Animal Wisdom

Many people find spiritual insight and wisdom by connecting with the natural world and its inhabitants. For this reason, animals play an important part in many spiritual paths and practices.

Connection with animals can happen when we observe them in nature, or when we spend time with our pets. Animals can appear in our dreams, or in symbols. Animals are often pictured in tarot and oracle decks. Animals are the icons in many systems of astrology. There are numerous decks of divination with animal themes. Many English names for yoga postures are named for animals.

We visualize ourselves as specific animals in order to nurture their characteristics within ourselves. We try to have the heart of a lion. We try to be like a duck and oil our feathers, or shed our skin like a snake.

When I was growing up, I was amazed that my cat could wake me up from across the room, simply by staring at me. It was clear that this animal had some psychic ability, (back then we called it ESP) or at least that the cat and I shared a psychic connection.

I feel the sighting of a wild animal is a portentous omen. I interpret the omen based on what the animal is, what it is doing, how I feel about it and how I feel it applies to what is going on in my life. There are also books and websites to help us understand traditional animal symbolism.

I take the presence of an animal in a dream as seriously as I do when I encounter one in real life. For me, the symbolism is what matters.

There are so many ways for us to find wisdom in our connection to animals. The more energy we devote to paying attention to the messages of the animals around us, the more profound insight we will receive.

Make Your Plans to See Me During My Northeastern Tour!

I will be in Connecticut March 27 through April 8. I am available for parties, groups and house calls in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York City.

I am also offering private readings by appointment at True Bikram Yoga in Madison.

To make your appointment, please call or text 561-655-1160.

I will be teaching two workshops while I am there.

In Madison, on Sunday, March 31 at 7 pm I am teaching ‘The Journey of Life: The Major Arcana of Tarot.

In New Haven, on Sunday, April 7 at 7 pm I am teaching ‘Oils, Intuition and Manifestation’. Learn more about these workshops, and register in advance!

What the Animals in Tarot Have to Say

While there are many animal-themed decks, there are also many animals pictured in most tarot decks.

For this exercise, use a Waite deck, or other fully-illustrated deck that isn’t specifically animal-themed. Look through the cards and find the following.

Which cards picture animals that are intrinsic to the card’s meaning? Here, look for animals like Strength’s lion and the Fool’s dog.

Which cards picture animals to depict the cards’ element? Here, I am look for the birds in the Swords cards, for example, and the lizards in the Wands cards.

Now look for imaginary animals. Are there griffins or dragons? What do those animals say to you about the cards on which they appear?

Now look for the rest of the animals. That is, animals that are not iconic for the cards’ meaning, and are not there specifically to symbolize an element.

How many animals how you found? What information do they give you about the card on which they appear?

Go back to the first animal cards you found, like Strength and the Fool. What do their animals tell you about each card?

How does considering the animals enhance your understanding of your cards?

The Week in Review

If you missed our February Global Tarot, you can watch the archive on YouTube. Our next Global Tarot Circle on Facebook Live will be March 18, so make plans to join us.

This week I posted on my personal blog some thoughts about tarot interpretations and keywords. How do you handle it when your take on a card is different from your friends’? Read When Tarot Keywords Diverge.

From Around the Web

Here’s an interesting article from The Daily Dot about our online tarot communities, and the role they may be playing in our society.

From Best Self Magazine, here is a piece about using tarot to increase mindfulness and self-awareness.

Check out this new animal deck-in-progress. The Major Barkana is a dog-themed tarot designed to raise money to provide service dogs to disabled folk.

Cards for Your Consideration

My favorite animal tarot deck is Lisa Hunt’s Animals Divine Tarot, now sadly out of print. Lisa Hunt’s art style is detailed, realistic and haunting. Over the years her contribution to the tarot has been intense and unique. Animals Divine Tarot, like many of Lisa Hunt’s decks, falls into the category that I call ‘archetypal assignment’. Hunt works with the archetype of each card and find a matching character within the body of her theme.

In Animals Divine Tarot, each suit is illustrated with animals associated with their element. The Swords suit is graced with winged creatures. The Cups suit features aquatic life. The Pentacles are land mammals, and the Wands are depicted by insects and reptiles.

The Court cards, and the Major Arcana, are deities associated with animals.

If you are lucky enough to own a copy of this out of print deck, enjoy it! If you happen to find an affordable used copy, consider adding it to your collection.

Psychic Gallery at ZeroPointe in Fort Lauderdale

Join me for an exciting event in Fort Lauderdale on the first day of Spring!

On Wednesday, March 20, 7 pm to 9 pm, I will present a psychic gallery at ZeroPointe Healing Foundation, formerly Center for Inner Wisdom, located at 4849 N Dixie Hwy, Suite 2, Oakland Park, FL 33334.

I love doing psychic galleries, because the energy of sacred space, and the energy of a group united for a single purpose, can create the perfect environment in which to receive powerful messages from Spirit.

In a psychic gallery with me, each person receives pertinent information and insight. Group members hold space and support each other, and benefit from hearing and witnessing every message.

The energy of the vernal equinox will add a powerful dimension to the readings on this special evening, bringing the opportunity for each of us to find balance and initiate new beginnings.

Tickets are $30, and seating is limited. Register now!

Special Class at Dream Angels - Your Journey Through the Minor Arcana

Join me at Dream Angels in Tequesta this week on Thursday, February 28, from 7 to 9pm for a class on the Minor Arcana of tarot.

In this class tarot enthusiasts of all levels of experience will learn simple-yet-profound techniques to remember, understand and interpret the Minor Arcana cards of the tarot.

This class is geared for all tarot enthusiasts. Even if you are brand new, this topic will be a great place to start!

This class is part of a monthly tarot group that meets the 4th Thursday of each month, hosted by Mary Ellen Collins and me.

Class fee is $25 at the door, $20 prepaid up until the day before. To prepay, please visit the Dream Angels website.

New Video Class Available: Christiana’s Eleven-Card Celtic Cross Spread

I am very excited to share a new tarot class with you, appropriate for tarotists of all levels of experience. In this class you will learn my eleven-card Celtic Cross tarot spread.

As many of you know, this is by far my favorite tarot spread. If I have every read for you, you’ve seen this powerful spread in action.

This class is designed to teach you to perform this spread, but also to teach you a great deal about working with tarot spreads in general. As you take the class you will perform this spread for yourself. Along the way you will add a number of important tools to your tarot toolbox.

The first one hundred students will receive a $10 discount on the $35 class fee, so sign up now!

Tarot Topics Newsletter Volume 2 Issue 9 - February 27, 2019

Making the Connection

Making the Connection

In divination, as in life, the connections we make matter.

Spiritual work is full of all sorts of connections. That’s why many healers and diviners are very sensitive to the energies of Mercury retrograde. Mercury, of course, is all about connections. In retrograde, those connections need extra attention and care. (The next Mercury retrograde begins March 6.)

Effective divination, whether with tarot or any other tool, requires us to make connections. Let’s use tarot as an example to explore the different connections we make to deliver meaningful messages.

First, we must make a connection with Spirit, Higher Power, or our own higher consciousness. Diviners vary widely in their spiritual beliefs but tend to agree that there is a higher energy we connect with in divination, whether than energy emanates from within us our outside of us.

If we are reading for another person, we must make an energetic connection with that person.

We must connect with the cards we’ve pulled in a number of different ways. We connect with the images; we see how the images make us feel and the things of which we are reminded when we look at the pictures.

Readers who value the wisdom of classic tarot knowledge know that we learn the cards by making connections. Each card has a number of classic keywords that often feel widely divergent. Consider the Ten of Pentacles. The Ten of Pentacles can predict love. The Ten of Pentacles can indicate wealth. This same card can also speak of heritage and legacy. It is also the card of real estate, predicting buying or selling property, home renovations or a career in real estate. The Ten of Pentacles can suggest you love your home and are happy there.

The way we get a handle on the essence of a card’s energy is by finding the thing that connects all those keywords. In the case of the Ten of Pentacles, the connecting point is family. In the Waite-Smith image, the connecting point is the grandfather.

Try this process with each tarot card to stretch and solidify your understanding of the card.

The trickiest connection, and the one that separates mediocre readers from truly talented ones, is the ability to make the connection between classic keywords and card interpretations and what is happening in the querent’s life. There is an intuitive process that allows the reader to extrapolate the card meanings in a way that applies and resonates.

Even in our mundane lives, the connections we make are important. That is especially true of our social connections, our professional networks and our intimate partners. We need to connect with one another.

Often, our points of view and opinions can be a huge disconnect when we don’t see eye to eye. When we look past our differences and focus on our human commonalities, it becomes easier to make important connections with everyone.

What is true in human interaction is also true in divination. When things seem misaligned, the key is in finding where the connection truly is.

Make Your Plans to See Me During My Northeastern Tour!

I will be in Connecticut March 27 through April 8. I am available for parties, groups and house calls in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York City.

I am also offering private readings by appointment at True Bikram Yoga in Madison.

To make your appointment, please call or text 561-655-1160.

I will be teaching two workshops while I am there.

In Madison, on Sunday, March 31 at 7 pm I am teaching ‘The Journey of Life: The Major Arcana of Tarot.

In New Haven, on Sunday, April 7 at 7 pm I am teaching ‘Oils, Intuition and Manifestation’. Learn more about these workshops, and register in advance!

Two Tarot Exercises to Help Make Connections

The key to a good tarot reading is flow. Intuition must flow, and the story must flow. Flow is fostered, in part, by the connections we make. Here are two exercises to help you find those connections and find your flow.

Dig into the Cards

Look at each card and speak aloud about it for as long as you can. What are all the things you know about this card? How does this card make you feel? What can this card mean in a reading?

As you are speaking of the card you will notice that your own understanding of it expands and deepens.

The Seventy-Eight-Card Story

Shuffle the cards. Turn over the top card and use it to begin a story. Move quickly on to the next card, letting that card continue the story. Let your story grow as you look at all seventy-eight cards. Let the story be fanciful, silly or outrageous; just let the cards inspire your imagination and your words as the story flows from one card to the next.

The Week in Review

This week I shared a post on my Community Blog called “Group Readings: The Performance Aspect of Tarot”. One of the amazing things about tarot reading is that there are so many different ways we can do it!

From Around the Web

Here’s a new post from Jamie Morris, one of my favorite tarotist writers. If you are also a tarotist writer, you will enjoy this writing prompt.

As I mentioned earlier, Mercury Retrograde is on its way. From Astrostyle, here is a guide on how to survive it!

From Maddy Elruna, some thoughts on when tarot does not work out as expected.

King of Cups from Art of Life Tarot by Charlene Livingstone, Copyright 2012, U.S. Games Systems, Inc.

Cards for Your Consideration

Let’s contemplate the King of Cups. Here we see this image from the Art of Life Tarot, which pairs a work of art with a quotation to illustrate the energy of each card.

I chose this particular illustration because it echoes my own take of the King of Cups.

The King of Cups is often somewhat maligned in a way that almost feels misandrist to me. It’s easy to see him as one who drinks too much, or as a whiner.

Yes, each Court card, when representing a person, can represent one who is demonstrating either positive behaviors or negative ones. There is an up and a down to every card at any moment.

Tarotists so often describe the King of Cups as alcoholic or wussy. Yet, if we break it down to the barest of elements, the King of Cups, as the King of Water, is a man who understands and communicates love; one who makes emotions a priority.

Can the King of Cups represent an undesirable guy? Of course, but for me that is not the baseline interpretation.

I think that all people need to be able to understand and communicate their emotions, and all people need to understand the paramount importance of love in all its forms. That a man is in touch with his emotions should not automatically cause us to think of him as weak. This should be true in life, as well as in the cards.

For me, Kings in tarot are the highest expression of their element. As the king of water,  the King of Cups can be one who is a master of understanding love.

We can all embrace our inner King of Cups by working to stay in the high vibration of unconditional love as we interact with the people around us.

When the King of Cups does not represent a person, this card may instruct us to take the lead in a situation in a way that is loving and considerate of the feelings of others.

Psychic Gallery at ZeroPointe in Fort Lauderdale

Join me for an exciting event in Fort Lauderdale on the first day of Spring!

On Wednesday, March 20, 7 pm to 9 pm, I will present a psychic gallery at ZeroPointe Healing Foundation, formerly Center for Inner Wisdom, located at 4849 N Dixie Hwy, Suite 2, Oakland Park, FL 33334.

I love doing psychic galleries, because the energy of sacred space, and the energy of a group united for a single purpose, can create the perfect environment in which to receive powerful messages from Spirit.

In a psychic gallery with me, each person receives pertinent information and insight. Group members hold space and support each other, and benefit from hearing and witnessing every message.

The energy of the vernal equinox will add a powerful dimension to the readings on this special evening, bringing the opportunity for each of us to find balance and initiate new beginnings.

Tickets are $30, and seating is limited. Register now!

Join us for Global Tarot Circle on Facebook Live

On Wednesday, February 20 from7 pm to 8 pm you have the opportunity to join tarot friends from around the world on my free monthly webinar, Global Tarot Circle on Facebook Live.

Each month we gather on Facebook to share readings, conversation and tarot study. You can join in on your smartphone, computer or tablet.

To join, simply like my business page and look for the live feed.

Tarot Topics Newsletter Volume 2 Issue 8
February 20, 2019

Messages of Love

Messages of Love

We encourage each other!

One of the many legends about Saint Valentine is that he, while imprisoned, wrote letters of encouragement to his followers on the heart-shaped leaves available to him through his cell window.

Whether or not this story is factual, I love the imagery of it; the idea that an imprisoned person’s faith and inspiration could be so strong as to share encouragement with those outside his prison walls.

This leads to the idea that, no matter our own limitations or difficulties, we still have the capacity to provide inspiration, encouragement and solace to others. And, perhaps in that act, can find the same for ourselves.

How we communicate with people matters. Our tone, our words and our energy make a difference to the people around us. Even when dealing with strangers, we can choose to share a positive, encouraging energy.

Sometimes we hear positive messages, not only from the people we love, but from strangers, song lyrics, dreams, and our own intuition. I believe that our loved ones in Spirit send us messages of love constantly; we just need to know how to hear them.

The more we are aware of how we communicate with people, the more we are able to receive positive messages from the Universe. In meditation, divination and simply by listening, we become able to sense, and to share, the messages of love that are all around us.

Make Your Plans to See Me During My Northeastern Tour!

I will be in Connecticut March 27 through April 8. I am available for parties, groups and house calls in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York City.

I am also offering private readings by appointment at True Bikram Yoga in Madison.

To make your appointment, please call or text 561-655-1160.

I will be teaching two workshops while I am there.

In Madison, on Sunday, March 31 at 7 pm I am teaching ‘The Journey of Life: The Major Arcana of Tarot.

In New Haven, on Sunday, April 7 at 7 pm I am teaching ‘Oils, Intuition and Manifestation’. Learn more about these workshops, and register in advance!

The Pages are Messengers

There are many tarot cards whose keywords include ‘communication,’ but probably few as directly as the four Pages.

While the Pages can be children, or students, these cards also serve to bear messages and to encourage us to communicate.

Long before electronic communication, the Pages would predict the much-anticipated event of receiving a letter in the mail. Now, they handily answer questions like, ‘Will I hear from him?’ and ‘Should I say something to her about this?’

Pages can also take on the role of letting you know that your loved ones in spirit have a message for you.

The next time you see a Page in a reading, consider that the card could be encouraging you to communicate with someone, or letting you know that someone is trying to communicate with you!

The Week in Review

Just released this week was a podcast from the Tarot Readers Academy featuring me! The topic is ‘The Cards Speak for Themselves’. You can listen to the podcast, watch the video and download free study materials!

This week on my personal blog I shared some thoughts about Rumi, my new favorite song and a tarot exercise.

From Around the Web

Check out this month’s Hit List from The Tarot Lady. I was pleased to get a mention!

I stumbled on this older post from James Ricklef about Tarot and Desiderata. This post has certainly stood the test of time and offers a great tarot exercise.

Mary Greer has a new post called ‘Active Imagination vs. Guided Imagery.’

Cards for Your Consideration

What better deck to consider for Valentine’s Day than Lover’s Path Tarot by Kris Waldherr? This U.S. Games favorite comes in a lovely set with a full-length book.

Waldherr assigns classic love stories to each of the Major Arcana, giving us a lesson in tarot archetypes, literature and history.

The Minor Arcana are fully illustrated and also depict love stories. This is a full-service traditional deck that can be used for any kind of reading. Yet. given its theme, it’s the perfect deck for readings about romance.

See Me in Tampa This Weekend!

I still have a few openings to see private clients this coming weekend when I am in the Tampa Bay area from Friday, February 15th through Monday, February 18th. Call or text 561-655-1160 to arrange your timeslot.

Please plan to join us at Panera Bread in Lutz on Sunday, February 17th from 3 pm to 5 pm for a tarot meetup!  Bring your tarot cards or borrow some at the meeting. Anyone with an interest in tarot is welcome to join us; it’s free and fun!

Join us for Global Tarot Circle on Facebook Live

On Wednesday, February 20 from7 pm to 8 pm you have the opportunity to join tarot friends from around the world on my free monthly webinar, Global Tarot Circle on Facebook Live.

Each month we gather on Facebook to share readings, conversation and tarot study. You can join in on your smartphone, computer or tablet.

To join, simply like my business page and look for the live feed.

Tarot Topics Newsletter Volume 2 Issue 7 - February 13, 2019

Six Words for Love

Six Words for Love

Love is all around us.

So often, when we hear the word ‘love’, we think only of romantic partnership. As fulfilling and joyous as having the right partnership can be, many people are not partnered, either by circumstance or choice. Yet, we all have love in our lives. Our ability to love is essential to our health and happiness in life.

Many religions consider the greater concept of love to be central to their understanding of Higher Power.

The ancient Greeks had at least six different words to describe love. We can use these words to understand the love that we currently have in life, and to help us set goals to be more loving, more appreciative of the love we have, and to welcome new love.

Philia is the love we share with friends and colleagues.

Eros is romantic, passionate love.

Agape is the spiritual love we feel for, and from, a Higher Power, and our spiritual community. Agape inspires charity, and our good will toward others.

Storge is the love we feel for our children, our animals, and those for whom we take responsibility. Storge can also describe the love we have for our country, or for our favorite sports team.

Pragma is the word used to describe love in a very long-standing relationship.

Philautia is to love oneself, and to hold oneself in esteem.

When we think of love in this expansive way, we understand that love is not in short supply, or something that is given to only the lucky few.

In metaphysics we learn that ‘like attracts like’. Perhaps the best way to bring more love into our lives is to practice being more loving. This becomes easier when we understand all the different ways love manifests in our lives.

A Special Tarot Class about Relationships

This Sunday, February 10 at 4 pm, I am teaching a special class in my conference room in my Palm City office called “Tarot Readings for Personalities and Relationships”.

People so often consult tarot about romantic issues that it’s become a funny meme. The truth is, tarot, when used with good technique, can help us understand personalities and relationship dynamics.

Whether you are a beginning tarot reader or an experienced professional, this class will teach you how to use tarot to determine important information about love and relationships, including personality, compatibility, and strategies for success.

The fee for this class is $37.50. Class size is limited, so register now! For more information, you can call or text 561-655-1160.

Six Words for Love Tarot Spread

Here is an original spread based on the Greek words for love. Try it with your favorite tarot or oracle deck. You may arrange the cards in any shape that appeals to you. Extra points if you can arrange the six cards to form the shape of a heart!

Card One: Philautia
How am I expressing and nurturing self-love currently in my life?

Card Two: Philia
How am I cultivating and nurturing friendships?

Card Three: Agape
How am I experiencing the love of a Higher Power in my life?

Card Fou: Storge
How am I nurturing those for whom I take responsibility (children, pets, elders, etc.)?

Card Five: Pragma
What did I learn about romance from the relationship modeling around me?

Card Six: Eros
What could I do to cultivate a satisfying romantic relationship?

The Week in Review

This week I shared a post on my personal blog called, “When You Feel Disconnected from Your Tarot Cards”. If you own a tarot deck, this post is for you!

Did you catch Global Tarot Circle on Facebook Live last week? Don’t worry, if you missed it you can watch it in archive on my YouTube channel.

From Around the Web

Have you noticed how many animals appear in the Waite Smith tarot cards? Here is a discussion about what they might mean.

From Hip Greece, here is more about the six words for love.

Angelorum has curated fourteen tarot spreads for Valentine’s Day!

Cards for Your Consideration

This week I would like to share with you a unique oracle given to me by a dear friend. This is a set of reincarnation cards called “Awakening Far Memory”. Although this interesting oracle was published in 2007, I had never seen nor heard of it before, and was delighted to discover it.

In my exploration of this oracle set I have found that it offers helpful information pertinent to the present moment, as well as contemplation of the soul’s past.

The cards are colorful and evocative, and the hardcover book is well-written and detailed.

Can these cards really tell us about our past lives? Of course, that is subjective and unverifiable, and therefore open to debate. Yet, I have discovered that the process of working with these cards can be extremely enlightening and thought-provoking.

In a world where new oracle decks are released weekly, it can be hard to find something unique. “Awakening Far Memory”, by John M. Knowles and Linda Leblanc, is truly innovative and inspiring. You can find this oracle on Amazon or ask for it at your favorite bookstore.

In-Person Readings, Parties and a Meetup in the Tampa Bay Area

I will be in the Tampa Bay Area February 15 through 18. I have some availability for private readings, house calls and psychic house parties.

I am also excited to host a rare Tarot Meetup in at Panera Bread in Lutz on Sunday, February 17 from 3 to 5 pm.

If you would like to see me while I am in town, please call or text 561-655-1160.

If you would like to attend the Meetup at Panera Bread in Lutz, here’s more information.

Join us for Global Tarot Circle on Facebook Live

On Wednesday, February 20 from7 pm to 8 pm you have the opportunity to join tarot friends from around the world on my free monthly webinar, Global Tarot Circle on Facebook Live.

Each month we gather on Facebook to share readings, conversation and tarot study. You can join in on your smartphone, computer or tablet.

To join, simply like my business page and look for the live feed.

Tarot Topics Newsletter Volume 2 Issue 6 - February 6, 2019