Deep Sorrow

New Orleans is a City of My Heart, and I feel as though part of my soul has been ripped to shreds.

If you’re feeling particularly helpless, both the Red Cross and Habitat for Humanity are organizations with integrity that are already sending assistance.

I am also doing some tarot work to lessen the feeling of helplessness – and I hope to share it with you over the next few days.

I know that, in addition to the deep, deep sorrow, I am angered by the looters, by shelters refusing people with their pets, and by the lack of response from the international community. I need to cope with the anger in order to gain perspective and coherent thought as to what I, as an individual and a daughter of the goddess, can do to be actually useful in deed as well as word. My instinct is to be a warrior, but that is not helpful here and now.

Llewellyn kindly granted permission to allow me to use images from tarot and oracles they publish. I uploaded some of the images from the Daily Card Pulls, and I will use different decks and oracles for different explorations.

In deep mourning,

Cerridwen Iris

Reflection and Rest

The indications in the action card towards following my dreams were fulfilled by the plethora of ideas for writing and for completing unfinished projects. The stalemate card was also accurate – I’m at a stalemate in a situation, trying to decide whether to move forward or cut my losses. Each possibility has an equal number of positives and negatives.

I’m not sure if the Lovers card simply has not yet manifested, or if I don’t understand its fulfillment.

Today, and perhaps tomorrow, we shall rest from the oracles, and then do some waning moon work for the next few days. We will clear out what we no longer need and make way for new possibilities with the new moon.

I have put in requests to the various publishers to allow me to use actual images from the cards each day; I will let you know what happens.

Have a restful few days.

Daily Card Pulls -- Day Nine (Final Day)

Today is our last day of working the daily card pulls together. If you’ve found it helpful, I encourage you to continue on your own.

Or, go back to it for a period of days when you feel a particular need for guidance.

Action Card – The Star

Energy Card – The Lovers

Additional Card – 2 of Swords


The Star is about reaching for one’s dreams, and having the ability to manifest them. It’s about believing in oneself and one’s ability. It’s also about paying attention – the woman is pouring water back into the stream, focusing on one of the jars she holds, but the other is also pouring out. Pay attention to the details.

The Lovers is often a card of choice. Usually, it shows a pair of lovers with a third figure somewhere in the frame, indicating that a choice must be made. However, in Robin Wood’s deck, the woman has a sphere with the moon and the man has a sphere with the sun, and a star shines onto them. They stand in front of a tree filled with red fruit. In her deck, it indicates unity, harmony, love, and partnership.

Together, these cards indicate that it’s time to move forward with my dreams, and I will have the support I need to make that decision. They are both Major Arcana cards (again), so they mean a big life shift. Had the Lovers card come from a different deck, with different artwork, the meaning would have been different.

Remember – Different decks have different shades of meaning. The actual artwork is as important or more important than whatever is written in a book – you have to let the image communicate to you.

The additional card that fell out of the deck is the two of swords, a blindfolded woman holding two crossed swords. This indicates an intellectual stalemate. I have that with more than one situation in my life right now, so it will be interesting to see which one ties in to The Star and The Lovers.

Don’t worry – even though this is the last day of the daily card pulls, there’s plenty more to explore!

Kiuney!

Reflection

It was sometimes difficult to remain compassionate today, but I worked at it. There was also joy and creativity in the day. I’m trying not to get caught up in petty dailiness and keep my eye on the bigger picture.

Reflection, Card Pull, Reflection, Card Pull

Hello! I hope you had some lovely and peaceful days. It’s been an interesting time here, and even more interesting in the ways in which the cards showed the truths of the day – and sometimes I couldn’t see it!

Reflection on Aug. 23:
The action card for the day was Six of Swords, the travel card, along with the ace of cups, indicating new paths of love and creativity. The Ace coming up when it did was interesting, because, on the previous night, I outlined a new novel. The travel was wonderful and smooth, and the time spent both working and playing on the trip filled me with renewed friendships, some new friendships, and fresh ideas. In that case, I could feel the possibilities suggested by the cards, and, every time an opportunity presented itself to fulfill them, I embraced it.


Daily Card Pull – Day Seven (Aug. 24)

Action Card -- the Tower

Energy Card – The King of Swords

Additional Card – The Sun

Two Major Arcana cards and a card of finality. I must admit that this card pull distressed me. I do not have a good relationship with the Tower card. Many people welcome its promise of rapid change, a destruction of former structures that really have no more purpose in your life. Off the top of my head, I don’t know if the Tower card is connected to Saturn, the planet of life lessons – but in my personal experience, the two are closely connected.

In any case, the Tower upset me. I had a good deal of work to do that day, in a situation that could turn delicate and difficult at a moment’s notice. I decided to take care with every moment of thought, word, and deed (something of which we should be aware at all times, but often forget).

The energy card, the King of Swords, was interesting, because it meant winding something up on an intellectual level. I had to stop thinking of something in a particular way – only I had no idea what that particular something was. I only knew that a part of my life was about to go “boom” and I’d have to wind up its particular thought pattern.

So I asked, “How can I turn this into a positive?” and drew The Sun. The Sun is another Major Arcana card. To me, Major Arcana cards are the big life-path issues, with Minor Arcana cards the daily details to get you there. The Sun is a card of victory, of partnership, of everything working out better than you could possibly hope. It’s about joy and about birth.

Putting this card with the previous two meant that, although the actual transition would be difficult, it would cause new opportunities to open that were better than I could have possibly imagined. That comforted me, but I still had no idea what “it” was. I felt as though I had to be particularly vigilant in all areas of my life.


Aug. 24 Reflection:

It wasn’t until late in the day that the cards made sense – I was hit with a particular work/career situation that blows up the past two years’ worth of work and a portion of the coming year’s. My first instinct was to come up with Plan B to keep it running, but on an alternate rail. Then, as I remembered the King of Swords, I also came up with Plans C, D, E, and F, all of which are viable. Since there is still more to weed through in the situation, I don’t yet have to choose which option. I simply know that I have several options when the time comes to finalize my decision. And, The Sun indicates that this Tower incident is actually clearing the way for something better. I’m all for that.


Daily Card Pulls – Day Eight (Aug. 25)

Today’s cards are:

Action Card – The Six of Pentacles

Energy Card – The Empress

The Six of Pentacles is about balance and generosity on a tangible level. I will receive what I need, but I must also be willing to give where it is needed. That is an important message for me today, as I am involved in a situation where I wish to be compassionate, but feel the person in question has used up the credit in that account, so to speak. The card warns me to be generous anyway, but stay in balance. In other words, don’t get caught up in the other person’s issues. That makes sense.

The Energy card is yet another Major Arcana card. Since I am nearing the end of the first year of a projected three year career transition, it makes absolute sense for Major Arcana cards to turn up on a daily basis. I am constantly faced with life-changing decisions.

The Empress is about fertility, generosity, creativity, love, abundance, joy, and, to me, security, especially emotional security. By taking generous and balanced compassionate action, I fulfill the cycle of abundance, both towards others and myself.

Whatever I am faced with today, must be faced with responsible compassion.

Kiuney!

Daily Card Pulls -- Day Six

Image:
The Six of Swords and the Ace of Cups
The Robin Wood Tarot by Robin Wood © 1991 Llewellyn Worldwide, 2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125-2989. All rights reserved, used by permission. Card images are protecteed intellectual property, and may not be recopied or reused in any manner without written permission from the publisher.


Robin Wood Deck Link:
http://www.llewellyn.com/bookstore/book.php?pn=L894



Have you noticed any shifts yet? That remembering the cards in a given situation makes you pause and choose your response?

Action Card – 6 of Swords

Energy Card – Ace of Cups

6 of Swords is a chance for renewal through travel, usually over water. I’m traveling today – and I’m crossing the Hudson River, so although it’s not crossing the ocean . . .:) I love it when the six of swords comes up on a travel day, because that usually means positive traveling.

Ace of Swords indicates a new path in the journey of love, creativity, and emotion. Maybe I’ll get an idea for a new book! Another positive card, and an exciting one – indicating a new emotional journey on a day of actual physical journeying.

But then, the two are so often linked!

I will be offline for this journey, so tonight’s reflection and tomorrow’s cards will be up either late tomorrow or early Thursday, and, most probably, combined.

Kiuney!

Reflection

Today was a quiet, industrious day. I can feel energies shifting, but I don’t yet know what they mean or where they lead. A sense of something preparing to burst forth gathers.

Daily Card Pulls – Day Five

I received a question from a reader that I will answer here, because it is relevant to our work. The question whether or not we’re using reversed card readings. The only card I read as reversed is The Wheel of Fortune. Since it is a wheel, the positioning of the wheel is vital to the interpretation of the overall reading.

The rest of the cards I read upright. Before each day’s work or at the end of each day’s work, I handle each card in the deck and place them in the same direction.

Reversed cards simply don’t resonate with me. My colleagues who do use them suggest two meanings for them.

1) The reversed card suggests a block or obstacle in reaching the event or energy indicated by the card;

2) The reversed card suggests the opposite of the card’s meaning.

Because tarot is such a personal process, you need to experiment with your readings. You’ll know when you hit the right one – you can feel it. It’s like finding the right place for your yoga pose, or reaching the point of stillness in meditation. It’s a knowing with your whole body and soul, a sensation both physical and emotional.

Action Card – Justice

Energy Card – Judgement

Two Major Arcana cards today. That’s quite a strong indication.

To me, the Justice card means daily cause and effect – you let someone go ahead of you in the grocery store, you find a dollar in the parking lot. It’s that immediate and that tangible. It means other things to other readers, but in my experience, that’s what the Justice card means. It also asks that I look at situations calmly, and at both sides of the situation, without rushing to judge. Again, there is the caution to approach situations with compassion.

The Judgement card, on the other hand, means cause and effect on a karmic level, the bigger picture. There’s an opportunity for regeneration. I particularly love the Judgement card in the Robin Wood deck because a woman rises out of a cauldron, arms outstretched, looking optimistic, with a phoenix rising behind her. And the phoenix is one of my favorite animals. {Note: Wood leaves the “e” after the “g” in “Judgement” on her deck, and I honor her choice here by spelling it in the same way, since I’m using her deck}.

It’s quite rare that both of these cards show up together.

I’m hoping it’s an indication of a positive day. My intent is to live a life with integrity, true to myself, and making my own little corner of the world as pleasant as I can for those around me. I don’t always succeed.

These cards indicate that there’s an accountability to be had today.

Kiuney!

Reflection

I stayed quiet, worked hard, and tried to remember to look at what I accomplished, rather than what was undone on the to-do list.

Quiet seemed the best way to go.

Daily Card Pulls -- Day Four

Image:
The Five of Cups and the Hanged Man
The Robin Wood Tarot by Robin Wood © 1991 Llewellyn Worldwide, 2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125-2989. All rights reserved, used by permission. Card images are protected intellecutal property, and may not be recopied or reused in any manner without written permission from the publisher.


Robin Wood Deck Link:
http://www.llewellyn.com/bookstore/book.php?pn=L894


The moon has started to wane. This is the time of the month to banish and cut away whatever you no longer need in your life.

Action Card: 5 of Cups

Energy Card: The Hanged Man

That’s a bit of a disturbing way to start the day. The Five of Cups is a card of sorrow, of “spilled milk”, so to speak. A caped and hooded figure bows its head. At the figure’s feet are five goblets. Three of them are overturned, with red liquid spilled. Is it wine? Is it blood? Two cups, however, remain upright.

This card reminds us that, although something has been lost, and it’s sad, that there are still two full cups. Those are where the focus needs to be.

Since it is an action card, there will be some sort of loss today – and I have to remember what I still have.

The Energy Card is The Hanged Man. This is a card that, to me, tends to mean a plateau reached. It can also be interpreted as a time of rest, a time to surrender, a time to sacrifice something in order to gain something else, or a time to look at the situation from another point of view.

What I will try to do today is to remember what I still have, even if I lose something, and to stay quiet, looking at the situation from all angles, but not taking any action yet. It’s still a time for reflection. It may also mean that I have to decide what to give up in order to keep something, although I don’t yet know what. I will proceed with my day quietly and cautiously. I don’t want to obsess about the five of cups, because I don’t want to draw loss towards me. I’m simply on guard, and, hopefully, I’ve now been warned of the possibilities, and can take action – or, if I listen to the Hanged Man, inaction – to avoid or soften the loss.

Kiuney.

August 20 Reflection

I was definitely industrious and hard-working today – just not with the writing! :)

And I progressed by finding new ways of approaching situations intellectually.

Although I was a bit under the weather, I found that by thinking things through and applying myself, I got quite a bit done on the home front (which was necessary), and some business planning done on the writing front. Instead of leaping from idea to idea, I plodded carefully, step by step and worked my way through possibilities.

Every time I felt stuck, I remembered the Ace of Swords, and tried to position myself so I could see another facet of the situation; that helped find a solution. And applied, detailed work got me where I needed to go.

Daily Card Pulls -- Day Three

Today is the last day of the full moon. There’s still time to bring a project to fruition or start something to take flight between now and the next full moon.

Action Card: 8 of Pentacles

Energy Card: Ace of Swords

The 8 of Pentacles is about industry, work, apprenticeship, productivity, industriousness. Since I plan to spend most of the day writing, it makes sense. The Ace of Swords is a card of new beginnings. Swords are the suit of intellect – so, in this case, it indicates new ways of thinking about something.

Hopefully, it means a breakthrough in my writing! That would be a fine thing.

And, new ideas are always welcome. I just have to queue them up with all the other ideas waiting to be fulfilled!

Kiuney!

Reflection

Interesting day, and remembering the cards certainly helped me get through it with more . . .grace than I might have otherwise used.

The creative process happened mostly on an internal level today, although it was constant. And I found myself choosing to be more of the self I was – dozens of minor irritations were tossed in my path today. My knee-jerk reaction was to strike back, yet I kept remembering the two queens and the high priestess and I stayed quiet, calm, kept my sense of humor, and – most importantly – I remembered to practice compassion.

And sometimes that was difficult.

But, instead of being stressed and drained by the day, I feel more at peace.

The cards showed me my options.

I could have reacted in a typical, stressed out, urban way. But I remembered the lesson of the cards, and I made the choice not to. I wasn’t a doormat, I didn’t allow myself to be taken advantage of; nor did I lash out.

The residual effect was that I’m much more tranquil tonight than I would otherwise be.

I could have gotten frustrated that the cards “didn’t do what I wanted” in that I wasn’t told how wonderful and brilliant I was all day, didn’t land the world’s biggest contract, etc., etc. – all of which are possibilities presented by these particular queens in a literal sense.

Instead, I let them guide me in an inner sense.

It was not what I expected, but, by using the information supplied by the cards, I could make choices that served me better than “what I thought the cards meant” in a literal sense.

It’s happened before, but this is the first time I was so acutely aware of it, probably due to this blog.

It was a potent lesson, and hopefully a well-learned one.

Now, I’m off to celebrate the full moon.

Namaste.

Daily Card Pulls – Day Two

Image:
The Queen of Cups and the Queen of Wands from The Robin Wood Tarot by Robin Wood © 1991 Llewellyn Worldwide, 2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55124-2989. All rights reserved, used by permission. Card images are protected intellecutal property, and may not be recopied or reused in any manner without written permission from the publisher.


Robin Wood Deck Link:
http://www.llewellyn.com/bookstore/book.php?pn=L894


Today is the actual full moon, a day of culmination, of blossoming, and of ripening. It’s also a time of celebration, and a time to express gratitude for all that is good in your life.

Cards for the day:

Action Card: Queen of Cups

Energy Card: Queen of Wands

Additional Card: The High Priestess

Yes, it happened – a card fell out of the deck as I shuffled, so I picked it up and put it aside, as it influences the day.

The Queen of Cups is the epitome of creativity, love and emotion. The Queen sits on a beautiful shell, with her gleaning chalice raised to the ocean. It indicates that the action of the day will be creative and emotional (hopefully in the right way!)! The energy card is the Queen of Wands, which is certainty in one’s sense of self. In other words, over the course of this creative day, retaining a strong sense of self is important. Being the best self I can be is indicated. The High Priestess –a Major Arcana card – indicates that, throughout the day, I must trust my intuition. In other words, if I’m trotting along a particular path and my intuition tells me to turn off – do it. Don’t question it, just do it, and count on my creative powers and my sense of identity to hold me true in wherever it leads.

While these are all very positive cards, it doesn’t necessarily mean it will be a day free from any obstacles. What it gives me are the tools that will help me meet them.

The Queen of Cups is also my significator card. We each have a card in the deck that represents us. Although I do not use significator cards in actual readings, I am aware that, astrologically, the Queen of Cups is the card that represents me. So, when she turns up, I make sure to pay even closer attention.

The combination of cards is also telling me not to overcomplicate my day by thinking too much. When the situation arises, use compassion, creativity, sense of self, and intuition to meet it. Over-thinking it will lead me down the wrong path. Today is a time for intuition. Since women are connected to the moon, the High Priestess card coming up on the Full Moon makes perfect sense, as do cards representing creativity and identity coming up as Queens.

Kiuney!

Reflection on the Day

How did the day work out, in terms of the tarot cards? I did a good deal of work on tangibles – writing, administrative work, filing, and housecleaning. I received a payment I did not expect. All of that relates back to the King of Pentacles. As far as the Six of Cups – well, the Harry Potter movie I ordered arrived, and I watched it with great affection! It wasn’t until after the movie that I remembered the Six of Cups and had a good laugh.

Not exactly what I expected, but, hey, it fits! :)

And not every day is filled with enormous, life-changing events simply because there was a tarot card used on the day. Sometimes, it’s a simple, straightforward day. And I’ll take as many of those as I can.

The positive cards set a positive tone for the day, and helped keep me in a good mindset.

So, what would have happened if less positive cards had turned up?

I would have had information I needed, so that when confronted with difficult choices for the day, I could make informed decisions and stay as balanced as possible. It’s bound to come up in the coming days, so I am sure there will be examples.

The more information we have, the more we can choose our reactions.

An Important Point

A reader brought up an interesting point – is the purpose of the card pull to ask a question?

In this case, no. These card pulls are to give you a general overview of the possibilities of your day.

As in all tarot, anything you like, you can make happen. Anything that distresses you – now you have the information to make informed decisions to either circumvent, defuse, or meet head on any potential problems.

Generally, when you do or have a tarot reading, you ask a specific question and you ask it as succinctly as possible – no complex or compound sentences. And you ask it about yourself and in an active way.

In other words, asking “Does so-and-so love me?” is going to get you a Karmic smack upside the head. Asking “How can I build a positive, loving relationship with so-and-so?” will get you much better and more active options.

The reason we work on the same exercise for nine days is to help the reader (who, hopefully, is working along with us, whether actually with cards or simply in thought) to find a level of comfort and technique with the exercise.

Not every exercise will last for nine days. Some will last longer; some for a shorter period of time. But I want the readers to find a level of familiarity with the work before moving on to the next thing.

Kiuney!

Daily Card Pulls -- Day One

Image:
The King of Pentacles and the Six of Cups from The Robin Wood Tarot by Robin Wood © 1991 Llewellyn Worldwide, 2143 Wooddale Drive, Woodbury, MN 55125-2989. All rights reserved, used by permission. Card images are protected intellectual property and may not be recopied or reused in any manner without written permission from the publisher.


Robin Wood Deck Link:

http://www.llewellyn.com/bookstore/book.php?pn=L894

Good morning! Today we start nine days of daily card pulls. Let me emphasize that I am pulling cards for myself and sharing them – when you pull your own cards, they will be different; even if we pull some of the same cards, they may have slightly different meanings.

We also have to take into consideration the position of the moon, the season, and the retrogrades. Tomorrow is the Full Moon, which is a time for culmination and fruition. The full moon generally lasts three days, so we are in the first day of the full moon, and will start to see some of those influences. In the three phases of the moon compared to life cycles, the full moon is Selene, the mother. Project work is often started at the New Moon, or begun just before the Full Moon and worked from full moon to full moon. I originally planned to start this project on the new moon after Samhain (Halloween); however, it was ripening over the past new-to-full cycle at such a rate, the indications demanded that I start now.

We also have Pluto in Retrograde – parts of yourself that you’ve hidden and not dealt with are coming to the front. Chiron is in retrograde – Chiron is about soul’s purpose. You start to question whether or not you’re on the right path. If you know that you’re on the wrong path and are trying not to deal with it, Chiron squeezes you during this time. Neptune is in retrograde – the planet of mystery, illusion, and, more importantly, imagination. Since Neptune is my ruling planet, this is always difficult for me. Sometimes I can’t be creative – fortunately, I must have learned something from the last Neptune retrograde, because I do have ideas spilling out. However, I’m confronted with facing the reality behind some of the illusions I held in my life. We also have Uranus in retrograde – this planet deals with your destiny, and your place in the world. You start to question it, and you start to make necessary changes, especially when you’re also pressured by the other four retrogrades. I find the Chiron-Uranus combination of retrograde especially challenging.

Depending upon where these planets fall in your astrological chart, it will have an effect on your reading. You’ll wonder what a card means, something will happen, and you’ll go, “Yup. Chiron retrograde with that card = what just happened.” Then you take what you learned and continue.

For the next nine days, we will use the Robin Wood Tarot. It was created by a wonderful artist, tarot reader and, in general, beautifully spiritual person named Robin Wood. I find these cards more in tune with the natural aspects than the Rider Waite. The Rider Waite is a fine deck, but has never spoken to me in quite the same way as other decks. The Robin Wood is one I often use for daily work. It is published by Llewellyn Worldwide. I’ve asked for permission to post images of each day’s layout; if I receive it, I will go back and add the cards in to whatever days necessary.

The accompanying book, The Robin Wood Tarot: The Book is published by Livingtree Books. Visit her website here. It’s absolutely beautiful.

Please note that while I’m using Wood’s deck and I’ve mentioned her book, I am using my own interpretation. Often, our interpretations will be similar or overlap; however, I’m not reading from the book in order to share the cards. I’m doing my intuitive reading and sharing it with you. As you work with the cards, feel free to consult tarot books and find the interpretations which resonate best with you.

What we’re doing for the next few days is slightly different than the usual daily card pulls that involve basic information and meditation. Don’t get me wrong - -they are a great tool. However, I usually want more information. Perhaps it’s because I live near New York City, and, with all that extra stimulation, I feel like I need all the advice I can get! You can use two different decks for this exercise – one for Action Cards, one for Energy Cards. I’ve often done so, to see if the same card would come up in both areas. We may do that in the future. But, as a starting point, let’s stick with a single deck.

Sit in a place where you will be undisturbed for a few minutes. This doesn’t take long, but you can’t be interrupted with, “Mom, where’s my . . .?” It will change the reading.

Pick up your deck. Hold it in your hands. Take a few deep breaths to clear your mind.

Shuffle the deck. Let your mind wander over the upcoming day – both the “to do” list and the “wouldn’t it be nice if I could?” list. Take your time. Once you’re done shuffling, you can choose to cut the cards or not.

If a card falls out of your hands as you shuffle, take it and put it aside. It has something to say about the general reading.

Once you are done shuffling, pull out two cards and place them, side by side, face down.

The first card is your Action Card for the day. It deals with the physical portion of your day. The second card is the Energy Card – the energy surrounding the actions that will happen.

Sometimes these two cards will be in harmony. Sometimes they will not.

Turn them over and start.

Today, I drew the following cards:

Action Card – King of Pentacles.

Energy Card – Six of Cups.

Okay. What does that mean?

Action Card – King of Pentacles. The King of Pentacles. The King of Pentacles is about winding up issues on a physical plane – monetarily, physically – pentacles deal with what is tangible. My work for the day has to do with writing, with sending out invoices for some work, and for cleaning house (especially in preparation for tomorrow night’s full moon). All of that ties in to the King of Pentacles. My horoscope this morning suggested I might get some unexpected cash – if the King of Pentacles wishes to grant me that, I would be delighted.

Many people find the Court Cards (King, Queen, Knight, Page) represent other people in their lives. I do not. For me, they mean an aspect of my life, or an influence in my life. Occasionally, they do represent an actual physical person outside myself.

How do I know?

The energy of the card feels different. Once you’ve worked with the cards for awhile, you’ll know. You’ll start to interpret something in the same old way, and you’ll know it means something else. So you’re quiet for a moment, and the correct meaning will clarify.

Energy Card – Six of Cups. Cups are emotion, creativity, romance, etc. The six in particular, is about childhood memories, nostalgia, looking back with affection. So the energy of the day is looking backwards with affection. Considering that I plan to work on two projects that I’ve put aside for awhile, two projects for which I have a deep affection, it makes sense. It also could indicate that I will catch up with an old friend.

These cards indicate a positive, harmonious day. As irritations come up – as they do in modern daily life – I can hearken back to these cards and draw strength and calm from them. The bright, lush colours in the deck help with the positive feeling.

At the end of the day, we will look back and see how the actions of the day – and my chosen reactions to the events of the day – have worked with the cards or against them.

I’ve had several questions about questions. If you do not feel comfortable leaving a comment in the comments section, feel free to email me here.

Although I am not in a position right now to do private readings, I will answer as many questions as I can on this blog.

Kiuney!

(That’s Manx for “serenity, quietude, stillness – the best place to find the meaning of the cards).

What is this and who am I?

Here, I hope to explore ways to work with tarot and oracles. The site is not about learning basic tarot -- I teach workshops on that, and it is a separate area. This is for people who have an interest and some experience with tarot or other oracles, and are intestested in finding new ways to work and play with them.

I believe the play aspect is quite important with the cards. Many will disagree -- these are oracles, they need to be treated with reverance, only ask them important questions.

My opinion is that even the gods like to play sometimes.

You do have to remember a few things when working with tarot and oracles:

1. Don't lie to them or yourself. Ask what it is you really want to know.

2. Don't keep asking the same question over and over because you didn't get the answer you wanted. The Universe will, eventually, smack you upside the head to knock some sense into you. Sometimes, you won't get the answer you want. But you do get an answer.

Tarot is not hooky spooky or evil. Tarot is a way to communicate with your subconcious, a way to set out your options in pictures and archetypes so that you can make informed decisions.

A good and ethical tarot reader is not going to tell you that someone has put a curse on you that can only be lifted for gobs of money. A good reader will interpret what your own subconscious tells you, as though you are traveling together to a foreign country and the reader speaks the language and you don't. And, even when the interpretation is not what you wanted to hear, deep in your gut, it will feel right.

Who am I?

I've worked with tarot and other forms of divination for years. I teach workshops on tarot, oracles, dragons, magical quilting, writing with spirit, and various other topics.

I've written for Llewellyn Worldwide's calendars and almanacs since the early 1990s. I've also had articles and reviews published in Circle, Of Like Mind, SageWoman, and Pangaia.

I have the following articles in the Llewellyn 2005 Wicca Almanac:
"Recycling Personal Energy"
"Shopping Spirits"

I have the following articles in the Llewellyn 2005 Magical Almanac:
"Coventina, Northumbrian Well Goddess"
"The Magical Penny"
"Sports Goddesses"
"Energy of Place"

In the 2005 Witches' Calendar, I am Miss September, with my article "Living Without a Watch".

The 2006 Calendars and Almanacs will ship soon.

The Llewellyn Annuals can be purchased at major bookstores, independent bookstores, esoteric shops, and directly from Llewellyn.

I'm revamping my website -- once it's up, I'll make sure to share it.

On a fiction level, my short story "The All Soul's Holding Room" was published earlier this yeara by Emerging Women Writers.

And, I write a magical realism serial called Angel Hunt, about a witch hired by a devil to hunt a renegade angel. You can read an excerpt and download a freee issue here.

Now that Mercury has gone direct, we can get to work.

Starting tomorrow, for nine days, we will work with Morning Cards -- using the tarot to give us information about the day ahead of us; then later, discussing how the day related to the cards.

Because, no matter how long you read the cards, some days, you won't truly know what it all meant until it's over.

If you are not interested in this work, or believe it is evil, please merely click away. Anonymous comments are not permitted, and anyone who sends threatening mail will be turned over to both Community Justice and the apporpriate authorities. You have the freedom to disagree with my beliefs and to click away. But hate mail will not be tolerated.

New Beginnings

Welcome to Kemmyrk, a site to explore the tarot and oracles.

"kemmyrk" is a Manx word meaning "refuge" or "sanctuary" and that is what this site is --a refuge for those of you interested in divination.

Don't worry -- there's nothing hooky spooky or evil involved. It's all natural and part of our innate humanity.

I will start posting properly after Mercury turns direct.

After all, with a Mercury Retrograde, it was quite difficult to even get this far! :)
As it goes . . .

My website, Cerridwen's Cottage, is undergoing a major redesign. When it is complete, I will announce it here and send you there -- the website and this blog will work together.

Welcome.