My daughter said a very wise thing to me the other day.

“It’s okay to complain about something you are grateful for.”

She’s right.

I think it is very important to express gratitude, and to hold gratitude in our hearts. I believe that the more grateful we are, the more blessings we will manifest.

Yet, sometimes things become irritating. Even the very things for which we are most grateful in our lives can cause us stress and give us reason to complain.

No one likes a chronic complainer. It’s never good to be the person who always sees the cup as half empty.

It seems, though, that we need to be emotionally balanced. It can be a good practice to acknowledge both our joys and our stresses, and to laugh at the number of times those joys and stresses are generated from the same source.

It can be a good metric as well, to keep track of the joys and stresses. A situation that regularly brings more stress than joy might be catalyst for change.

In our prayers and meditations, we are right to bring our gratitudes and our complaints to Spirit. The more we acknowledge the things for which we are grateful, the more we are able to build on those things and nurture those things. The more we can clearly state our complaints, the more we can focus energy on making positive changes.

When I was young, I used to believe that if someone complained about something, it automatically meant that the source of the complaint was disliked or unappreciated. Clearly, my daughter is wiser than I was. She knows that there is always a balance. Just because we express frustration doesn’t mean we aren’t truly grateful.

The StaarCorner

We are happy to welcome Nancy Hendrickson to our roster of speakers for StaarCon!

Nancy is a San Diego-based Tarot author and distance healing practitioner. Her book, Ancestral Tarot (Red Wheel/Weiser) will be released Spring 2021, drawing on her decades of working with those who have passed over.

You might have read Nancy’s articles in one of our favorite magazines, The Cartomancer.

Make plans now to join Nancy, and the rest of us, at StaarCon!

Gratitudes and Complaints Tarot Spread

Here is a tarot spread to help you sort out your joys and stresses. You can arrange the cards in any shape you prefer.

Let the first card offer thoughts, support or ideas about something that is a complaint for you right now.

Let the second card help you see the reasons you have gratitude for this person, thing, or situation.

Let the third card show you ways to mitigate the problems that are caused here.

Let the fourth card offer ways to maximize the positive aspects of the situation.

World Divination Association Virtual Conference

I am very excited to announce that I will be presenting at the World Divination Association Virtual Conference to be held this weekend on Facebook Live.

This unique conference is being organized by Toni Puhle, who has also agreed to be a speaker at StaarCon.

The line-up of speakers over the two-day virtual conference is impressive, and includes other StaarCon speakers such as Mary K. Greer and Mitchell Osborn. We will be joined by luminaries around the world.

The cost to attend the virtual conference is under $40. All speaker videos will be available to watch for a week after the conference so you can catch up on those you weren’t able to watch live.

You can sign up, and learn more, on the World Divination Association website.

The Week in Review

This week I shared a post on my personal blog that relates, in part, to our newsletter topic. Read “It’s Okay to Feel What You Feel”.

Each week I do at least three live broadcasts on my Facebook Business Page. Visit me there and hit ‘Like’ so you can be notified when I go live there next. You can also see the archived videos of my past broadcasts there, and on my YouTube channel.

From Around the Web

Benebell Wen will be a headlining speaker at StaarCon. Watch her latest YouTube video, which is a spirited discussion on the ins and outs of intuitive tarot.

One of the greatest tarot voices of our day belongs to Theresa Reed, The Tarot Lady. Check out her “Hateful to Grateful Tarot Spread.”

Here is a tarot spread from Phoenix Lotus to help you deal with difficult people.

Cards for Your Consideration

The Five of Cups can suggest a mood or situation that is sad, grievous or disappointing. When we see this card in a reading, we know that something has not gone well. It may be time to hold space for grief, or to offer comfort.

The three cups that have spilled represent something that has been lost. Yet, we also need to focus on the two cups that remain standing.

Sometimes this card cajoles us to stop crying over spilled milk and make the best of our situation.

I think this card can be a very good illustration of a situation where we might have some complaints, but also something for which to be grateful.

Events and Tours

Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 3 Issue 22
May 27, 2020