My Lens For the Week- The Hierophant

Fairy Lights Tarot- The Hierophant

The Hierophant can be one of those weird cards, and with so many people who read tarot feeling so conflicted about the church, traditions, and being asked to conform (or not feeling conflicted at all but just straight up not caring for any of it) it can be a difficult card for some readers.

I'm not one of them.  It might be that The Hierophant, with his structure and his love of doing things "just so" relates to my sun sign, Taurus.  It might be that I am not too angry with God so when this card strikes me as a mediator between earth and heaven I am not offended.  I think the most likely answer, though, is that in true Taurean form, I take a page from Robert Downey Jr's book, most days-

Maybe it is my Libra ascendant that makes this so easy for me, but I really just don't care what anyone thinks, and while this should never be mistaken for a lack of compassion, neither should my general good nature be mistaken for door mat-y-ness.  So, I respect traditions.  I even follow some.  But I have always understood that I could discard the ones that don't work for me while embracing the ones that do.  The same with all things concerning the Divine- I am absolutely comfortable with taking all of what works for me from different teachings, while leaving what just doesn't.

This requires a measure of integrity, to be sure I am not just leaving behind something because I just don't feel like it.  For example, I really believe that stealing shows a lack of trust in the Universe to provide, and a lack of faith in self to get what is needed and wanted, but it would be very easy to pretend that "Thou shalt not steal" didn't resonate with me.  Of course, I am pretty sure the authorities do not give a flying yahoo what resonates as long as we follow the laws.

The Little White Book addresses the issue of integrity when it comes to belief and imparting knowledge like this, "The Hierophant connects to ancient cosmic knowledge and passes it to those who seek his guidance.  The teachings you offer must be imparted with integrity and truth."

Fairy Lights Tarot pairs- Ten of Wands, The Hierophant

This deck has a unique slant, in which each card is part of a larger image which were cut in half and became a card in their own right.  As I examine the pairs, I believe this must have been a great work because the artist seems to have given a great deal of thought as to how to incorporate each card in both its' own meaning and in its' paired meaning.

In this case, the Ten of Wands and The Hierophant make up two halves of the whole.  The passage from the Ten of Wands is poignant- "Your essence has been scattered through too much outward activity.  Find a place of sanctuary where you can gather yourself together again."  When we want to approach the Divine, whether we feel strong, or we feel scattered and thin, we hope to meet kindness, integrity and truth.  I would put forth that whenever we don't find those things, we have to examine whether it is a false idol we are bowing to.

So, for this week, I am, as usual, going to listen, smile, agree, and then, well you know.  Anyone who treats me like a jackass is probably doing a little too much projection for us to be comfortable together, and likewise, when it is my turn to teach, I will remember to do so with integrity and kindness, just as I wish to receive.

I will strive to remember to run, not walk, to my sacred spaces when I feel heavy and world worn, because those healing waters never dry up.


These cards are from Fairy Lights Tarot by Lucia Mattioloi, published by Lo Scarabeo.

Daily Draw- Two of Pentacles, Four of Pentacles, Queen of Swords

I like to use Thorhammer's Daily Spread when I feel like spending time with my cards but do not have any pressing issues to work out.  I like the barometer check on life and it usually gives me something to think about.

The positions are:

• What I Did Well Today
• What I Need To Leave Behind From Today
• What I Should Carry Forward With Me Into Tomorrow

Dream Raven Tarot- Two of Pentacles, Four of Pentacles, Queen of Swords

What I did well today- Two of Pentacles.  Today I kept all my balls in the air.  There was a lot to do, and a lot of ways to do it, but it all came together, and I am grateful for that.

What I need to leave behind from today- Four of Pentacles.  Tomorrow may not be as smooth.  If things go south, I need to be gentle with myself,  Just because today I managed to balance the two Pentacles doesn't mean I can double my load tomorrow with no consequences.  Superwoman I am not.

What I should carry forward with me into tomorrow- Queen of Swords.  I have needed to set some boundaries, and they are for my benefit and the people I interact with.  I am not cold or cruel for doing so; it is actually a loving act.  I need to stick to my ethics and be bold and brave in my choices, because I know who I am and where I am coming from.  I try to express it in a loving way but I am not in charge of how anyone receives me, only how I express myself.

Do you know what you did well today?  Do you like to do any daily readings?



These cards are from Dream Raven Tarot by Beth Seilonen, published by Schiffer Books.

Opposite of Fear Spread

I love Danielle Laporte and getting Daily Truthbombs is a highlight of my morning (or my late evening if I am still up when they come in).  I saw this one on Pinterest and it resonated so deeply with what I am experiencing that I had to make a spread for it right away.  PS- that is how you can tell something really speaks to you, when you have to stop what you are doing to follow the voice.

"It's often best to do the opposite of what your fear is telling you to do." ~Danielle Laporte, Daily Truthbombs

• Card #1- What is my fear telling me to do?
• Card #2- How does acting on this fear manifest in my life?
• Card #3- What is the outcome if I continue listening to the fear?
• Card #4- What should I do instead?
• Card #5- What can help me putting this into action?
• Card #6- What is the outcome of defying my fear and successfully implementing Card #5?

I am using Beth Seilonen's Dream Raven Tarot to give this spread a test run today.  It may be best to give this spread a specific area of life to focus on because most of us don't only have one fear.  I am focusing on my work.

Dream Raven Tarot- Lovers, Hierophant, Seven of Swords

What is my fear telling me to do?  The Lovers- My fear is telling me to pretend I am happy and well content with the decisions I have made, to make a big commitment to those decisions because they were mine and I need to own them.  To admit I have changed, or the decisions were wrong in the first place, would be a terrible blow to my ego, and something I am having a really hard time dealing with.

How does acting on this fear manifest in my life?  The Hierophant- I have become intractable and ever more stubborn as I try to hold on to these beliefs, whether they warrant the adoration or not, I am growing fat (symbolically) and complacent, happy (or telling myself I am) to sit on this perch instead of exploring the big, beautiful world.

What is the outcome if I continue listening to the fear?  Seven of Swords- Listening to the fear is causing me to rob myself of experiences that I need to have, to grow, to make more money, and to live fully in this moment.  I have two Swords firmly in hand, looking back to the two figures on The Lovers, but five more (looking back to the Hierophant) are escaping and I will never be able to grab them all at once.  The trying is making me quite grumpy.

Dream Raven Tarot- Fool, Four of Swords, Five of Pentacles

What should I do instead? Fool- Something totally different!  The Fool is all about letting go, and this winged version can fly.  In introspective tarot readings, often each figure represents an aspect of ourselves, and this one is utterly joyous.  The Lovers are not able to fly, because they are so entwined together they are not making any progress, just as I am married to some mistakes I have made instead of just letting them go.  Letting go is my secret, and the Hierophant is not so much about any of that.

What can help me putting this into action?  Four of Swords- There is a difference between grasping and holding softly.  The Seven of Swords illustrates desperate, grasping energy.  This Four of Swords is a gentler, more intimate touch.  I need to find the idea I actually love, instead of the one I feel like I should love.  I need to utilize what I can hold on loosely to, not what I have to grasp and grapple for.  I also need to spend quiet time where clarity can find me.

What is the outcome of defying my fear and successfully implementing Card #5?  Five of Pentacles- I will learn to draw security from my own self, abilities, and creation, rather than continually looking for outside of myself.  I will be better able to compartmentalize work, putting away in the branches of the tree like these Pentacles have been so carefully placed when it is time.

When I total up these cards, I come to 13, Death, which makes sense as I look to my lens for the week, which is Death.  There are things that need to be let go of since they no longer work, to make room for new things to come in.  What is gone can create fertile ground for the future, like the mistakes I have made have set me up for success, even if only by ruling out what doesn't work.  Tarot is cool like that.

I have found this spread insightful and helpful.  I hope you will, too, if you get a chance to try it out.  We can do this spread, or any other, together if you book a reading with me.


These cards are from Dream Raven Tarot by Beth Seilonen, published by Schiffer Books.

Journey, Stillness, Joy

The Major Arcana I have pulled to show me the most prevalent energy for my week ahead is Trump XIII, Death.

Dream Raven Tarot- Death

My eyes are immediately drawn to the gravestones that spell out the sometimes ominous RIP, Rest In Peace.  However, the stylized lettering resembles the runic alphabet, and sure enough, when I looked it up in the companion booklet, that was Beth's intention.  Raido, Isa, Wunjo, which like tarot cards have many shades of meaning and nuances for each reading, are here to represent each headstone.  Journey, Stillness, Joy, promising that this moment is but an interlude in a larger story, and while good storytelling dictates the loose ends be tied up, there is still more to come, and it will be pleasing.

The landscape is a barren desert, and even the trees in the distant oasis have given p their foliage for lack of water.  We may die of thirst here, but the eclipsed moon at the crown chakra points the direction to the cool mountains in the distance.  We can't know what is there, but we do know we can't stay here.  We must go on.

It is said in dreams we play each character, each a piece of our personality we may not feel comfortable meeting during our waking hours, and the raven is an aspect of self in this card, today at least.  I want to stay where I am because I am not sure what comes next, but I know that I cannot.  It is time to go forward.

"You cannot find peace by avoiding life." ~Virginia Woolf


This card is from Dream Raven Tarot by Beth Seilonen, published by Schiffer Books.

Soft Compassion

I am so thoroughly entranced by this deck and it has easily been the most anticipated one of the year (for me).  I love the concept!  78 cards, which are made up of 39 images divided.  Often, you won't see the cards together in a reading, but when you do, it is bound to make an impression!  I am looking forward to playing with the images and seeing what goes where, but this was the first one I puzzled out.

Fairy Lights Tarot- Four of Swords, Ace of Cups

"The boundaries are soft," in this world, so reads the Little White Book.  The relaxed, peaceful feeling of the the enchanted twilight these cards represent is indeed a place where the boundaries are soft.  In the Four of Swords, the little girl is letting her fairy lights fall softly into the the whispering waterfall.  There is no hurry, no drama, just peace.  The unending source of her light shines brightly into the night sky, where drops of the stuff fall into the Ace of Cups, ensuring this chalice will never empty, the mermaid will never choke on dry air.  Love is always like that, a cycle, and I find myself telling sitters, and my own self alike at times, that if the relationship does not fill you up, and do so peacefully, as if it is almost too easy, it may not be the love you were actually seeking.

It's not always easy, but we should never spend ourselves utterly on any person or thing that is not giving back to us, or all of us who have ever had an overdraft on our banking account know what will happen next- we are empty, with bills to pay, and fees on top of all of that.

Compassion comes softly.




These cards are from Fairy Lights Tarot by Lucia Mattioli, published by Lo Scarabeo.

Our New Home!

When we think about the big things that happen in life, buying a new home is right up there with the biggest.  We did not really intend to move just now, but opportunity has knocked and we have flung the door open.  We are onward to bigger and better, and I am excited, if not a little nervous for the logistics of a move while I am nearly incapacitated.

Like anyone, I am eager to know how we will fare in our new home, and I asked my cards to tell me the deal.  My previous readings when contemplating the move were all in favor, which surprised me as I would have thought they would argue for staying put as I heal, but I saw happiness, financial growth, and an ease of energy I was not expecting.  I do not make my decisions based on the cards alone, but they sure do offer clarity in times of confusion!

Tarot by Alexander Daniloff 2012- Five of Swords, The Fool, Two of Swords

The Five of Swords is related directly to the Shadow Card, which we will look at shortly, and also my  reading of yesterday, which talked about leaving some things behind, and doing so willingly or not, it is still going to happen.  Here I see a man who has made a stand.  He has dropped some Swords but is keeping some, and he is no longer running.  He stops here, and he looks boldly at us from his solid position.  That is indicative of my husband and myself.  We have compromised.  We have done what we were "supposed" to do, and here is where we find ourselves.  It doesn't matter, because we are triumphant, and in this card, there are no retreating figures, so there is no worry about being triumphant over a particular person or integrity issues in that triumph.  We just win in the situation, against the odds.  The housing market is in the toilet.  We feared being able to sell our home for what we paid for it, but we have managed not only to do that but even better and to find another home we can afford that will suit us even better than this one has.

In my three card free form Daily Draw readings I am inclined to give the central card the most weight, and The Fool as a Major Arcana would be the most important card in this reading by its' nature of being a Major Arcana.  A new home is a new journey!  The Sun in the upper right hand corner and the Moon just below show our optimism and our emotions are riding high right now and of course our pets, like the Fool's dog, will be going along with us.  This rendition of the Fool shows him crossing a bridge that I see as made of a Wand, symbolizing spirit and passion, to another cliff.  He is not simply walking off, and neither are we.  It would be nerve wracking to cross a chasm on a small log, but if you are confident and careful it is easily done.  It is nervous right now as we prepare for this move but it is good too.  We have a plan and as long as we stick to it we are gonna be just fine.  The owl at his head equals wisdom to me, so despite the name, he is not foolish, and neither are we.  It is exciting, and we are jovial, but our eyes our wide open as we make this move.

The Two of Swords specifically indicates me to me, and that has to do with the placement of the Moon symbolism, which I see as femininity and emotions, right there at the root chakra, having to do with sex, money, and power.  When I see the strong symbols for emotions in the Moon and the water in the background, this card really does hold it all, and the woman is bursting through into that.  I see this as my home to own, to shine in, to build upon, and I see it as a place where all aspects of ourselves are safe to express.  I am blindfolded, which reinforces the energy of The Fool, especially as they look in towards each other, because we can't know everything that will happen, but just have to have faith that we have all the tools to deal spectacularly with whatever may come.

I moved into this house with my husband, but it has never felt exactly like home to me, through no fault of my handsome man.  The new home, though, already feels like just that, home.  I can see that I have a lot of high hopes for this move to push some stuck energy, but I have to be honest with myself that while the move will help, it is not the solution to all my problems.

Daniloff Tarot- The Emperor

The Shadow Card is The Emperor, and I am so happy to see him appear.  Home is sacred, home deserves protection, and he shows up here in his commanding glory to remind us to place our boundaries strong, because good fences do make for good neighbors.  He is strong, and he reminds us to be strong and protective of the things that matter most in life, which for me are my family and their sense of who they are.

He also reminds me to be disciplined, an issue I have in every aspect of my life.  A little organization and thrust will go far towards making this home a great one, and if the chuckleheads need some firm reminders of what home means, I will have to be willing to give them.

So excited!





These cards are from Tarot by Alexander Daniloff 2012, self published by the artist.

On Mojo

I am a month out of spinal fusion surgery, and the time has both flown by and dragged on.  I am nowhere near 100%, but I am bored and itching to write and work.

I got sick of paying my lawyer to tell my stalker's lawyer to tell the client that they wouldn't see anything they didn't like if they did not insist on following me all over the Internet, so I laid low for a while, but you know what?  I am responsible for what I put out into the world, NOT how other people find it or interpret it (or in this case, pervert and malign it).

What I am looking for today is advice on getting my tarot biz mojo back as I heal, as I swim through the chaotic waters of moving and waging a custody battle.

Tarot by Alexander Daniloff 2012- Seven of Swords, Death, The Empress

I chuckled, which is one of my favorite reactions to a reading, when I saw these cards.  "You gotta let some shit go so you can take care of what matters most" is what echoed through my head.

(PS- How beautiful is this deck?  My anniversary present from my husband, bless his sweet heart.)

You'll hear me say this over and over and over again, but there are no bad cards.  In another circumstance, with another question (your question is sooo important as you craft a reading, either on your own or with a reader) the Seven of Swords and Death may be intimidating cards, but I am asking for advice, not predicting the future, which is always in flux anyway.

As advice, I see the Seven of Swords telling me to get the hell out of Dodge, and if I have to let some things go in order to do that, so be it.  I don't need all those Swords anyway.  Where many readers stumble is applying the imagery of the cards to practical solutions for living a life, so as a practical application I see that I have my head, since these are Swords dealing with thoughts and communications, full, and that is filling up my life in a way that making me crazy (hopefully just figuratively).  I see the figure fleeing from the circus, which for most of us may be a fun place to visit for a few hours, but would be a confusing place to live our lives.  At least it would be for me.  I thrive on order and structure, but my life recently feels very disordered and like I am reacting to instead of planning my life.  The imagery of this card calls back to the Chariot, its' Major Arcana root, in the movement and the light/dark juxtaposition.

As I move into Death, I take the energy of that Seven of Swords with me so that I can see that I need to let some of my big ideas of how things "should" be, what I "should" be accomplishing so that I can accept and make the most of the way things are.  This is a Major Arcana, and as such leaves little room to argue.  A lot of what I am doing just is not working, and I am in some unworkable situations and relationships.  With no prejudice to the people involved, they are sucking up my precious time and creating drama that distracts my focus, so they have to go.  This is not the fault of any person but myself, who allowed it to go this far.  I have no ideas to figuratively kill any of the relationships off, but rather to let the part of myself that craves them go.

Looking to The Empress, the idea of letting things go so that I have energy to focus on what matters most, my family and my work, becomes emphasized.  Like many women, I feel guilty if I cannot do it all (look back at that Seven of Swords) and I feel overwhelmed and stressed when I do try to do it all.  And, let's be honest, in my physical condition I cannot do it all.  Prioritization is a must.  I also see the need to focus on my home, my family, because The Empress is the mother, and in this house I am the mother.  She also rules over creativity and all my work is creative, but I have lost myself a bit in the day to day running, and lost a little of my spark for the rest as a result.  Maybe that is one of the things up for being eliminated- I focus on what I love to do, what I can nurture, and let the rest fall into place, because while business has to get taken care of, love and passion for what I do has to come first.

I also see in this card that a happy home, good food, love, laughter, good sex, self care, are all important to getting my mojo back.  I have been trying to push myself out of my comfort zone, but I see that digging into is probably the answer for me, for now.

Daniloff Tarot- Ace of Pentacles

The Shadow Card pushes this reading even further into the zone.  The Ace of Pentacles shows my Taurean nature, my need to have stability, the fact that throughout my life I have always made my own money and taken care of myself, and how uncomfortable I am with letting the bulk of that fall on my husband right now.  It also shows how important financial growth is to me.  We have one kid in college, one about to be, and three hitting their teenage years, which is quite expensive in terms of extracurricular and school activities.  I want to give them everything.  I want to rebuild what has had to be taken out of our nest egg.  I want to have it all.  But I am reminded we can have it all.  Just not always all at once.




These cards are from Tarot by Alexander Daniloff 2012, which is self published by the artist.