unique artwork and people living alongside their faithful feline companions. This is a terrific deck that combines fiction and fantasy to produce a truly wonderful deck. This would make a great deck for both new and experienced readers and it's story makes for hours of great readings.

Publisher: US Games Systems

Artist: Karen Kuykendall

ISBN: 0-88079-078-4

images used with permission from US Games

Serenity Sunday

A great way to use giving thanks to appreciate life more fully is to use gratitude to help you put things in their proper perspective. When things don’t go your way, remember that every difficulty carries within it the seeds of an equal or greater benefit. In the face of adversity ask yourself: “What’s good about this?”, “What can I learn from this?”, and “How can I benefit from this?”


Those who practice gratitude tend to be more creative, bounce back more quickly from adversity, have a stronger immune system, and have stronger social relationships than those who don’t practice gratitude. To say we feel grateful is not to say that everything in our lives is necessarily great. It just means we are aware of our blessings.


My List:


1.) My kids


2.) My pets


3.) Great friends


4.) Fresh baked bread


5.) Sunny Summer days


6.) Watching the local parade with my kids


7.) A good book


8.) Croaking frogs


9.) Morning walks


10.) Handmade gifts

Deck Review- The Vanessa Tarot

The Vanessa Tarot by Lynard Narciso and published by US Games, is a totally fun and modern deck full of sassy ladies and up to date themes. The Vanessa Tarot has taken it's influences from several areas including pop culture, female role models from both the large and small screen as well as heroines from comic book genres.


This 78 card deck is just the perfect size at 2" x 3.5" and easily fits into smaller hands and makes shuffling a breeze. The card backs are purple with pale colored pinstripes and blue stars making it able to be read upright or reversed. The lamination is glossy and appealing, making the fabulous imagery truly unique and is not too "slickery" that it's difficult to keep a hold of the cards. It comes with the standard LWB (little white book) of meanings and comes in a terrific keepsake tin in which to store all the cards.


The Major Arcana follows the Rider Waite tradition but with more modern, fresh scenes such as the Star which pictures a bathing beauty in a lovely purple bikini, frolicking in the water with her pail and shovel and the Hierophant as a sassy school teacher sitting on her desk as she instructs her class and the Wheel of Fortune, which I absolutely love, showing a finely dressed game show hostess standing in front of the traditional Wheel image.


The Minor Arcana, also follows the Rider Waite tradition and continues the fresh upbeat theme of this deck with cards such as the Eight of Wands picturing a witchy clad woman on a broom like the image we all grew up with of Elizabeth Montgomery in the t.v. series Bewitched as well as the Seven of wands with it's She Ra image, holding off six Wands from below.


This is a truly great deck and brings a fresh approach to the standard images many of us are used to but that's what makes it such a fun deck to work with. It's easy to connect with this deck and it's wonderful ideas and would make an excellent deck for both new and experienced, young and older readers.

Publisher: US Games Systems

Creator: Lynard Narciso

ISBN: 1-57281-574-4

images used with permission from US Games

Serenity Sunday

Be Thankful


Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you desire,
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know something
For it gives you the opportunity to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your limitations
Because they give you opportunities for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and weary
Because it means you’ve made a difference.
It is easy to be thankful for the good things.
A life of rich fulfillment comes to those who are
also thankful for the setbacks.
GRATITUDE can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles
and they can become your blessings.
~ Author Unknown ~


My List:


1.) My kids


2.) My pets


3.) New tarot decks


4.) Feather pillows


5.) Cool breezes


6.) Happy times


7.) The interwebs


8.) Iced tea


9.) Lazy Sunday mornings


10.) New friends

Serenity Sunday

Summer Chimes and Summer Wines


Listening to the summer chimes,
Of summer sounds of summer time,
Bringing all that nature is,
That shows and sounds like,
Summer chimes,


Chimes of soft winds,
Chimes of soft river streams,
Sounds that say of that time and season,
That summer time sounds so sweet,
It rings the sounds of summer chimes,
With rays of sunlight streaming by,


Summer chimes with summer wines,
Can be the momentum interludes of summer times,
When summer time is to be,
There in natures places,
Full of bloom and hidden places,
Where,
Listening to the summer chimes,
Of summer time,
And sitting and drinking,
A summer wine,


With the summer chimes,
And summer wines,
With summer and its nature sounds,
Bringing out the musical chimes,
Of summer sounds,
Along with summer chance,
And the per chance that evolves,
Bringing summer chimes,
With summer wines,
Of true summer chance,
With love intwined,
And summer wine,


So if per chance,
To meet again,
That evolves and begins,
From summer meets,
Bringing that summer chance,
To summer chimes,
With summer wines,
That begins and lasts,
Within in the hearts of those,
That let per chance happen,
And fall in love,


Then it will continue all year long,
For those that took the chance,
In summer chance,
And let the per chance,
Take it course,
And win,
For love to hear,
The summer chimes,
Sipping summer wine.

My List:


1.) My kids


2.) My pets


3.) Summer fun


4.) Iced Mocha


5.) Fresh roses


6.) Frogs in the pond


7.) Lemonade


8.) BBQ's


9.) Cool breezes


10.) Blooming herbs

Serenity Sunday

Gratitude Spell


What You Will Need:
~ Green Candle
~ Patchouli Oil


Instructions:
During the waxing moon, annoint your green candle with patchouli oil. Light the candle and say the following several times to Lakshmi, Hindu goddess of wealth and beauty: "OM Mala Lakshmi, Lakshmi, Lakshmi, Namah." This chant thanks Lakshmi and opens the door for abundance to come into your life. Let candles burn themselves out safely, or repeat for consecutive days until larger candle is gone.




My List:


1.) My kids


2.) My pets


3.) Ibuprofen


4.) Herbal tea


5.) Turkey sandwiches


6.) Puffs tissue


7.) Fresh baked bread


8.) Great friends


9.) Classical music


10.) Laughter is the best medicine

Serenity Sunday

Just as “Milk does a body good,” Epsom Salt may be one of the most perfect nutrients for flowers and plants. And mid-to-late spring is the ideal time to nourish the soils and roots of your favorite foliage and flowers with this inexpensive and easy-to-use compound. According to the Epsom Salt Council, research indicates Epsom Salt can help seeds germinate; make plants grow bushier; produce more flowers; increase chlorophyll production; improve phosphorus and nitrogen uptake; and deter pests, including slugs and moles.


I have a small rose garden in front of my house and each year I treat them to 1/2 cup of epsom salts in mid spring, along with the rose food I feed them regularly. I learned of this little trick years ago when I worked at a local nursery and later as a master gardener in my area. At first I scoffed and was very skeptical but one year I figured that I would be open minded and try it, lo and behold my roses started pushing new canes from their graft and were generally hardier and more full. I promised myself that I'd be open minded from then on because sometimes...you just never know when a great tip might turn up!



My List:

1.) My children

2.) My friends

3.) My cats

4.) Learning from past mistakes

5.) My willingness to let go and let the Universe handle it

6.) Time for myself

7.) The scent of the air after a rainstorm

8.) Finding the positive in a negative situation

9.) Knowing hope is always present

10.) Seeing joy on another's face