There's No Place Like Home

Hi! Hope this week's been treating you well! I've been bouncing around between too many time zones -- am really ready to get home and settle down for a while!

Lots of really sad news from the entertainment world. I've heard a lot of comments about things happening in threes (McMahon, Fawcett, Jackson), but I think that sometimes things just happen. Was reading the USA Today and they talked about that MoTown special 25 or 30 years ago when Michael Jackson first introduced his moonwalk. I remember watching that and just being mesmerized. It really was a seminal entertainment moment.

I was excited about watching the Tigers win the College World Series. I'm an LSU alum -- but the neat thing was that they won the year my daughter was born ... and they also won the year my grand-daughter was born! But, enough of that -- let's get started with the reading!

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.

Our cards this week are:

Six of Cups




Ten of Pentacles (Reversed)





The key things to think about to understand the Six of Cups are "home", "family", "innocence", "comfort", and "security". Think back to the days of being a kid ... you didn't really worry about world events. Business environments meant nothing. Your world -- while important to you -- was kind of small and uncomplicated. You main goal was to feel safe and secure -- and the surrounding of family and friends helped this happen. This wonderful, secure feeling becomes harder to hold on to as you age and become more involved in adult matters -- but I think we all still seek this warm feeling of security.

This is a great card in our first position -- it suggests we are able to feel secure. Our second card ... the reversed Ten of Pentacles offers a few things to consider though.

Tens of any suit suggest completion. Pentacles in particular refer to fiscal or physical matters. So, a Ten of Pentacles could suggest reaching a comfortable level of financial comfort. Doesn't have to mean you've won the lottery -- but it could mean you've got a plan for handling your bills and obligations that seems to work.

The reversed Ten in this position ... combined with the upright Six in the first position ... suggests that we pay a little attention to our health or financial position if we want to be able to fully enjoy the security of the Six. Are there things you could do to help ensure better health? Maybe lose those a few pounds or start taking short walks every day or so to get your heart rate under better control. Are you susceptible to any family health woes or weaknesses? If so, then you might start considering preventative tactics early rather than later.

Same thing with your financial situation. Do you have a financial plan? or, are you just going along from paycheck to credit card and not worrying about it. Things like this will eventually catch up with you -- and if you let them do so on their own, they're likely to slam you pretty hard. Start thinking of ways to get things under control -- maybe pay the credit cards down a little, maybe take some classes or training that can enhance your professional desirability. Take an active interest in your fiscal health -- have a plan. You don't have to achieve financial independence overnight (and you likely won't), but you can control things to put you in more control and in a better position over time.

Keep an active eye on your fiscal and physical health -- and you'll find it much easier to hold on to that comfortable feeling of security!

Learn and Love it!

Moan and groan!!! I finally got my dental work done late last week -- two bone grafts with implants to come! I apologize for missing the reading last week, but I was in no fit shape to participate in the human race for a couple of days.

I'm in the heavy achey stage right now -- not quite fit for society, but pretty close. It has been really nice to actually eat and chew something again, though.

I've been doing a lot of sewing lately -- there's a new Renaissance festival starting up next spring near Austin and I'm helping out on the costumes. I'm thinking of setting up a tent and doing tarot readings, too. I've always enjoyed going to Ren faires, but have never participated before. I think it would be fun!

How about the reading!

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. Our cards this week are:



Eight of Pentacles
(Reversed)







Ace of Cups





Usually, when I do a reading, I puzzle over the cards a bit. I'll test different meanings and interpretations before I settle in on what seems appropriate and meaningful. Sometimes takes a bit of time before it feels right.

And then sometimes, as soon as I see the cards the answer is obvious! This is one of those times.

The first card, the Eight of Pentacles, is something I think of as a "joy of learning" card. It suggests those times we're engaged in learning a new skill or task ... and we're really getting into it. Probably to the point where we don't really notice time passing -- we're completely absorbed by the task.

Since the card is reversed, it's suggested that we're not able to realize this level of absorbed participation ... so let's look at our next card for a tip on how to change this.

I could go on about the Ace of Cups -- but let's just cut to the chase. You want to enjoy something -- then do something you love! Do something that's fun -- something that excites and energizes you. If you're excited about the activity, then it's easy to get involved in the details.

We could extend this further -- if you're doing something that you don't love, why are you doing it? If you're not doing anything at all, then why not -- you're missing out on a wonderful part of life. Life is just a series of learning experiences; when you miss out on learning, you're not taking the next step (and may find yourself stuck in a dull routine!)

So -- bottom line -- learn and live. Take it as an action item -- find something fun to do and do it! The payoff will be much more than you think!

Here's a totally unrelated tidbit -- some Tarot trivia. When A. E. Waite wrote his tarot book nearly a hundred years ago, he described this particular picture of the Ace of Cups in great detail. He mentioned the four streams of water falling from the cup. Well, take a look and count them -- there are five streams, not 4! Meaningful? Hidden secrets? Possibly -- but more likely it suggests that Waite didn't do a good job of proof-reading!

Move Forward!

Hi! Hope this week's been treating you well! I'm just starting to wind down -- it's been pretty busy over here.

Was in Las Vegas for a couple of days. It's probably been 15 years since I've last been in Las Vegas -- I hardly recognized a thing. The strip seems about 10 times bigger than it used to be.

I didn't get a chance to go out any -- although there were loads of great shows that I'd love to see. The last Vegas show I saw many years ago was Sigfried and Roy; I feel fortunate that I got to see it before it shut down.

Would love to see Bette Midler's show. Flights into Vegas are pretty cheap; I might try to get down there again for a fun weekend. I'm not even going to comment about comparing last week's Newark with this week's Las Vegas! But, enough of that -- let's get started with the reading!

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.

Our cards this week are:


The Fool (Reversed)







Two of Cups (Reversed)





Once again, we have another two reversed cards. Still don't see this as as anything negative -- just a suggestion that we consider areas where we may have issues that need to be addressed.

The Fool suggests open-minded innocence -- like times when you only see the potential for positive things and remain blissfully unaware of any pitfalls you may encounter. If you think too much of things that could go wrong -- why then, none of us would likely ever do anything! Sometimes you've got to move ahead and trust that you'll be able to handle whatever may come up.

Now, it's one thing to carefully weigh the risks and rewards and then make a move. The Fool doesn't quite do this -- he's not thinking of the risks at all! He may not even be thinking of the rewards -- I think most of the time he's in it simply for the journey! The nice thing about this is that he gets constant positive feedback every step along the way -- because every step is it's own reward. The Fool doesn't need to complete a project to feel fulfilled -- simply undertaking a project is the reward.

Being reversed, it's likely we're not quite ready to enjoy the positive aspects of this card. Perhaps we're too concerned about risks or potential bad news -- there sure is a lot of it on the news! If we want to wait till all the lights are green before we start, though ... we'll never get started at all!

Lets think of ways we can counter this. The Two of Cups is a curious card in this position. It usually suggests a new, growing, or renewed personal relationship -- perhaps with another person, perhaps even with yourself. In this case, the reversal might suggest this is the reason we may not enjoy the pleasantries of the upright Fool.

Are there any personal relationships that you find limiting or frustrating? Perhaps friendships that have gone awry because of misconceptions or miscommunications? Perhaps you're not enjoying the support and confidence you might get from a stronger relationship? What can you do to turn these around? Sometimes it's very easy to fall into a rut -- and sometimes it's just as easy to turn things around. A simple word or act could make the difference -- perhaps you might have to make the first move?

Turning things around and enjoying the fruits of a renewed friendship (or cutting the strings of a failed one -- something else suggested by the reversed Two of Cups) can be liberating and envigorating. Just the thing to give you the optimistic view of the world you can use to fully enjoy The Fool!

And that's about it for this week!