Metaphors

We learned about metaphors in high school as a literary device. In adulthood, many of us discover that metaphors can be a source of spiritual growth and understanding. I believe that the universe often speaks to us in metaphors.

One definition of ‘metaphor’ is ‘a thing regarded as representative or symbolic of something else, especially something abstract.’

Sometimes we will have a small, mundane experience that causes us to think about something bigger, and more far-reaching. Sometimes a small problem will make itself known to us. That problem may be a metaphor for a much larger problem. The small problem gives us the opportunity and insight to deal with the larger problem.

We can find metaphors for situation in life when we observe nature. When we watch the behavior of an animal, we might see it as a metaphor for a current situation. From that, we may find wisdom and insight.

Understanding the power of metaphors is part of the journey of every person who studies tarot or astrology. In metaphysics and spirituality, we understand that symbols have power. They may have power to communicate, to inspire, to evoke, or even to invoke.

To understand metaphors from a spiritual perspective is to understand the power of symbols.

It is a mistake to think that everything we see or experience has deeper spiritual meaning. Some things do, and some things don’t. Yet, it is also a mistake to neglect to look for a deeper meaning, especially when we are struggling.

Metaphors are often the breadcrumbs the universe leaves for us to help us find our way, and to help us see our way forward.

The StaarCorner

Brenda Elizabeth will be teaching two classes at StaarCon. I had the opportunity to sit down with her recently to record a conversation for StaarCast. Brenda is a fascinating and talented person who freely shares her knowledge and skills with others.

In this episode, we learn about her journey as a psychic medium, and how meditation and cartomancy have helped her keep her balance.

You can watch the video, or download the episode wherever you get your podcasts.

Please visit the StaarCon page to learn more!

Join us For Classes and Meetups in December Online

We all have to make many changes in our annual holiday traditions this year. I am sad that I won’t be able to have my Holiday Open House, or my Winter Solstice Celebration at Dream Angels this year. Yet, that doesn’t mean the holidays won’t be merry!

I have added a full calendar of classes and meetups to my YouTube channel, and will also be teaching a class on Zoom.

I am grateful for our international tarot community, and for the technology that allows us to gather together all year long. During this season of gratitude, joy, and renewal I am especially grateful for these opportunities to share a love for tarot and spiritual growth with people I have come to know and love so dearly. If you are not already a part of these events, please plan to join us; we have so much fun and learn so much together!

Tarot Works with Metaphors

When we learn to read tarot, we learn that each card can be a metaphor for something that happens in life. Sometimes the cards will appear in a way that is really literal, as well.

For example, the Wheel of Fortune may appear when you visit a casino.

When you work with your tarot cards, look to see if any of the cards might be speaking of something literal. Most of the time, though, you will find that they speak most often in metaphors.

For example, Major Arcana 13, Death, rarely speaks of a physical death. Very often it can speak of a change in life, like marriage, pregnancy or a job change. We can see how the concept of death works as a metaphor in this way.

Very rarely will the Fool really speak of stepping off an actual cliff. Rather, it may beckon you to boldly begin a new journey. Or, in may caution you to look where you are going.

The Magician may not tell you to actually practice magic as much as it will remind you of the power you have in your life.

The more you look for the metaphors in tarot, the more easily you will understand how the messages of the cards apply to your life.

The Week in Review

This week I shared a blog post about Daily Tarot Devotionals. I offer three easy and meaningful daily tarot practices that you can do at any level of tarot experience.

You can find my upcoming and archived tarot meetups and free tarot classes on my YouTube channel. Make sure you subscribe while you are there!

My Facebook business page is where you need to be to watch for the live readings I do on Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays.

I am also live on the StaarCon page on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

From Around the Web

It’s Thanksgiving this week! Here are some Thanksgiving tarot spreads to try.

Identifying Gratitude: A Thanksgiving Tarot Spread from The Moon Queen.

Here is a Thanksgiving Tarot Spread from Cher Green.

This Tarot Spread of Gratitude comes from Magical Omaha.

Cards for Your Consideration

Any tarot card can make us think of a metaphor or can ask us to look for the metaphor within a situation.

The Hanged Man may offer a particular message in this matter.

The Hanged Man is in an uncomfortable position. Yet, by accepting this and not struggling against it, he has found enlightenment.

Necessity has taught him to see things from a new perspective.

When we notice the metaphors in our life, and find their messages, we do the same.

Events and Tours

Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 3 Issue 48
November 25, 2020

What Can We Create?

I firmly believe that we are all creative people. We may not all have specific talents; not everyone can draw or play an instrument. Yet, creativity is part of our human nature.

We even refer to our concept of Higher Power as “Creator”, and our universe as “creation”. Indeed, creativity is all around us, and part of who we are.

Our creativity may in in the way we solve problems, or the way we perceive things. Our creativity may simply be in the way we enjoy the passage of time.

Sometimes we find ourselves in a situation where we can collaborate with others, either in a professional capacity or for our own enjoyment. A good collaboration brings out the best from all its participants, and often creates a product that no individual could have done alone.

If you believe you are not a creative person, think again. You are. You just need to figure out the way in which you are creative.

It’s important to make time for creative thought and creative projects. Creativity needs to be a priority in some way for all of us.

Technology allows us to produce things we would not have been able to do in years past and allows us to collaborate with people who are far away.

There is a deep connection between creativity and spirituality. Both are ruled by the element of Fire. Both rely on inspiration. Both help us be the best and most we can be.

When we create with others, we connect with them in a special way. When we create, we connect with our Higher Self, and our Higher Power.

Understanding our creativity helps us to understand our potential. To visualize something is to help bring it in to being. I like to think that we are co-creators, along with Higher Power, of our lives, and our future. I believe this is true individually, and as a planet.

What can we create for ourselves?

What can we create in our communities?

What can we create for our planet?

Our creativity is the power that moves us into a hopeful future.

The StaarCorner

Check out this week’s edition of StaarCast, featuring Toni Puhle! We are so excited that Toni will be teaching Kipper cards at StaarCon. My interview with Toni was so fun and interesting. She is a powerhouse of divination knowledge and community building.

You can watch the video or download the audio wherever you get your podcasts.

I am also happy to announce that we have chosen our online platform for StaarCon and are once again selling tickets for this exciting conference which will now be completely online in January 2021. Visit the website to learn more and reserve your tickets!

Join us for a Tarot Class on Zoom

Tarot is a book of spiritual wisdom in picture form. With it, we are able to learn about ourselves, communicate with others and understand our world.

The sixteen Court cards of the tarot, that is, the Kings, Queens, Knights, Pages, are some of the most versatile cards in the deck. The Court cards can help us understand ourselves, our talents, our fears, and our motivations. The Court cards can also represent the people around us and help us understand our relationships with them.

On Thursday, November 19, from 7 pm to 9 pm EST, I will be teaching about the Court cards in a class called “Your Journey Through the Tarot Court”.

In this class you will learn a variety of ways to interpret the tarot Court cards when they appear in a reading and find all the possible messages within them.

This class is appropriate for tarot students at all levels of experience and knowledge.

Class fee is $37.50. Register now on Zoom.

Tarot for Creativity

When you are working on a creative project tarot can be a great tool to assist you. You can pull tarot cards at random to give you ideas. If you are writing a story, for example, you can use the cards to help with character and plot development.

If you are not sure about where your creativity lies or how to develop it, you can pull cards to help find your direction.

If you are feeling blocked, you can ask the cards for tricks to help you find your creative flow.

If you are involved in a collaboration, you can use the cards to help you understand the group dynamics, and the best ways to communicate with one another.

Tarot itself is a creative endeavor in every aspect. It takes creativity to make a tarot deck. It takes creativity to develop a tarot practice. For this reason, tarot is the perfect tool to assist in in your creative development.

The Week in Review

This week I shared a blogpost for serious tarot readers about three difficult things that can happen at the tarot table and how to handle them. Read Holding Space at the Tarot Table.

Join me on my Facebook business page, my YouTube channel and the StaarCon Facebook page for regular livestream events.

From Around the Web

This website and blog about a Dad who has learned to sew clothes for his daughter is inspiring and fun.

Liz Worth has a tarot spread for creativity.

Here are Five Ways to Improve Your Creativity Through Meditation.

Here’s an amatuer creative collaboration done from afar with my song sisters. We call ourselves “The Three of Cups”.

Cards for Your Consideration

A clue that creativity is vital to our existence is that so many cards in the tarot deck can reference it. All of the Fire cards, which includes the suit of Wands and more than a quarter of the Major Arcana cards, could be considered a reference to creativity on some level.

Beyond that, the number Three is, at its essence, a reference to creativity. Thus, all Three cards can in some way make us think about creativity.

Let’s specifically consider the Three of Pentacles. While we know that this is a card of work, employment, recognition, and mastery, we can also see within in some creativity. We can even see creative collaboration.

Sometimes this card will come up to discuss creative solutions. It might ask the question; what can we do to make this work? Sometimes the Three of Pentacles might say that our creative efforts will be appreciated by others.

We often think of creativity only in terms of the element of Fire. Yet even the earthy Three of Pentacles holds within it some evidence of creativity. Many of us enjoy jobs where we can use our creativity. The Three of Pentacles may speak of such a job.

Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 3 Issue 47
November 18, 2020

Unconditional Love

We all talk about love a lot. We ‘love’ our friends’ posts on social media. We love the new Netflix series we are binging, we love the cauliflower crust pizza, and, of course, we love our family and friends. We love our country, our car, our dog, and our favorite band, too.

The truth is, within the heart is plenty of room for the fascinating, the frivolous, and the functional. We use the word ‘love’ to describe things that bring us joy, make us laugh, and inspire us.

We also have plenty of room in our hearts for the people in our lives. There are a lot of different ways that we feel love for people. We feel romantic love, parental love, familial love and platonic love. Sometimes our relationships with the people we love bring us a sense of happiness, safety, pride, and companionship. Sometimes they bring us grief and sorrow.

When we consider our closest relationships, the obvious goal is that we should love each other unconditionally. What does unconditional love mean?

Unconditional love is generally defined as love with no strings attached. Unconditional love is not based on action, transaction, or negotiation.

Unconditional love is necessary because we are all human, and humans are imperfect. Unconditional love means that we love each other knowing that we will sometimes fall short of each other’s expectations, and we will sometimes make mistakes.

Unconditional love does not mean that we can’t hold each other accountable, or that we shouldn’t have boundaries with each other.

Unconditional love is reserved for those people closest to us. When we are able to give and receive unconditional love, we enjoy a special blessing.

Unconditional love allows us to operate from a place of emotional security that helps us grow, heal, and explore life in a fearless way.

The StaarCorner

This week our new StaarCast episode features my conversation with Jenna Matlin. Jenna is a fulltime tarot professional and tarot business coach. At StaarCon she will be offering a practical workshop on the best ways for tarot professionals and other readers to offer sessions online. In the age of pandemic, this is an especially helpful and necessary topic.

You can watch the StaarCast video, or listen to the audio wherever you get your podcasts.

We expect to have our StaarCon website modified to reflect StaarCon 2021 Online as soon as Friday this week, so make sure you visit us and see everything we will be offering in January.

Join us for a Tarot Class on Zoom

Tarot is a book of spiritual wisdom in picture form. With it, we are able to learn about ourselves, communicate with others and understand our world.

The sixteen Court cards of the tarot, that is, the Kings, Queens, Knights, Pages, are some of the most versatile cards in the deck. The Court cards can help us understand ourselves, our talents, our fears, and our motivations. The Court cards can also represent the people around us and help us understand our relationships with them.

On Thursday, November 19, from 7 pm to 9 pm EST, I will be teaching about the Court cards in a class called “Your Journey Through the Tarot Court”.

In this class you will learn a variety of ways to interpret the tarot Court cards when they appear in a reading and find all the possible messages within them.

This class is appropriate for tarot students at all levels of experience and knowledge.

Class fee is $37.50. Register now on Zoom.

A Tarot Spread about Love

Here is a tarot spread you can use to help you grow in your ability to love yourself and others.

Arrange the cards in any pattern that feels right.

Let Card One show you something you can do today to be more loving toward yourself.

Let Card Two show you something you can do to heal from heartache and grief.

Let Card Three show you something you can do to attract more love into your life.

Let Card Four show you something you can do to be more loving toward someone in your life.

Let Card Five show you a place in your life where you need to be careful about your boundaries.

Let Card Six show you a way to expand your heart and feel more love around you.

The Week in Review

This week I wrote a blogpost about Three Ways Tarot Helps Us. I also taught a class on YouTube about the Suit of Pentacles.

Barrett Urmy interviewed me on his YouTube channel this week. I enjoyed our conversation!

If you missed my live broadcasts on my Facebook business page or on the StaarCon page this week you can watch them in archive.

From Around the Web

Lifehack has some important things to share about unconditional love.

Healthline shared an article about this topic, too.

Psychology Today asked if unconditional love is truly possible.

Cards for Your Consideration

There are so many tarot cards that can speak of love. We see romantic love in the Two of Cups, for example. We see a loving family in the Ten of Cups. We can see relationships in the Lovers, and marriage in the Four of Wands and the Hierophant. We see charity in the Six of Pentacles, and friendship in the Three of Cups.

My favorite card to speak of unconditional love is the Ace of Cups. Here, we see the full potential of love, and the spiritual nature of love. We see the open heart chakra, and the limitless ability that the heart has to heal, to love and to grow.

Very often we might interpret the Ace of Cups as a new relationship. Yet, there is so much more to be found in this card.

Our ability to love one another is the surest proof of the existence of a higher power who loves us. The Ace of Cups evokes a sense of that infinite power of unconditional love.

Events and Tours

Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 3 Issue 46
November 11, 2020

Healing is a Lifelong Journey

Have you ever wondered why there is so much focus on the concept of ‘healing’ in spiritual and metaphysical communities? And, have you ever wondered how to differentiate between those providing real opportunities to improve wellness and those who are selling banal platitudes, useless remedies and false hope?

From the moment we are born until the moment we die, life is full of pain and trauma, and potential injury to body, mind and spirit. Yet, we humans are fantastically resilient. We are literally built to heal.

For centuries philosophers have wondered about the meaning and purpose of human life on planet earth. I have come to believe that healing is the purpose of the human experience.

I believe that we are spiritual beings having a human experience. I believe that part of the value of that human experience is our ability to find healing and joy amidst difficulty and pain.

It is our nature to seek relief from pain, whether physical or emotion. In that seeking we are in danger of addiction, and vulnerable to fraud.

How can we stay on a true path of healing? We must vet each teacher, each modality, and each practice with logic. We must understand that healing will mean different things for different people. For one person who has lost mobility, for example, healing might be regaining the ability to walk. For another, the greatest healing possible might be acceptance, and learning to live a good life within those limitations.

One way to spot fraudulent healing claims is to take careful note of healers who promise the impossible. Yet, how can we dismiss what has been deemed impossible as fraud, but still leave room for miracles?

I think part of healing great physical difficulty requires a certain balancing act between realism and hope. On one hand we must accept what is, on the other, we must know that sometimes miracles happen. Yet, we must also recognize that any person claiming to be a purveyor of miracles is suspect. Finding the balance between the rational and the spiritual, the logical and the hopeful, is always a tricky part of the healing journey.

Emotional healing can be even trickier. One thing I often say is that every parent gives their kids something to tell a therapist. No matter how lucky we are to have great parents or a privileged childhood, we all spend most of our adult lives recovering from the first twenty years. Those who were not so lucky as children have an even more difficult path.

The way to embrace healing in this case is to be a survivor rather than a victim, and to be a thriver rather than a survivor.

Part of human resilience is our natural ability to heal. Healers, modalities and practices can do nothing more than assist our own natural abilities. In the end, we ourselves are the miracle.

When we understand that our entire existence is, on some level, meant to be a journey of healing, we also understand that we are each our own best healer.

Part of being a good self-healer is seeking out the help we need, finding the tools and modalities that work for us. Along with that, we must be ever mindful to avoid frauds, spiritual bypassing, and falling into the role of victimhood.

Perhaps a first step toward healing is about finding the balance between hope and acceptance, digging deep and staying positive, living in the moment and planning for the future, and faith and logic.

When we can achieve and maintain those balances, the lifelong journey of healing can be a joyful one.

The StaarCorner

As many of you have already heard, we at StaarCon have made the decision for StaarCon 2021 to be online only, due to the continuing health concerns associated with the pandemic. We plan that StaarCon 2022, which will be January 21-23, 2022, will be hybrid event, with opportunities to gather in Palm Beach Gardens for those who can, and opportunities to attend online for those who find that more convenient.

If you have already purchased a ticket for StaarCon 2021, we will be in touch with you shortly. If you have not yet purchased your ticket, we are in the process of updating our website to reflect these changes. If you were not going to be able to travel to attend StaarCon this January, consider how easy it will be to attend this conference from the comfort of your home.

We are working to build an online conference that will be robust and interactive. We will have a virtual exhibition hall and psychic fair, just as we had planned to do in person. We will have a strong lineup of speakers, as you can see on our website.

One of the advantages of the virtual event is that you will have the opportunity to view the presentations you missed live in archive. That is but one way we are working to add value to the StaarCon experience.

We are excited for the StaarCon community we are building, and glad that you are a part of it!

Join us for a Tarot Class on Zoom

Tarot is a book of spiritual wisdom in picture form. With it, we are able to learn about ourselves, communicate with others and understand our world.

The sixteen Court cards of the tarot, that is, the Kings, Queens, Knights, Pages, are some of the most versatile cards in the deck. The Court cards can help us understand ourselves, our talents, our fears, and our motivations. The Court cards can also represent the people around us and help us understand our relationships with them.

On Thursday, November 19, from 7 pm to 9 pm EST, I will be teaching about the Court cards in a class called “Your Journey Through the Tarot Court”.

In this class you will learn a variety of ways to interpret the tarot Court cards when they appear in a reading and find all the possible messages within them.

This class is appropriate for tarot students at all levels of experience and knowledge.

Class fee is $37.50. Register now on Zoom.

Healing with Tarot

There are many ways we can use tarot on our journey toward emotional and spiritual healing.

Perhaps the three most important are contemplation, divination, and manifestation.

Each tarot card contains spiritual lessons and insights. When we study tarot, we learn these spiritual lessons, just as we learn the lessons of any sacred text. These lessons become lifelong partners on our healing journey.

In divination, we can ask questions and use spreads designed to give us insight and healing on our journey. We can work with a competent tarot professional to help find our healing.

In manifestation, we can use the cards to help us visualize our success. We can direct the energy of specific cards to lend support to our healing.

When we work with tarot in this way, we find that the cards are much more than a fortune-telling device. The cards can become a tool for our healing journey.

The Week in Review

This week I shared a review of Gita Rash’s new oracle, The Mahabharata Oracle.

I have a lot of great free meetups and workshops coming up this month on my YouTube channel. Make sure you check out the StaarCast channel as well, it’s our new podcast about all things StaarCon!

I do six live broadcasts a week on Facebook. Four are on my Facebook business page, and two on the StaarCon page.

From Around the Web

Here is an interesting discussion of the benefits and pitfalls of manifesting.

I was thrilled to see this article from NBC about Black women embracing tarot and traditional spiritual practices .

It’s a new month! Here are your horoscopes for November.

Cards for Your Consideration

The Three of Swords is a card that often makes us say “Ouch!” when it appears in a reading. Even for the tarot client who knows nothing of tarot study, this image really says it all.

When we see this card, there is obvious pain, suffering, betrayal and/or heartache.

Yet, something else is inherent in this card that we do well to remember.

In this card is the opportunity for healing and growth.

We can’t sugarcoat pain and grief. We must hold space for the process of suffering. Yet, we must find a balance in knowing that along with pain comes an opportunity for healing that may be even greater than the pain itself.

Upcoming Events and Tours

Tarot Topics Newsletter
Volume 3 Issue 45
November 4, 2020