Checking the Boxes
Some people are natural list-makers. My mother had countless numbers of small notebooks, all filled with lists. There were grocery lists, gift lists, and to-do lists.
My grandmother did not like to-do lists. She would make “accomplishment lists” at the end of the day so she could feel happy with what she had done, rather than guilty about what she had left undone. There is some wisdom there!
In our society, the “bucket list” is the things you want to do before you die. Many people have bucket lists that are fanciful, and very unlikely to be fulfilled.
Single people are encouraged to make a list of exactly what they want in a partner, in an effort to manifest the right relationship. I cannot begin to tell you the number of times I have comforted people after the potential partner who “checked all the boxes” on first glance turned out to be a source of heartbreak and disappointment.
We often think of the list of things that will bring us satisfaction in life, and look at which boxes are checked, and which are not. It is good to be clear, with ourselves and with the Universe, about what we want in life. A checklist for life can keep us on track and motivated as we work toward our goals.
We also need to have some mystery boxes on our list. That is, things we do not know we want, but are surprised to discover they bring joy and fulfillment to our lives.
Sometimes the opposite is true, as well. We get something we thought we needed, or wanted, and it turns out to not make us happy at all.
It is good to have clear and stated goals. Yet, we also need to learn to be happy before all the boxes are checked. Sometimes we do not get everything we want when we want it.
There is no single thing, and no specific recipe of ingredients, for joy, happiness, and satisfaction in life, no matter how many boxes we check.
We might get everything we want, and still feel that something is missing. We might get less than what we want, and still maintain an attitude of gratitude and space for joy.
No matter what we have or wish to have, happiness comes from what is within us. No list of accomplishments or possession will make us happy until we allow our happiness. We cannot expect to anticipate all the happy surprises that could bring us the most joy of all.
That is where a gratitude list comes in handy. It can be a wonderful exercise to make a list of all the things for which we are grateful. Very often, that energy of gratitude helps us to manifest the things that will check all the boxes.
The StaarCorner
Our second annual conference will be January 21 through 23, 2022. We will be a hybrid conference, meeting in person in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, and online using the Accelevents platform.
One of our missions for StaarCon is to present a wide range of topics within the field of divination. We are excited that Mary Ellen Collins has agreed to present a class on casting charms as a unique divination process. She will also share ways to combine charm casting with tarot reading.
Whether you plan to attend in person or online, now is the time to begin collecting small objects for your personal charm divination kit. Small toys, jewelry pieces, coins, keys, and other mementos can all become sacred objects with which you divine truth and enhance your tarot readings.
Did you miss Clarity in Every Tarot Card?
Take it now in archive at Card and Craft Academy on Teachable!
Includes the class materials and a recording of the live webcast.
Join Us for Tarot Class on Zoom Tomorrow Evening!
I am so excited for tarot class tomorrow evening. We meet on Zoom at 7 pm, ET, Thursday, April 22. This class is unique in that we are going to attempt to quantify and teach one of the most mysterious aspects of tarot reading. That is, the flow of a tarot reading.
Every tarot reading will tell you that sometimes the cards, the information, and the energy just flows, while other times a reading can feel stilted and disconnected.
In this workshop we will explore what creates flow, and how to find the flow even when it is not happening easily.
Learn more about this class and get your ticket by visiting the event description on my website. Class fee is $37.50.
List and Manifest with Tarot
Tarot is a great tool for setting goals, and for raising the energy to help manifest them. There are many ways to do this.
If you are not sure exactly what you want, you can use divination to help you know what boxes you should be looking to check.
For example, suppose you have had a series of failed relationships, but would like to manifest a relationship that would be healing and happy. You could ask the cards to show you the attributes of someone who would be a great partner for you. Choose five or six cards from the deck at random. Make a list of the attributes you see in those cards. Then, spend some time focusing your energy on those cards, and that list, as a way of manifesting that person into your life.
If you are clear on your specific goals, you might go through your deck looking at the cards. Cognitively choose all the cards which, to you, represent your goals, and the things you want in your life. This is a version of creating a vision board. By choosing the images which represent the list of things you want, you are using your energy, and the power of the images, to help bring those things into being.
Make Your Plans to See me In Connecticut in May!
I will be in Connecticut May 21 through May 26. I have a limited number of appointments available for private readings at True Bikram Yoga in Madison, and house calls and small parties at your home or office.
Please call or text me now at 561-655-1160 to reserve your appointment time. It will be wonderful to get together and look toward a new, better future.
The Week in Review
This week I shared a blogpost about Three Ways to Learn a Tarot Card. Wherever you are in your tarot practice, these techniques will help you expand your knowledge and your confidence.
Have you seen any of my weekly livestream reading sessions on my YouTube channel? Here is the most recent Three Card-Weekly Reading. Can you see a way that these cards are playing out in your life this week?
From Around the Web
Here are three recent articles from popular magazines and websites about tarot. It is great to see tarot gaining acceptance and understanding in the world at large.
In Marie Claire, we see an article about ways that tarot is not helpful, and ways that it is.
Financial Times tells us why tarot is trending.
MLB.com shares a story about a baseball player who receives help from a tarot reader.
Cards for Your Consideration
There are many tarot cards that might speak of the process of quantifying what it will take to produce satisfaction, and what it will take to manifest those things.
The Two of Wands is a card that can speak of this, either to describe such a process or to encourage it.
In the Two of Wands we see a person considering what in the world they want, what they want to do, and how they are going to make it happen.
There is both a practical and spiritual component here. The setting of the goals and making of the list is practical. The attention and energy sent in a specific direction is the spiritual practice of manifestation. Two of Wands can reference both these components.
Upcoming Events and Tours
Palm City office appointments and private parties in your home or office will be available starting June 4th!
Card and Craft Academy
Classes presented by Christiana are available right now at Card and Craft Academy!
Christiana’s Candle Magick
Christiana’s Eleven-Card Celtic Cross
Finding Meaning in the Minor Arcana
The Major Arcana, Magical and Mundane
Practical Tarot Techniques
Psychic Tarot
Personal Tarot: Reading for Yourself
Sharing Wisdom: Reading for Others
The Meaning and Magic of Tarot Reversals
Journey Through the Major Arcana
Your Journey Through the Minor Arcana: Numbers, Elements and Truth
Tarot Beyond the Veil
Your Journey Through the Tarot Court
Tarot Stories, Trends, and Blends
Tarot Readings for Personalities and Relationships
Clarity in Every Tarot Card
Catch up on your missed Zoom webinars and more!
cardandcraftacademy.com
Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 4 Issue 16
April 21, 2021
