Two of Pentacles - How to Keep Your Balls in the Air

It might seem oddly amusing to tell some that I learned how to juggle on Prince Edward Island, where. I was hanging around two fellows who were juggling clowns and was desperate to learn how to keep my balls in the air!

Little did I know what that would lead to, and what was ahead for me, an adventure of a life time. Once I learned how to juggle I was hooked and wanted to know everything about clowning and found myself leaving the protection of a very rural farming community of P.E.I. and heading to the mean streets of the city to study Mime in Toronto Ontario.

This is where and when my life changed forever through deep a profound love, followed by tragic loss. Needless to say I was no longer interested or able to know how to keep my balls in the air and simply wanted to give up on life. I'd reached that jumping off point that so many young people experience after loosing someone to death, whom you love so much.

 I was no longer "juggling". I was barely treading water, and felt like I was rapidly loosing ground. I kept on for my family, one step at a time, one foot in front of the other, until I met a community of others who cared for me more than I cared for myself and they loved me back to joy, and to life.

One thing that never changes in life is change, as I'm reminded of this today, drawing the Two of Pentacles. Looking back I see how juggling has become the metaphor for my life. This card symbolizes change and the fluctuation in the flow of creative energy that needs to be grounded, channeled balanced, regardless of my circumstances.

Two of Cups - Overcoming Fear

 Duality, balance, and attraction are the implied indications in the Two of Cups.

I find it curious to note, Eros is sneaking up on Psyche. He seemingly is attempting to take her by surprise but after Eros accidentally pricks himself with the arrow he intended to kill Psyche with, the unexpected result is, Eros falls in love with Psyche and their tumultuous relationship begins.

 As in life we're often surprised and fear the way events unfold. Something we initially might think as being a negative or a positive experience can often lead to a positive or negative outcome, because we've found another door that's opened to us when one has closed, one that we'd never imagined.

It doesn't mean that this all will unfold in an easy manner, and it might be the case that the very opposite will be our reality. We may feel we've gone from the frying pan to the fire and have been completely kicked to the curb, but regardless, the end result will eventually be transformed into something better than what was before or maybe not. We do however have to find a way through.

 On the other hand the unfairness of life, as in nature, many times, makes absolutely no sense, leaving us fearful, confused, dumbfounded and despairing. We are left with the unanswered question, why is this happening?

 I've concluded if I have little to no ability or strength to accept life and death on the their terms,no mine, whatever is presented to me, this is when and what becomes problematic. Acceptance, not denial is always the key that opens a door of hope and freedom enabling me to overcome my fear.

Six of Swords and The Sturgeon Moon

This card represents growth, transition and the rite of passage. The Six of Swords portrays moving away from turbulent events and feelings, toward a calmer and a peaceful state of mind.

We see Orestes standing stalwart in his boat in spite of the turbulent waters underneath. He is focused at what lies ahead, on the calm waters in the distance, until he reaches his destination.

This is a fitting card to draw today and particularly at this juncture of my life, as it coincides with the Sturgeon Moon, signifying a time of growth and abundance.

Spending a good part of my morning outside in my garden today, I planted some seeds for Fall crops. My heart did a little jump up and turn around jig, seeing that all my hard effort was finally starting to pay off. A number of my vegetables are getting established and are growing.

 I can look forward to an abundant harvest into the Fall. In spite of bugs eating my first crop of beans, drought and the seeds that didn't germinate I forged ahead. I mulched, transplanted, watered, weeded and replanted new seeds that I was certain would germinate.

I try to approach life much the way I do my garden. There are good years and not so good, but you don't give up, but persist, pray and trust that there will be a better season next year, if this one wasn't the best. There is always some kind of abundance to be found and with help, we grow, face toward the sun and the moon, grateful for the light and the dark, as we can't have one without the other.


The Six of Swords reminds me, I can't reap the harvest unless I do the work. Unless I'm persistent without getting distracted and discouraged by all the stormy waters going on around me, otherwise I will not likely reach my destination. We reap just what we sow.

Mother's Prayers Are Carried To The Grandmother

Insight or New Age Woo-Woo and Unicorns?

"A ritual is the enactment of a myth. And, by participating in the ritual, you are participating in the myth. And since myth is a projection of the depth wisdom of the psyche, by participating in a ritual, participating in the myth, you are being, as it were, put in accord with that wisdom"
~ Joseph Campbell

Over the years I've come to love Tarot more deeply and it fits very well with my creative personality as a visual artist and because I also love to write. Tarot  lends itself to story telling or myth which directly relates to the subject matter of my art work.

There isn't anything I dislike about tarot. I do however find that the misconceptions, skepticism, and deception that surrounds Tarot very frustrating. The Major and Minor Arcana cards of the Tarot are not responsible for this but is attributed to those individuals doing the reading.

I sometimes find myself having to explain just what Tarot reading is, because generally speaking I don't think the average person understands Tarot and what to expect from a reader. I certainly don't mind providing a clear explanation. However it is disconcerting when I meet those who've had negative experiences after having had a reading done.

I've met people that have had unscrupulous readers tell them untruths, half truths or out and out lies. This is both disturbing and hurtful to those entrusting a stranger to supposedly give them some insight,clarity and guidance.

First and foremost a reader's responsibility and the foundation principle of a Tarot reader's philosophy, and what is paramount is to do no harm. For example, to tell someone there is going to be a death, or some other kind of foreboding bad news is not kosher, period! The individual having a reading done should be left with a positive feeling with some insight and clarification of whatever issue they have relating to the question they've asked.

Yes their are those who will present themselves and Tarot as some kind of what I call magical New Age Woo-Woo. But their are those Tarot readers who are principled with great integrity, who hold the Tarot reading as a kind of sacred covenant of ancient wisdom, much like a ritual and consider it a privilege to read the Tarot cards.

Tarot readers with integrity, are very grateful to be given the gift and the opportunity to read for others. They are perceptive and intuitive em-paths, not so-called fortune tellers, and do no harm.

I'm no fan of the description "New Age", because as a Tarot reader, what I do is not new, but very old, very ancient, dating back to the 11th century. I also tend to think the concept of New Age is more confusing than clarifying to the average person.

I'm not implying that there aren't those who have psychic abilities or who are even visionaries, or mystics. What I'm saying is that it's not a prerequisite to being a Tarot reader, but a sense of humour is, along with intuition, perception, having a love and appreciation of humanity, with a good supply of humility are all essential, minus all the Woo-Woo and the unicorns!


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Seven of Swords - What Interferes with my Ability to Make Discerning Decisions

This card, the Seven of Swords relates to our ability or inability to make rational decisions, and doing the right thing. Of course making the "right" decisions is much easier said than done, no matter how good our intentions. The adage, the road to hell is paved with good intentions comes to mind. As human beings we can easily deceive and betray ourselves

I know this through experience, decisions that I've made in the past solely based on emotion have often lead me down the wrong road. But I learned from these mistakes. I've also learned about discernment that  enabled me to fine tune my ability to make decisions using my intuition and my mostly sensible mind!

The mythic figure of Orestes in the Seven of Swords represents an application of mental energy in a cautious and cunning way. Fact is Orestes must live with the decision he makes and the consequences that follow.

Although Orestes is walking a dark path, there is a shining light behind him that enables him find his way, if he chooses to be led by this light.

It's easy to fool ourselves into believing we're doing the right thing, without a thought to how our decisions will effect others in the present, or in the long term future.

My experience has been that when I've made decisions based upon my emotional reactions, or on my intellect alone, void of having any balance between my head and heart, this mostly resulted in a negative outcome. And I've paid a price for making decisions this way, because my ability to make discerning decisions has been hindered and interfered with by my emotion. It's what I'd call having dis-ease of the emotions, which is manifested in numerous ways, be it alcohol or other addictions.

So this card for me has a significant and important caveat. I'm reminded to allow for faith in the balance between my intuition and intellect to guide my way, enabling me to make discerning decisions in my life based on faith. That's what makes you strong.



If you love somebody
Then that means you need somebody
And if you need somebody
That's what makes you weak
But if you know you're weak
And you know you need someone
O it's a funny thing
That's what makes you strong
That's what makes you strong
That's what gives you power
That's what lets the meek come sit beside the king
That's what lets us smile
In our final hour
That's what moves our souls
And that's what makes us sing
And to trust somebody
Is to be disappointed
It's never what you wanted
And it happens every time
But if you're the trusting kind
This don't even cross your mind
O it's a funny thing
That's what makes you strong
That's what makes you strong
That's what gives you power
That's what lets the meek come sit beside the king
That's what lets us smile
In our final hour
That's what moves our souls
And that's what makes us sing

Written by Jesse Winchester • Copyright © BMG Rights Management US, LLC