You are Invited to Tea!
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The 2014 Samhain Tarot Blog Hop
Welcome to the Samhain 2014 Tarot Blog Hop. Whether this is a spiritual holiday for you, a time to party, both or neither, I hope this October 31st has found you in good spirits!
You might be joining me from TABI, the Tarot Association of the British Isles. If you are working backwards, perhaps you are visiting me from Ethony’s blog.
For this round of the Blog Hop, our wrangler, Louise Underhill of Priestess Tarot, has given us an interesting task. Louise has asked us each to write about one person, living or dead, with whom we would like to have tea this Samhain, and to somehow entwine tarot into that story.
When my American ears hear “have tea,” I am thinking of a beverage instead of a meal. But, to me, tea is not just a beverage, it’s a ritual. More than that, it’s political. Here in the US, coffee drinkers can usually find an acceptable cup of coffee. Tea drinkers are not so lucky. I can’t tell you the number of times I’ve been served stale, moldy tea, or tea obviously brewed in a coffee pot, while my husband has enjoyed a fresh cup of dark roast. I am an activist for decent tea.
Tea is not just a beverage, or an administered dose of caffeine, or an infusion of herbs. A cup of tea is an opportunity to talk. That’s why it goes so well with tarot.
I learned the power of a good cup of tea from my family, now in spirit. The thought of having one more cup of tea with my mother, my grandmother or my father, whose birthday is today, is certainly alluring.
In the world of the living, my best tea buddy is my daughter, who manages a tea shop. Since she works retail, I won’t see much of her until January, so a cup of tea with her now would be nice.
What if curiosity and admiration were my deciding factors? I have a feeling I wouldn’t be the only tarotist in the Blog Hop sitting down today with Pixie.
Of course, my closest friends might assume I would extend the invitation to the late great Jerry Garcia. That would be cool if would bring his guitar.
The fact is, here I sit, early Samhain morning, without a clue whom I want to invite.
I really like talking with everyone. I fiercely love my close family and friends. Beyond that, I have a world-wide tarot practice I have built over more than two decades. That’s a lot of talking with people. Even beyond that, I seem to be talking with those in the spirit world quite regularly.
So out of all those people, living and dead, whom would I most like to talk with today?
Honestly, I most want to talk with whomever wants to talk with me.
Maybe there is a kernel of truth there to explain my unusual tarot practice. Some of my peers in tarot call me “the hardest working woman in tarot.” They don’t always say it with admiration. Over the course of my career, my peers have looked at me with worried glances, wondering if I should slow down lest I burn out.
The thing is, tarot reading energizes me. Part of that is technique, I know. But I think part of it is owed to the same reason I can’t answer the question for today’s Blog Hop.
Out of all the people on Earth and in Heaven, how could I possible choose only one with whom to speak? And how could I know if that would be the one who would most want to speak with me?
I’ve noticed a recent trend in our society; one I blame on the Uranus-Pluto square. These days, people only want to be friends with people who agree with them on a handful of random issues. If you dare give an opposing opinion on anything, you risk losing friends.
To me, this is a dangerous trend. I understand its astrological reflection, and that, in time, as the planets move, this trend will dissipate. In the meanwhile, I am actively trying to respectfully talk with, and value, people with whom I disagree. I believe that our diversity and our differences make us a healthy society. Our ability to compromise, and to understand that no one person has all the right answers, is what makes civilization possible.
Many of my peers have a sweet spot as tarot readers. That is, each has a particular demographic, or type of client, they prefer. I can honestly say, I don’t have that. My favorite type of client is every. My favorite type of reading is all. My favorite place to read tarot is everywhere.
Perhaps that’s why I’m the “hardest working woman in tarot.” In one business day I might help a high school student find the right college, a business owner develop a new strategy, a bride-to-be plan a wedding and a bereaved spouse find closure. With which of those people wouldn’t I want to talk?
So, who will I invite to tea this Samhain? You! Tell me your opinions. Let me read your cards. On this day, even more than any other day of the year, I know that in this lifetime I am doing precisely the thing that is my most natural thing to do.
When I was a student at Hartford Public High School for a year, I received one Major Disciplinary Offense. Can you guess what my crime was?
That’s right. I was disciplined for TALKING. So, no Silent Samhain Supper here. Let’s have a chat! We don’t have to agree on everything. We don’t even have to like each other. In the process of communicating with each other and with Spirit, in the process of exploring symbols, images and archetypes, we will find a common truth.
Now it’s time to have a cup of tea with Ethony, the next blogger in the chain. If you are working backwards, go see Chloe, writing for TABI, the Tarot Association of the British Isles.
If you find a break in the chain, don’t despair! A hop over to the Master List will put you right!