Jupiter, the planet of luck, expansion and optimism, is about to move into its home, Sagittarius. Simultaneously, Saturn, the planet of discipline and hard lessons, just moved into its home, Capricorn. These two behemoth planets are about to be home, all comfy, for the next 12 months. This is curl -your- toes good news for all of us. But it is especially good luck for Sagittarius and Gemini... and for the rest of us where Sagittarius lives in our natal chart.( If you want to find out where Sagittarius is in your natal chart, go to astro.com. You will need your exact time and place of birth.) These two planets are the biggest in the solar system and have very powerful effects wherever they are traveling . Having them home means they aren't going to be creating havoc (good natured or otherwise). But for Sag (and secondarily Gemini) Jupiter will be showering shooting stars of blessings here and there and everywhere.
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'Enough' is a feast. Buddhist proverb Sometimes 'enough' is incredibly hard to experience Once in a while this phrase pops into my head " All we need to live each day would fit into a bucket". Of course we need shelter and community, too, but I get the main message . This phrase floats into my headspace most when I read about insane over-consumption by the Sultans and the Trumps of the world and unfair algorithms that allow Jeff Bezos to hoard so much cash. Why do they need so much? I imagine what I'd put into my bucket: a toothbrush, salt, a large jar of water, soap, a days worth of food, and of course, red lipstick. And hopefully I'd have a friend to help carry it! ( I once read that a doctor in Turkey was able to use salt and clean water to treat 90% of the illnesses he encountered.)
I often have weird minimalist fantasies. I do actually have moments of being really happy about my life as it is at this moment...and then like some background drone that never goes away, my nagging western, materialist voice just slips back in. The next thing you know I am feeling guilty, less than, unsatisfied, entitled. But the truth is, for this day, I am fine. When I remember to do morning and evening meditations on what I am blessed with, I feel less angry and more connected. Louise Haye was my first teacher on gratitude. She said, 'Even if life is hard, when you wake up in the morning, thank your bed and your pillow'. I have done this many, many times. It is strange, but if you can click your brain over to seeing the world this way, it can change your mood and outlook. If shit sucks, thank your warm shower and your yummy coffee, thank the dude who tells you your backpack is open. If you have ever been sick before, thank your body for healing up, or just carrying you around and doing its job most of the time. I am not saying don't strive for what you truly value, but it seems like most people are dissatisfied most of the time. And that dissatisfaction comes from wanting what they don't have. I work with single people with awesome lives, who are miserable because they don't have a partner. And then I work with a very happily married couple who are miserable because they are having trouble conceiving. I a m not discounting their pain, but gratitude can help alleviate it. Chances are, when you fast forward a couple years , the single person will be married and the couple will have a kid, but now they are longing for something else. The truth is, everything gets ordinary eventually...unless you can see and feel your daily blessings. Life is always going to have challenges, but seeing what you DO have is the first step to creating space. Space to see options, space to choose to not focus unconsciously on what you don't have but think you want. Space to be present and breath. A gratitude practice is a great way to do this. Here is a daily affirmation by Louise Haye: Deep at the center of my being there is an infinite well of gratitude. I now allow this gratitude to fill my heart, my body, my mind, my consciousness, my very being. This gratitude radiates out from me in all directions, touching everything in my world, and returns to me as more to be grateful for. The more gratitude I feel, the more I am aware that the supply is endless. *If you can't feel grateful for what you have, no matter how you try, then you are probably very unhappy on the life path you choose (or just landed in by following the path of least resistance). Just remember, everyday is the new day. I, literally, have clients who have woken up one day as if from a bad dream and changed their lives for the better. You can too. Start with gratitude. Thanks for reading this and I hope it gave you food for thought! xo Xtina October: If love is on your mind, than October is a mirror reflecting you back to yourself. If you are looking for a relationship, it is important that you are honest with yourself about what you want and need. There is a good chance that for many single folks a new love interest will enter the picture this season, but do be honest about your expectations from the start. It is better to find out someone's true nature sooner than later. If you are seeing someone already but are confused about the state of your relationship, the energy that comes with the Two of Cups can be all encompassing and may make it hard to see clearly. If you are wondering about someone's confusing behavior you can check out my red flag list here. Honesty is the only currency right now. We are under the influence of the 'Year of the Dog' until February and lies fail. Truth prevails. If you are already in a decent relationship, then now is the time to be flexible and let new energy in. Re-establish goals and boundaries and romance will blossom! Many of you will be receiving some news that will clear up something you have been wondering about. This can be by mail, text or in person. Most likely the news will be positive, but even if it isn't all sunshine and rainbows, the clarity will bring relief and a sense of direction. two cups/knight swords November: Now that many of us are spending more times indoors, it would be a great time to go through your things and do a bit of sorting. Spotlight your favorite tchotchkes, clean out your junk drawers (you'll probably find a few treasures there), throw out your old make-up and buy a comfy throw. Winter is coming and we want to be comfy-cozy in our home and enjoy our possessions, rather than being weighed down by them. We can extend this sentiment to other parts of our lives. Get organized and do early holiday shopping or plan a get-away somewhere for the grey and dreary end -of- winter months ahead. This November is a great time to get a handle on your material and financial world, rather than have it intrude on you. It will be easy to create practical magic because The Star energy is watching over you. If you do your part, the universe will bless you. nine pentacles/star December: Wow, December is already here. Time is moving so fast! Life is a gorgeous and challenging tapestry of experiences and possibilities. The end of the year is great time to do healing and release work if you need it. The longest night of the year is on the 21st and is a wonderful time for looking inward. The New Year arrives shortly with a clean slate. Record your dreams and make plans. Remember, your external life is founded on the voice inside you and your vision of your own future. Our creativity can get us into and out of anything! By the end of December the days are now only getting longer. Stay healthy and listen to your body. For those of you who have recently experienced heartbreak, new possibilities in love and connection are on the way. three of swords/empress There are going to be three eclipses between July and August. The first being a new moon on Friday the 13th in Cancer! Eclipse Dates 2018: July 13th, July 27th, August 11th. Astrologers give great significance to Eclipses. They are bringers of opportunity through change. Sometimes the change is dramatic. Because an eclipse blocks our normal source light, it is seen as obscuring normal reality. But this can help bring a new perspective, as things look different under the rays of an eclipse. "Part of what makes a total eclipse so breathtaking has to do with invisible light. During the “moment of totality”—the minutes when sun is completely blocked—observers experience the exquisitely odd and wondrous sensation of solar emissions, both visible and invisible".* Due to this obscuring/altering energy during an eclipse, astrologers say it is better not to make big decisions in the days around an eclipse... This is a good time to observe and see how things are a bit 'off' and what new pieces of information come out of hiding. Observation, not action seems to be wise! Although the Moon is reflective, it is still a source of light, so a lunar eclipse has the same message. Astro-smiths say eclipses affect the next six months. Often times when you look back there is a 'before and after' sort of feeling surrounding an eclipse, as if a line was drawn in the sky. Depending on your personal astrological chart ( and life!) these can be huge changes or just little blips. If you are stubborn and resisting growth and change an eclipse can really pull out the rug from underneath you! A month after the 2017 total eclipse of sun in June I had a massive shift in my life. I had been in a difficult living situation I had been trying to get out of for years (3+) and I got word that I was accepted into a beautiful new living situation and I had to move....FAST! That is the energy of an eclipse, it really helps SHIFT! Be open to progress and positive change and an eclipse can be your ally! *Wired Magazine; Bob Berman 08.07.17 July Keywords for July: Party-time, Connect, A Break for Fun July should offer some easy times for playing in the sun! The energy of the bouncing in is some of the most joyful in the whole tarot. The Four of Wands is about celebrating the light and bountiful side of life. I call it the 'Party Card'. This energy is external, as well as internal. It is one of the traditional wedding cards so some of you may celebrating a new partnership. On the other hand some people just seem to have a 'party' frame of mind, always looking for the good bits to celebrate! If times are challenging right now...it means brighter days ahead, or at least a few thrown in for a break! If you have been isolating, reach out. Under the influence of this energy you will be received with open arms. 4 of Wands August Keywords for August: Ambition, Personal Magnetism, Focus This month, you are the Queen of charisma! She is the fire femme that burns through obstacles and strides through her life like she owns it (because she does!). If you have been feeling low energy or invisible , this queen says ' Listen to your favorite music, Put on a new outfit and get out and smile at everyone you meet. Then see what happens!' Her energy is like the warm sun on spring day. Leonine in character, her natural generosity and tendency to be the first to give, returns three fold. Follow her lead. Now is the time to present ideas and take a leadership position. Don’t be afraid of your own voice! It is not your business what other people think of you, it is your divine right and duty to be fully yourself. You will attract what you need. In love, this month, you can attract what you WANT. Queen of Wands September Keywords for September: Master Manifest-er, Build It and They Will Come If August was all about attracting what you want and need, this month the energy shifts into constructing what you want into form and shape! This is about practical, tangible movement towards a goal. Sit down with yourself and write down a goal you would like to achieve this month. It doesn't have to be huge....And then do it! This is practical magic in motion! Substitute the word 'cook' with any goal you have in mind in this awesome quote from Julia Child. “This is my invariable advice to people: Learn how to cook -- ( your dream here) try new recipes, learn from your mistakes, be fearless and above all have fun!” Emperor I am sure most of you reading this article have heard of New Thought Theory or Manifestation Magic. It is covered in movies like 'The Secret', 'You Can Heal Your Life' or 'What The *&%$** Do We Know?' The premise is that thoughts (and emotions) can affect our external reality. But is this true? I have been a practicing Tarot Counselor for over twenty years and I can say with hardcore conviction that how a person sees themselves in their life affects their destiny to a great degree. A creative, flexible, optimistic and actualized person tends to create a much happier and more fulfilling life than someone who is acting out of fear or a victim mentality. Perspective is everything! Two people may be handed the same difficult situation and one person says to themselves 'This sucks, I am getting out of here' and does the necessary work to get themselves back on higher, happier and safer ground. The next person says to themselves 'This sucks. Why me? Everything always happens to me' and lists every shitty thing as evidence. Who do you think gets stuck in the pain? We can all change everything if we believe we can. There is actual evidence that consciousness affects reality. I believe in magic, but have been born into this western culture so I do find scientific data satisfying. (Although we all have confirmation bias, even stark materialists.) There are startling, although on a deep level not surprising, results being seen coming out of different experiments. One of these is called 'The Global Consciousness Project'. In a nutshell, what this project does, is record data from approximately 60 random number generators placed in labs all across the world. They call these machines eggs. Consistently, for the last two decades, when a huge event affects large numbers of people, the machines start to do show anomalies in the numbers. A type of synchronization happens at the time of the event. Spookily, sometimes the numbers will start shifting even BEFORE the event! This happened with the death of Princess Diana, the 9/11 terror attacks and the Obama inauguration of 2008. So maybe you really do know when your mom is about to call. Dr. Dean Radin has also done a ton of lab work around consciousness and reality. In one study monks blessed food. In a double blind study repeated with the same results over 12 times, the blessed food raised the mood of participants. Interestingly and significantly, those who believed that they received the blessed food had the highest mood elevation, those who believed they didn't receive the blessed food (even if they had!) had no mood elevation and often times a decrease in mood. Those who didn't know or care whether they received the blessed or control food had some mood elevation if they received the blessed food. So not only did this study show that blessed food affects a person's reality, but that belief plays a huge role in what we experience. Dr. Radin also conducted a triple blind study with blessed and control water. This water was used to grow a very particular plant. Across the board and on all levels, plants nourished with the blessed water performed significantly better. I have read many more studies proving that our consciousness affects reality. If this is true, imagine how you can use this cosmic technology to affect your own life. I have definitely started blessing my food and it feels so satisfying! In 1784 in Paris, Benjamin Franklin presented a paper called “ “An Economical Project for Diminishing the Cost of Light”, suggesting that Parisians could economize candle usage by getting people out of bed earlier in the morning. As usual Franklin was ahead of his time. The world finally caught up to the idea of altering time to save energy in WW1. The rationale is that adding an extra hour of light at the end of the day saves on using energy. FDR actually instituted daylight savings (DST) for the duration of WW2 …and called it ‘Wartime’ But several studies have suggested that Energy consumption actually increases during daylight savings mostly due to increased air conditioning use. We are in throes of global warming after all! Some people hate daylight savings (Haters!) and there is actually a website dedicated to eradicating it called standardtime.com. Why would anyone hate it? Maybe it’s because there is a significant increase in traffic accidents the Monday after the spring shift forward. But then there is an equal decrease in traffic accidents when we turn back the clocks in fall. Hmmm…Robberies fall by 7% the day of the spring shift, but heart attacks increase by 10%. In the 1960s, the United States created the ‘Uniform Time Act’ which created the time zones (can you imagine living without time zones?) and allowed states to exempt themselves from DST. At present only Hawaii and Arizona have exempted themselves. If you go to the Hoover Dam, Arizona is on one side of the dam and Nevada on the other. When I visited, their clocks were set an hour apart. I kept walking back and forth between the hour difference. It felt so arbitrary. April As we transition out of winter and into spring it is time to seriously throw off anything that is weighing us down! Especially anything that has been causing heartache. It may be hard, but honesty and direct communication can help speed up this process. In the year of the Dog, the only currency is honesty. You may need to tell someone how you feel, even if you are afraid of the outcome. Most importantly we need to be totally honest with ourselves if we want to move through to the other side of an emotionally difficult situation. We cannot control another person or many external situations, but we can control ourselves. We can choose to spend our energy healing and progressing in order to fully embrace life!! If you let it, April can be a turning point in your life, where you choose new possibilities for emotional and cosmic connection. 10 Wands x 3 Swords May May continues the theme of freedom! After the intense energy of April, asking us to be honest about what needs to be healed and released, the new energies say take a risk! Risk is what it takes to grow. There is a special bent to this months message: the biggest risk of all may be to call it a day and keep moving. There is such a huge emphasis on 'follow-through' in our culture. I think it is because in capitalism our worth is tied to our production value. But if you find yourself in a situation (career, relationship, project, program, religion, JOB) that is at odds with your true authentic self, you may need to risk what others may think of you or some level of security to be in alignment with yourself. The Fool x 7 Swords June June will be serving up a nice big helping of romance! If you are interested in a relationship, the Two of Cups rules partnerships and the combining of heart energy between two people. The energy that flows between two people is special and different from the energy that flows between three or more. If you have been looking for love June should be a lucky month. If you are already in a relationship this influence will add a magical element to your day to day life with each other. There is another energy hanging around as well, having to do with starting a new project and allowing yourself to be a beginner. Sometimes this feels scary because we get judged in this society and our ego usually feels safer being a 'know it all'. Don't let the fear of looking foolish stop you from starting something new. Page of Pentacles x 2 of Cups I believe in magic! I have seen miracles, synchronicities, successful outcomes to spell work, and True Love!! That is all ‘blow your hair back’ magic. This article is about another kind of magic…I call it practical magic. What is that? It’s goal setting for something that will have a big effect on different aspects of your life. It is the opposite of just getting chores done (unless that fits into a bigger goal). So many people spend their energy working to earn money to pay bills and endlessly consume (media, clothing, meals,). If we aren’t careful we can get caught in this whirlpool of energy exchange and never actually end up swimming anywhere. Practical magic is about being a creator rather than a consumer. Capitalist society forms us into consumers, but we can take our energy and magical souls back from the machine. Here are some examples of practical magic: *Track your money for a month and see where it goes. I did this and discovered I was spending $300 !! dollars per month on coffee and lunch. Now I make my lunch and coffee and have devised an envelope system to fund my dreams with that $3,600 I was spending mindlessly on consumption. Here is a link to a video I made about it. I call this Magical Budgeting. *Learn a Language. It will save your brain and create a bridge to another culture’s reality. There are words that don’t exist in our language that exist in other languages. *Learn an art form. Spend time creating rather than consuming and maybe even make money at it down the road. So what is on your To-Do list? Is it a mundane list of chores? Or is it an ever increasing set of skills and experiences? Our time on this planet is short and our energy is limited. Where are you directing yours? Years ago I hitchhiked to Prague with a girlfriend of mine. It was the summer after the end of communism and I was searching for my Czech friend who lived and studied there. The only phone number I had for him was a dorm phone that serviced two whole floors. This was before cell phones, and in fact his dorm still had a babushka (who only spoke Czech) who used a switch board to connect you to the floor. Anyway, I called and called and there was no answer. I went to the dorm and it was empty due to summer vacation. I called his family but they only spoke Czech or Russian and I only spoke English and German. After four days in Prague my friend and I gave up trying to find him and decided to have one last picnic up at the Pražský hrad before we took an evening train to Budapest. We hopped on a tram we thought was heading up to the castle. One of us suddenly realized that not only were we going in the wrong direction, but we were on the wrong train! We turned to exit the back door and there was my Czech friend that we had been looking for for four days. That random (shocking!) meeting on the wrong train set a series of events in motion that ended up being deeply significant. The psychotherapist Jung described Synchronicity as the simultaneous occurrence of events (or coincidences) which apparently have no clear cause, but are deeply meaningful. Everyone has had these type of experiences. One of the re-occurring themes my clients come to me about is synchronistic events and their meaning. These events can be as simple as seeing a number over and over again in a short time period, or a synchronistic happening that changes the trajectory of their life. They want to know if it ‘real’ and what it means. The answer is YES, synchronicity is real. It cannot be proven by scientific method, though, only by its meaning to the person involved. Our mechanistic, reductionist culture will call synchronicity a ‘coincidence’ and discount the meaning being experienced by the person. But reality is bigger than mere ‘coincidence’ and ‘scientific’ proof. If an occurrence means something to you, it is real. Terence McKenna used the term 'Cosmic giggle' to mean "a randomly roving zone of synchronicity and statistical anomaly. Should you be caught up in it, it will turn reality on its head. It is objective and subjective, simultaneously 'really there' and yet somehow is sustained by imagination and expectation." Synchronicity shows up as a sign or omen and oftentimes it appears in multiples. Usually several events will happen in a short amount of time drawing the attention of the person experiencing them. It’s like a cosmic wake up call. The universe is saying ‘Hey! Life is spiritual. You are part of a bigger whole. You aren’t just the roles you are playing now.” Even if it is just seeing the same numbers over and over, I believe that is the universe telling us that we are not alone and there is meaning in everything. I would be interested in hearing your stories of synchronicity. Write them in the comments below!! Peace in the New Year. xo |
AuthorHello! I am Xtina, an intuitive tarot reader based in the Pacific Northwest. 'Tarot Communique' is a space for my musings, inspirations and whatever else that comes up that I'd like to share! xo Top Blog Posts
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