The Sun Vs The Rain

Spring is favourite time of the year, and one of my favourite cards out of the 22 Arcana, is the Sun.

I can not think of a more hopeful positive card that speaks of the life force. I couldn't have drawn a better card today, as my dear friend, lost another dear friend. It is a big loss for her, and especially for her friend's family.

We would never survive without the rain, and the sun. They need one another, and this is why things grow.  Well that's obvious you might think, but my point is we also need them both, like we need light and dark, life and death. The Sun transforms our darkness into light.

In order for human beings to love, and appreciate life, and how we cherish those we love, death gives life meaning.  We are filled and left with precious memories of the essence of those we hold close, in the small of our of hearts. This closeness can't be taken from us, and stays with us always. Those we love, live deep within in our hearts, always, and the sunlight of the Creator shines upon them, and like the sun, they watch over us.

No one wants to see another hurt or suffer. Death is something we all experience, it causes us to be acutely aware of our own mortality, and we must let those we love, go. Even though we know death is a part of the cycle of life, it doesn't make it any easier when we go through this experience. I think most of us would agree, that death itself isn't so difficult as suffering.

I know it may seem strange to be talking about death when the Sun card is so life affirming, but there is always the another side to every milestone in life, and with every card. The celebration of life is what I take from the Sun, with the knowledge that I can also accept death as part of life, even though I don't much like it, I believe there are worse things than death.

The story in Clarissa Pinkola Estes book, Women Who Run With The Wolves called Skeleton Woman has helped me to better understand death. I can't say we are exactly friends, death and I, but we are not enemies either, so that's a good start I think. In the mean time, I can, and will enjoy the sun, and all that is has to offer and give.

Skeleton Woman - Egg Tempera, 2011, Catherine Meyers

The Empress

The Major Arcana card of the Empress or Demeter follows and completely trusts her inner voice, vision and values. Her connection to the good earth is deep and strong. She loves passionately, lives by her instinct, and intuition.

Living a life of abundance and growth is paramount to her, as she is the Mother of all and desires to provide for her children who dwell on the earth both spiritually and physically.


The Empress urges us to listen to our own instinct, and to the practical wisdom of nature. If we do not, we can loose our way, becoming bitter and resentful.  She reminds us that the cycles of life are always changing; we must accept and adapt to beginnings and endings.

The Empress is the Wild Woman, the Wolf Woman, La Loba the one who howls, and finds her own pack.

Ace of Cups - I Don't Want To Be Steven Seagal

Getting on an emotional merry-go-round can wear a person out, or may alienate others. It can be very superficial in that emotion that is not tempered with wisdom and insight, can not be sustained and can make for feelings that escalate into despair, and hopelessness. At some point there has to be action taken in order to bring about positive change.

Not every one is comfortable showing emotion or seeing any one else emote. I heard it said many years ago, feelings are just that, feelings not good or bad. Why so many feel compelled to make a judgement about feelings seems a strange thing to do, but I think we all do it at some point. Mostly I think we place this judgement on ourselves.  Why do I feel that way?  I shouldn't feel like that. I wished I felt differently. I'm stupid for feeling this way.  Sound familiar?

The Ace of Cups (Aphrodite) is a force of nature, it's about having your cup overflowing with emotion, and having an outpouring of feelings that well up within, and can't be contained.

It was once explained to me by a therapist that emotions are not something we should get into the habit of suppressing. If we knowingly, and continually suppress our emotion, they eventually become repressed, and we are unaware they even exist in our subconsciousness. She compared this to a old mattress with springs that pop up. We keep pressing them down with our hands and feet. Very quickly we run out of appendages to push them back down, and this repression is what leads to mental health problems or issues with our physical health. This made so much sense to me, and I knew I had to make changes within myself, and in my life.

I learned as a young child, that showing emotion was not acceptable, and so I shut down. I continued on that way into my adolescence and adulthood, until my emotions became deeply repressed. Eventually could no longer control my emotion. This is when I had to seek help and I am grateful everyday of my life that I did.
I heard it said once, ' if you do not deal with your emotions they will deal with you.' As much as a do like Steven Seagal, I don't want to be like him.

Five of Swords - Dude, Don't Be Tellin' Me What To Do!

As much as I do greatly appreciate the historical and cultural value of my Mythic Tarot deck, some of these Greek gods not only have attitudes, they can bring out the attitude in me, knowing I have 'issues' with authority. Many of these Greek gods remind me of what John Bradshaw would call 'undisciplined disciplinarians. I think most of us have had experiences with these authority types, especially in school.

I love being my own boss, as an artist, and a Tarot reader, as it gives me freedom, to have the option to choose. You may have a certain amount of freedom working for someone else, but generally you do what you are told, or you risk getting the old sack-eroo, the heave-ho, the boot! YOU'RE FIRED!

It is easy for many of us to feel intimidated by, or maybe resentful toward authority. We can either respond,  react passively or aggressively. Many of us grow up in families were we don't learn how to resolve conflict. The fight or flight reaction is often the usual behaviour pattern we are accustom too. Assertiveness is not in our vocabulary, and we don't really know what it means. Either we are afraid to stand up for ourselves, or we might become verbally aggressive or abusive, even lash out with fisticuffs, as my father use to call it. He was good at fisticuffs!

Here we see Orestes, his body language is in a physical position of powerlessness, small and seated on the ground. He is being told in no uncertain terms by the towering Apollo, that he is obligated to avenge his father's death. Orestes dreads what he must do, though every part of his being wishes he could change his fate. The balance of power is not balanced at all in Orestes's favour.

Obligation has no redeeming qualities in my opinion. Choice rarely if ever, comes into the equation. It means we do things because we are being forced in one way or another. Having the will and want to do something is an entirely different situation. The old proverb or adage 'you catch more flies with honey than vinegar' comes to mind.

I always used to get my underwear in a big knot when I'd hear the word obedience, because I equated it with obligation. There was always going to be someone telling me, trying to guilt me into what I should or shouldn't do. Obedience had nothing to do with wanting to, or the willingness to, behave a certain way.

Today, understanding, and knowing the distinction between these two words, has made all the difference,  enabling me to strengthen my relationship with the God of my understanding, who is not the merciless authority and the balance of power has been shifted. It has allowed me to better accept, and to understand my own limitations and capacities.

Five of Wands - Rumplestiltskin

Jason is faced with having to fight the dragon, in order to obtain the Golden Fleece. He has his lover and helper, the sorceress Medea close by his side.

There are many creative ways to fight, to defeat the monsters and dragons in our lives. Having our wands a flame, shines a light in the darkness so we can see clearly what we are up against, and to find our way.
Naming our monsters, speaking their name to another, is much like describing our feelings, which can help us to understand what they are. This gives us the opportunity to know how to cope, and they somehow loose their power over us, or we can rid them from our lives.

This reminds me of the Brothers Grimm fairy tale about the of the manikin Rumpelstiltskin, who gave the young maiden gifts, enabling her to spin straw into gold for the King who eventually promised to marry the young maiden, which he did, making her Queen. The final gift to the little man, was to be her first born child, if she could not speak his name, as she did not know what it was. It was then that the young Queen summoned a messenger to spy on the little manikin, to find out his name.

When the young Queen speaks his name, the spell is broken, and the young Queen is free from the emotional bondage of the manikin, and is able to keep her new born child. The manikin tore himself apart in his rage, once she spoke his name aloud, Rumpelstiltskin.

"The devil has told you that! The devil has told you that," cried the little man, and in his anger he plunged his right foot so deep into the earth that his whole leg went in, and then in rage he pulled at his left leg so hard with both hands that he tore himself in two."

King of Swords-The Snow Warrior

I was never so happy to see what I was hoping and praying for, a King of Swords to come along and save the day! This was the card I drew yesterday, and with the Spring snow storm, that left 6-10 foot drifts completely filling in my long lane, there he was, he came, he saw, he blew snow for two hours! I never got around to posting because I was digging my car out and busy having a meltdown. I felt completely overwhelmed with next to no food, the amount of snow and I was getting a little freaked out feeling very alone, seemingly without anyone to help me.

After having a typical what I'll call 'cups' kind of morning, and into the afternoon of waiting. I was so very grateful to finally find someone to get the job done, to free me from over ten days of snowbound Snowmageddon! I don't have many moments like this, and I don't want to apologize for feeling this way. It's just not a good feeling for me, when I do find myself in such a state of mind.

Sometimes all we need to do is vent, and talk things out, to share with another who can help to remind us of, and who can exhibit those kind of King of Swords characteristics, in order to bring us around, and this is just what a did, and was able to find those who could be that King of Swords for me.

The King of Swords is a clear thinker and with leadership skills. He knows how to approach problems logically, and directly head on without hesitation, he gets the job done, calmly stays the course, in a rational manner. The King of Swords knows what to do in a crisis. He will defend the defenseless, and take a vehement stand for what he thinks is right. He excels in his strategic skills, and reminds me of a Neutrino.

Having great intellectual capacities, combined with high principles, and a strong idealistic sense of justice, this determines all of his decisions. He may appear somewhat distant and detached emotionally, but he feels deeply and is a very compassionate individual.

"No one is too rich to receive, and no one is too poor to give."

Wheel of Fortune - Change - I Want No Refund On My Misery

Life is hard, and a person has to be resilient. The one certain thing that never changes in life, is change. We are either moving forward or backward in our personal growth, we never are standing still. Our situation, behaviour, and lives are always changing, sometimes for the good, or not. Life is easier if I can find a way to accept, adapt and even welcome change.

The events that take place in life can feel very unfair, lucky, charmed, or just plain ruined, due to choices made, or circumstances that are beyond our control, and often, we are left with many questions, as to why this or that has happened, and wondering what the heck is going on, and what it all means.

In the Mythic Wheel of Fortune, this Major Arcana card speaks directly to this. The three women, the Moirai, are standing at the womb, and the tomb. These women represent the lunar phases, crescent, full, and dark, also symbolize the three stages of life, youth, middle and old age. They are performing different tasks relating to our lives, past, present and future.

Whatever happens in life, we can choose to believe that there is an orderly plan behind it all. If we choose to believe that these random events are not related to the idea of the 'Other' within our own psyche, it is difficult to make any sense of life, and can leave one feeling hopeless, and possibly bitter, looking for someone to blame. Regardless, the Wheel of Fortune heralds our inner journey, that brings growth, and creative change. There is a new phase in life, when we can create our own destiny, and a living a life we love.

My philosophy of life is to strive to be honest with myself, and with others, to keep an open mind, and to have a willingness to be willing. This approach enables me to feel confident in what the Moirai on the Wheel of Fortune have in store for me. If I change my mind, I am certain my misery will be refunded.