Wednesday, January 25, 2006

Opening Up Walls

Hi there!

I feel like I'm in a time machine that's racing forward -- the days don't seem to last as long as they used to and I keep getting behinder and behinder (that's a Southern word -- "Behinder")

Had an interesting moment last week; my company sent a bunch of us to a required "Diversity" training session. It actually wasn't what I expected, but there were some neat points.

They showed us a short "documentary" from the early 1960's. A 3rd grade school teacher in Iowa did an experiment (with the approval of the school and the parents). Take a little Iowa town in 1960ish, and you can guess the racial mix -- none! Anyway, the teacher discussed "racism" with the children; they agreed it was wrong to judge people that way, but didn't really understand the issue.

The experiment was this -- the teacher noted that the class was about half blue-eyed and half brown-eyed. She said "For today, blue-eyed people are "better" than brown-eyed people. Brown eyed people aren't as smart as blue-eyed people, they take too long to do things, they have to stay away from the blue-eyed people and can't play on the playground equipment. They also have to stand in the back of the line." You get the picture.

The next day, the teacher switched it around; "I was wrong yesterday, it's really brown-eyed people that are superior to blue-eyed people" and gave them appropriate instructions.

Without going into detail on the video, it was very touching ... they interviewed the now grown-up children and they all claimed it was a life-changing experience.

That's the good part -- the wierd part came when one of my co-workers -- a Dutch person -- raised his hand and said "I don't understand you Americans -- why are you always so ready to judge people by race. This would never happen in the Netherlands; we are a cosmopolitan and tolerant people."

Another co-worker popped up and replied "Wait a minute, I've been to the Netherlands. There is a sizable Moroccan population and they are treated very badly by the rest of the population."

"Well, that's different," said the Dutch person, "everyone knows Moroccan's are all criminals and should be treated differently!"

The room was silent -- and it was wonderful to watch the expressions on the Dutch person's face as he slowly began to realize what he had said. I wonder if perhaps that might have been the beginning of a life-changing experience for him?

How about some quick words from my sponsors, then on to the reading.

------------------------

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We'll again pull two cards -- the first suggests something we should focus on for the week. The second suggests things we might consider in order to fully benefit from the attributes of the first card.

The cards are:

Four of Pentacles

Two of Wands

The Four of Pentacles typically refers to those times when we erect "walls" around ourselves -- we try to keep ourself safe by shutting away external things. The kicker is that when we do this, we actually lose ground by neglecting educational and fulfilling experiences with the outside world. (Just thinking -- my friend from the Netherlands had erected walls around himself; I wonder if he's peeking outside now?)

The Two of Wands refers to bold actions -- which suggests the necessary confidence to take a risk. Right off, we see the contrast between the two cards. The Four of Pentacles tries to avoid risks -- the Two of Wands sees the positives in risks. Taking risks means you sometimes have to be quick on your feet -- you have to solve unexpected problems that my pop up. This two suggests you'll be able to discover creative or original solutions to the problems you may encounter. There's usually a "naysayer" around when you're embarking on a Two of Wands situation -- so this card also suggests you'll have faith and belief in your own vision and the energy to see it through.

There are a couple of ways we could play these two cards; being almost opposites of each other, we could say the first card suggests a condition to avoid and the second card suggests what should replace it. We could also think that since the two cards represent different extremes, we might "average" the two. Consider risks, but be cautious in doing so -- don't go all out with no fallback position. We might also look for positives in both positions -- there are some good things about the Four of Pentacles, after all. Being safe isn't a bad thing; perhaps we could temper the extremes of this outlook by reducing our walls a bit to let external influences color our outlook. To a Four of Pentacles person, this would almost be "taking a risk"!

Does this make you think of things in your life where it might apply? Are there positions or opinions where you've set yourself in stone and aren't open to other considerations? If so, maybe this is good -- and maybe it isn't. It never hurts to open up a little and "take a risk" to ensure we're taking the proper stance. Things seldom remain static -- generally, remaining fixed means losing ground!

And that's about it this time! I hope things go well for you this week and look forward to talking to you again next week. As always, if you're interested in a private reading, please try my sponsors above or my list of readers at http://www.woodsongtarot.com/readers.html . I also welcome your comments at http://woodsongtarot.blogspot.com !

Woodsong --
visit Tarot by Woodsong at http://www.woodsongtarot.com

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Stay Flexible

Hi there!

I hope your week's been going well so far -- I've had a good one so far. I've been in Chicago this week (going back home tomorrow) and had to give a presentation to a client today that went really well. I haven't had to do presentations for quite a while, but this was a very receptive crowd and it all came back to me quickly.

Had a fine weekend, too. Did the Princess Diana gown exhibit, visited the boat show, and listened to Eileen Ivers at the symphony Saturday night. Ivers is an Irish fiddler (she was the main fiddler for Riverdance and also played on the "Titanic" soundtrack -- the movie, that is!) and really had the crowd jumping. Got me excited about picking up my violin again -- it's been quite a while. She took Pachelbel's Canon in D and turned it into a bluegrass/fiddle tune -- very creative!

Weather's nice here in Chicago -- not cold like last time I was here. I'll be back up in a few weeks; my younger son's going through boot camp at Great Lakes (just north of the city) and will be "graduating" near the end of the month. I'm really glad he's following through so well -- he's finally found something he's serious about! (whew ... It's about time, too!)

How about some quick words from my sponsors, then on to the reading.

------------------------

(Here're those good folks from Austin!)

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-Unlimited Live Psychic Readings
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Psychic Web is your key to unlocking your future. Prove us wrong and click on the link. The Universe Awaits your Arrival!

http://www.woodsongtarot.com/bestpsychics/c2473.html


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We'll again pull two cards -- the first suggests something we should focus on for the week. The second suggests things we might consider in order to fully benefit from the attributes of the first card.

The cards are:

The Knight of Swords

The Nine of Swords (reversed)

First off, all Knights tend to be a little anxious -- they really want to make things happen. Sometimes they jump off before they're quite ready ... well, most of the time they jump off before they're quite ready, but that's just being a knight! Because they're so impatient, they do tend to run into unforseen snags.

The Knight of Swords tries to resolve these issues by reasoning them through. His first impression isn't to do what feels right, but instead to try and analyze things to determine the proper response. Some folks might see this as being inconsiderate; some may see it as taking too much time to solve the problem. In fact, the danger of this card is in being overly cautious -- in not being able to decide on a position because we're not sure if it's the absolute best position.

The next card seems to reinforce this -- this Nine often suggests worry and anxiety. I can easily see the Knight becoming stuck trying to determine the one and only absolutely best position, then things becoming worse as this Knight begins to overly worry about whether or not he's doing the right thing.

The good thing here is that the Nine is reversed -- so we should take this as a warning and try to avoid this stumbling block! Let's not become overly fixated -- to the point of stagnation -- on choosing the absolutely best position. Instead, we might be better off at choosing a good solution ... and then making that solution work by adjusting it as necessary to meet our goals.

I think it's rare that a person can plan a goal and have every single step occur just as planned. I think most plans should be a guideline -- and we then let our creativity adjust things as we learn more while trying to reach our goal. (In fact, since we learn as we progress, our "goal" probably should be progressing as well. People who don't vary from their plan often find that the goal they ultimately reach isn't the one they now desire!)

So ... stay flexible! Don't be turned off by having to make decisions -- make the best call you can, and then work to make that decision right. Don't worry if you have to change streams or tactics as you progress -- that's normal. Trust in your creativity -- you don't need all the answers right away ... especially since you probably won't know all the questions at first, either!

And that's about it this time! I hope things go well for you this week and look forward to talking to you again next week. As always, if you're interested in a private reading, please try my sponsors above or my list of readers at http://www.woodsongtarot.com/readers.html . I also welcome your comments at http://woodsongtarot.blogspot.com !

Woodsong --
visit Tarot by Woodsong at http://www.woodsongtarot.com

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Look to Goals in the New Year

Hi there!

I hope your week's been going well so far -- I'm about buzzed out over the last few days of football bowl games. I'm very excited about Texas and the Rose Bowl results.

After all the hype about the three-time national champion USC Trojans, I find it interesting that they really only won one of those trophies. LSU, of course, won the first, USC the second, and now the Longhorns have the third. I suppose it only illustrates that if you keep repeating something that's not true, everyone will start to believe it!

I hope this New Year has begun well for you -- things have been hectic in Houston. My in-laws are visiting this weekend; we're going to the Lady Diana gown exhibition, a Boat Show, and an evening of Celtic music at the symphony. It's going to be a very busy weekend.

How about some quick words from my sponsors, then on to the reading.

------------------------

(Here're those good folks from Austin!)

Why pay for those expensive psychic phone calls that cost at least $20 per call? Get FREE daily horoscope and Unlimited LIVE Psychic Readings for 5 FULL DAYS. That's 120 hours of Unlimited LIVE Psychic Readings. It's only $1.99 for a 5-Day Trial for unlimited access to Psychic Web. That's less than $.40 a day!

Your 5-day trial or monthly membership includes:
-Unlimited Live Video Chat with Psychic
-Unlimited Live Psychic Readings
-Email Readings
-Daily/Weekly/Monthly Horoscopes
-Tarot, Rune, I-Ching, Numerology and Biorhythm Readings
-Astro-Match
-Passion Signs
-Lucky Numbers
-Astrology Charts
-Psychic Tests
-Discussion Boards
-Psychic Chat

Psychic Web is your key to unlocking your future. Prove us wrong and click on the link. The Universe Awaits your Arrival!

http://www.woodsongtarot.com/bestpsychics/c2473.html

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We'll again pull two cards -- the first suggests something we should focus on for the week. The second suggests things we might consider in order to fully benefit from the attributes of the first card.

The cards are:

Nine of Pentacles

King Of Cups

Interesting -- we've "progressed" from our last reading; last time we had the Eight of Pentacles and Knight of Cups -- this time we have the Nine of Pentacles and King of Cups!

The Nine of Pentacles suggests the ability to attain a desirable position -- to reach a goal. To attain goals, we usually need certain attributes -- confidence, discipline, competence, focus, energy -- and this Nine suggests we are able to use those attributes. This Nine really suggests relying on yourself and your abilities -- and not counting on others to do things for you.

Let's see how our second card, the King of Cups, can help us implement the positive features of the Nine of Pentacles. This King is a tolerant and broad-minded card -- it truly cares about and respects other people. This card is confident and in control -- both of which obviously help us with the promise of our Nine. Note that since this is an open-minded card, it can help us see across boundaries to spot promise and opportunity where we might not ordinarily look. This helps us add a certain amount of originality and creativity to our mix.

Also, Kings are finishers -- they tend to complete things. If the Nine seeks a goal, the King can help ensure we attain it. Bottom line, this draw suggests we can attain the goals that are important to us -- and also suggests that the tools we'll need lie within ourselves.

And that's about it this time! I hope things go well for you this week and look forward to talking to you again next week. As always, if you're interested in a private reading, please try my sponsors above or my list of readers at http://www.woodsongtarot.com/readers.html . I also welcome your comments at http://woodsongtarot.blogspot.com !

Woodsong --
visit Tarot by Woodsong at http://www.woodsongtarot.com