Tarot Tuesday 5-26-09

It seems it is already time for another Tarot Tuesday. I’ll tell you, the year is just flying by! And I can’t believe I’ve already been through many of my “working” Tarot decks to do readings for the blog. Guess it’s time to invest in some new ones. So today, after asking Spirit which deck to use, I was drawn to the Lord of the Rings Tarot, whose High Priestess Major Arcana card is shown here:

Our question today comes from Amber, who writes:
“For most of my life I’ve been stuck in a cycle of motivation/productivity and depression/procrastination. I thought I was having some leave way with this issue, but it just comes right back again. A friend of mine believes I have a mental illness and should get treatment, but I’m unsure. Should I seek professional help or is this something I can and should solve on my own?”

Before I ask the Tarot to help Amber with her question, I’d like to point something out to everyone reading this: I am not a doctor, and I cannot diagnose or prescribe anything. It’s important for us all to realize that divination tools can be helpful in guiding us to make better decisions, but we must all be responsible for the decisions we make, and we must be proactive in helping ourselves, especially when we’re talking about the area of mental and physical health. There is nothing more important than our well-being, and sometimes, we need professionals to aid us in achieving our optimum potential. There is nothing shameful about recognizing a need for assistance and asking for it. I have sought help from a professional therapist over the years, and I often refer clients to doctors, psychologists, or other professionals that may benefit them more than a reading from a medium. Please don’t ever hesitate to consult a mental health practitioner or a medical doctor if you feel you need assistance.

That said, let’s look at Amber’s question with the help of the Tarot. 

I concentrated on Amber’s question and asked for the highest and best advice to be given to her concerning this issue. I then shuffled and cut the deck, dealing out the following 5 cards:

Card 1: Ace of Swords

Card 2: Five of Cups

Card 3: Major Arcana The Fool

Card 4: Four of Coins

Card 5: Knight of Cups

As I look at the cards Spirit has brought to Amber and consider her concerns, my eyes go immediately to the card in the center, Major Arcana The Fool. In this particular deck, The Fool is depicted as Gollum, the creature who has been adversely affected by the ring of power. Gollum began life as a Hobbit, but the more obsessed he became with the ring, the more he degenerated into a split personality, battling for control of his mind and body. Because Amber asked specifically about her own mental health, I think Spirit is trying to confirm for her in this card the serious nature of the issue at hand. It’s important to note, however, that Gollum is The Fool in this deck–the very first Pip card, the one that reminds us that life is a journey, and that the world is full of possibilities. Things may seem dark to Amber, but there are always choices that can bring light and better energy. The Fool seems to indicate here that Amber should not be afraid to look past herself for the answers to her question, and that this can be the beginning of an important journey in her life. There are endless possibilities for Amber, but she must take the first step–a leap of faith in some ways, but one that will bring meaning and focus to her.

The Ace of Swords in the first position indicates an idea or an opportunity being presented to Amber, and this moment can symbolize a real breakthrough for her. The Five of Cups, indicating sadness and loss, seems to confirm Amber’s depressed feelings and her unhappiness concerning her situation. The Ace of Swords and The Fool advise movement and purpose, urging Amber to take control of the situation. She doesn’t have to do it on her own, as indicated by the appearance of the Knight of Cups as the last card–a possible helper who can lead her in a better direction. The Four of Coins stands firmly on her side, indicating that monetary funds should not deter her from seeking help from a professional. Asking Spirit to lead her to the very best person possible to help with these issues will only warrant success, and should Amber choose this path, she’ll learn a great deal about herself and her own inner strength and purpose. 

Amber, I hope this reading helps you, and I wish you nothing but the best as you continue on your life journey. Thank you so much!

*****

Depression is a serious issue for many people. I never realized just how serious it could be until I witnessed its devastating effects on someone very close to me. If you think you or someone you love may be depressed, consider taking the following online quiz:

http://psychcentral.com/depquiz.htm

A diagnostic tool like this can help you to determine if you need to seek professional help. If you see someone close to you struggling, PLEASE urge them to get help, too. Offer to set up the appointment for her or volunteer to go with her to meet the doctor or therapist. Sometimes this support is all a person needs. Help her help herself. 

*****

Thank you all for joining me for this week’s Tarot Tuesday. I hope you’ll stop by more often. And if you have a question you’d like to see answered on the blog, please leave a comment below or email it to me at info@vandeneynden.biz.

Much love to you all! xo

Memorial Day 5-25-09

On Friday of last week, my son went to Wooster, Ohio to compete in the Power of the Pen state competition. Power of the Pen is a writing program for 7th and 8th grade students where those participating are given prompts in 40-minute rounds and asked to write a creative story about that particular prompt. Their creations are then judged for content, style, grammar, and the like. This is the first year for both of my sons to compete, and so far, they’ve both done very well. Thing 1 (our nickname for the elder twin) won 4th place in the district competition last fall. Thing 2 (the younger twin by all of 5 minutes) won 10th place in the regional competition earlier this year, so he qualified to go on to the state finals. His brother, although not competing, was taken along as a runner, a helper for the teacher/judges. They drove up with their teachers, another competing 8th grade student, and another student runner on Thursday, and my husband and I met them up there on Thursday afternoon. We didn’t want to miss Thing 2 winning such an important honor if his writing was chosen. Alas–he didn’t win anything, but it was a very good experience for him. We all enjoyed being at the competition, and I must say, I was very impressed and inspired to see so many young people dedicated to good writing. It made me want to come home and write my own stuff!

One event at the competition featured the young adult writer Suzanne Fisher Staples. She has written several novels for young people, many exploring other cultures, which draw on her experiences as a foreign correspondent. Ms. Staples spoke to the assembled students on Friday after the writing rounds were completed, and I found her to be an engaging and effective speaker. In the course of her address, however, she told a story that I don’t think I’ll ever forget, and I wanted to share it today.

She said that she was in Iran once, and she explained to the children that Iran and the United States had often been enemies. While she was there, she went into a shop to buy something for her sister. The store clerk recognized her immediately as an American and approached her. He spoke English and asked her where she was from. When she confirmed for him that she was indeed an American, he said, “Our countries have not gotten along well in the past, but you and I will be friends.” Then he held out his hand and shook hers with a smile. As Ms. Staples recounted this event, I had tears in my eyes.

This is the story I keep thinking about today, as we remember our fallen soldiers on Memorial Day. How many lives throughout history could have been saved if we’d extended our hands in friendship rather than aiming weapons instead? How different could our world be if we remembered that each life is infused with a divine spark of Creator, making it precious and connecting it to us in the great web of energy that binds all of creation together? 

To some people, this may sound naive. But I believe in peace, and I hope that no soldier, American or otherwise, will ever have to die for his or her country again. 

Blessings to all of you today as we honor our veterans, the ones still with us and the ones watching from the Other Side. I believe those compassionate souls are hoping we can do better in the future, for the sake of everyone on the planet, now and in the future.

Know Your Enemy

I grew up listening to heavy metal music. My older brother cranked up the likes of Led Zeppelin, KISS, Black Sabbath, and, his favorite, AC/DC on his stereo every day after school. I couldn’t help but hear the screaming voices and wailing guitars through the thin walls of our small, ranch-style house. I recall stealing a page of stickers from his “Rock and Roll Over” album and plastering Gene Simmons’ cartoon tongue on my folder containing graded papers. My brother hit the roof and complained to my mother, who sighed and said, “I don’t know how either of you can like those strange men!”

Rock-and-roll has always been the music of rebels and anarchy. It often surprises people that know me as a minister when I reveal my deep love and connection to hard, driving, loud, and occasionally-obscene music. Maybe it’s my Pagan roots responding to those thrashing drums. Perhaps it’s my born-on-the-4th-of-July, independence-craving nature identifying with kindred souls singing passionately about freedom. Or maybe it’s my wicked past lives as a warrior and a pirate surging to the fore, my soul longing to once again kick someone’s behind.

See? Just talking about it ignites my renegade spirit.

So, on Tuesday, I bought the new Green Day album, “21st Century Breakdown.” 

As I imagined, I love it. It’s an album filled with thrashing guitars, pounding drums, great vocals, and angst-ridden, angry sentiments. The first single, called “Know Your Enemy,” features these lyrics:

“Silence is the enemy against your urgency, so rally up the demons of your soul, the insurgency will rise when the blood’s been sacrificed, don’t be blinded by the lies in your eyes.”

Interesting. As a metaphysical person, silence is supposed to be something I treasure and seek. So why do I need so much noise like this in my life?

I certainly think silence has its place, and it plays an important role in our development as spiritual beings. But I believe anger has value, too. The darker sides of ourselves are places we sometimes fear to go. Some metaphysicians seem to pretend that they never get angry, that they never have an unkind thought about someone else, that their lives are always filled with sunshine, roses, and Vivaldi playing in the background. But we all have our darker moments, our times of rolling thunderclouds, choking vines, and Anthrax on the iPod. Should we deny these feelings and suppress them? I don’t think so. We need to allow them out into the light; we need to let them writhe around, cursing and spitting, until they wear themselves out. And then maybe we can put them away for awhile until they need attention again.

“Know Your Enemy.” For many years, I suppressed my emotions. When I was a girl, my father would explode in anger, and he scared me so badly with those outbursts that I learned early not to react to anything with such force.  I got so good at suppressing my emotions that I believed I never got angry or upset about anything. This was, of course, a fallacy. I simply didn’t wish to acknowledge those feelings because they were dark and scary, and I never wanted anyone to see me lose control. To me, emotions were the enemy, and I was going to win against them no matter what. 

Over the last 10 years or so, I’ve learned a lot about myself, and I’ve learned to stop suppressing my emotions. It hasn’t been an easy journey, and I’m still afraid sometimes to let people see my true feelings. But I also recognize how unhealthy suppressing my emotions has been, not just from a physical standpoint (stress and terrible discomfort in my shoulders, neck, and arms) but also from a spiritual perspective. Investigating the roots of anger issues can only help us to grow as spiritual beings. I realized not too long ago how angry I was at my father for being so angry all the time when I was a girl. I was seething inside because I felt he hadn’t supported me as a parent should a child–he’d taken no interest in my passions and rarely made appearances at school functions, making me feel unloved and unappreciated. What I realize now, however, is that he was working so hard to make a living that he neglected everything else in his life–and I believe this made him into an angry guy. Who wouldn’t be pissed off that they always had to miss their kids’ achievements? When I was able to step back and see this about my dad, my anger with him melted away. I could see his perspective through spiritual eyes, and I was able to forgive his faults and find compassion for him. I have every confidence that this experience helped me to grow as a spiritual being, and it also reinforced for me as a mother the importance of putting my family and their needs first in my life.

Anger isn’t a pretty emotion. It can be scary and uncomfortable. But I think it’s a necessary part of our experience as a human being. I don’t think we should ignore it when it rears its head, when it surges like a wave inside of us. We can process through it: punch a pillow, scream in the car or in an empty room, write furiously about what upsets us, listen to Green Day at ear-bleeding levels. 

And then, we can breathe in something peaceful, something calming–the intention of releasing that anger and achieving balance again. It may take some work to get through every angry moment, or some of our old angry baggage that we’ve stuffed in the back of a closet and ignored. But we’ll only be better on every level if we can learn to look at it for what it is: an expression of our humanity, the shadow side of ourselves, a necessary part that balances us and helps us to grow.

Be well and at peace, friends, even with the darker side of you. It makes you a complete human being. xo

Tarot Tuesday 5-19-09

Yea! It’s Tuesday again, which means it’s time for another peek at the Tarot in our regular Tarot Tuesday post. I’m ready to go if you are. Today we’re going to be using the traditional Rider-Waite deck, pictured below:

Still one of my favorite decks because it contains so much imagery and so many messages for every person.

Today’s question comes from Stephanie, who writes: “I would like to know Spirit’s thoughts on the relationship that I am currently in. I also have a burning desire to find the perfect place to call home.” Let’s see what insight the Tarot can bring to Stephanie today concerning these issues. Because her question has 2 parts, I threw 3 cards for her relationship question (Cards 1, 2, and 3) and 3 for the question concerning her home (Cards 4, 5, and 6). To keep them separate in my own mind, I laid Cards 1-3 left to right and then laid Cards 4-6 left to right below the first line of cards. Here are the ones that came up after shuffling, concentrating on Stephanie’s concerns and asking that the highest and best information be given to her:

Card 1: Page of Swords

Card 2: Major Arcana card Justice

Card 3: Eight of Swords

Card 4: Major Arcana card The Lovers

Card 5: Four of Pentacles

Card 6: Knight of Wands

Now, it’s important to remember the positions of the cards in this reading, especially since The Lovers card came up. You might be tempted to think The Lovers card is concerned with the relationship Stephanie asked about. The card fell in position 4, however, which was designated in our intention as a card relating to Stephanie’s desire to find a new home. When doing spreads in a reading, you are specifically asking the Universe to place cards in certain positions to give you an idea of what they represent and how they relate to specific situations. In this spread, even though it is more fluid than a traditional spread that assigns a particular meaning to each card placement, the first 3 cards have to do with Stephanie’s relationship, and the second 3 are about her desire for a new home. Just because The Lovers shows up, it doesn’t always have to do with romance. We’ll talk more about that in a moment. Let’s look at the first 3 cards in relation to Stephanie’s question about her new relationship.

The Page of Swords indicates someone who is an Air personality, filled with dreams and hopes, but still a logical thinker. He may be cutting in his remarks and very direct when he has something to say. Because he is appearing as a Page, he may be younger than Stephanie, or he may simply be less mature than she is, which seems to carry a cautionary tone with it. The Major Arcana card in position 2, Justice, is a card of balance and equity. It may also mean legal issues which may pertain to either Stephanie or her suitor, but my feeling here is that this has more to do with the need for balance in this relationship. My feeling here is that Stephanie may be more like a mother figure to this impetuous man rather than an equal, and if she cannot bring balance to the relationship by stating her own needs and desires, the Eight of Swords will be where she ends up: feeling trapped, bound, and possibly abused, at least mentally or emotionally. It’s important for Stephanie to not feel intimidated or to feel as if she doesn’t deserve any better. She does! Justice is a beautiful card, depicting a strong female figure holding her own sword aloft, indicating power and boundaries. It feels as if the man in this relationship needs to do a lot of work on himself in order for the relationship to succeed and for Stephanie to feel that she can escape the fate of the Eight of Swords card. Spirit advises Stephanie to be firm in her intention and not to simply settle for anything that comes along. 

As for the question of a new, “perfect” home: The Lovers card indicates a partnership that may bring this to Stephanie. It could be a new relationship that’s coming in for her in the near future, one that will bring more connection to her on many levels than the one she’s currently in. The Four of Pentacles represents a perhaps unconscious need to hang onto money or to be a bit miserly. The times are tough economically, but Spirit reminds Stephanie that in order for money to flow, you have to let go of some of it. Hanging onto it too tightly plugs up the flow of energy, and that’s all money is–another form of energy. I do feel, however, that setting up a savings account would be a wise idea so that Stephanie can be putting some money away for a piece of land, another piece of property, etc, that will be what she desires. It may not come right away, and there may be other activities, symbolized by the Knight of Wands, that may occupy her mind and energy for a while. Another home may come with another relationship, but it still may not be exactly what she wants. The Universe reminds her of the power of manifestation and creating in her mind what she wants to see in the physical world. It may take a while (possibly several years) to manifest, but it can be done with patience, diligence, and belief.

Stephanie, I hope this helps you today. Thank you for sending in your questions, and for allowing me to serve you!

*****

Thank you, everyone, for coming by today to check out Tarot Tuesday. If you’d like to participate, please leave a question in the comments section, or send me an email message at info@vandeneynden.biz.

I’m hoping to spend more time updating the blog, too. If you have topics you’d like to see me address here on the blog, I’d love to hear about those. Again, please leave me a comment or send me an email!

Have a great Tuesday, everyone! xo

Drive-By Post

Just a very quick post today, folks, to point out all of the updates on my website:

www.vandeneynden.biz

If you go to the EVENTS page, you’ll see a listing of all of the places I’m appearing as well as the classes and workshops I’ve just added to the docket. I’m very excited about offering these to people, so if you’re in the Cincinnati/Tri-State area, I hope you’ll try to attend.

If you visit the READINGS page, you’ll see that I’ve expanded my reading choices to include some new Tarot offerings, a new angel reading, a past life reading, and a (written) channeled reading. These will complement the mediumship readings that I already offer in person, via telephone, or via e-mail. Please note, too, that the prices of my mediumship readings will increase slightly beginning on June 1. Up until then, however, you can buy as many of my 30- or 60-minute readings as you want and use them in the future–kind of like the Forever Stamps the post office offers now. To order those readings, go to the STORE page and purchase them through secure PayPal. I’m also offering a 45-minute mediumship reading beginning June 1 to further accommodate the needs of my clients.

I hope that these new services and events will be helpful for you. I look forward to working with you on your own spiritual journey.

And a new blog post is coming soon, I promise!

Until then…have a wonderful, productive day!

xo

Tarot Tuesday 5-12-09

Pets and the Afterlife

Pets are an important part of our lives as human beings. They teach us many lessons, the most important, I think, being unconditional love. For me, there’s nothing better than coming home after a lousy day to see my little dachshund, Kip, waiting at the door, bouncing up and down with excitement, wagging his tail, deliriously glad to see me. He’s a joy to have around, and I can’t imagine my life without him.

Kip isn’t my first pet. I had many, many, many goldfish as a child, won at church festivals and doomed to the fate of the toilet flush days after they arrived. My brother and I had gerbils, too, and I can remember releasing them to run rampant throughout the house whenever my parents weren’t around. My mother, however, could not be fooled–she’d often find their pellets behind or under the sofa, which did not earn those little guys points in her book, especially when she’d been up half the night, listening to them gnaw away on cardboard toilet paper rolls. Even though I enjoyed these pets, I longed for a dog throughout my childhood. My parents finally relented, and we got Spencer, part Welsh Corgi, part who-knew-what, when I was a senior in high school. He was a good dog, but he couldn’t come to college with me, and he really was more my mom’s pet than mine, although she was loathe to admit it. Still, there was an emptiness in me that I knew was reserved for a dog.

When Keith and I married, we decided after only a month that we wanted to get a dog. We found Eliot at a local pet store, small and alone, surrounded by kittens in the cages above and below him. He was a dachshund-chihuahua mix (with something else thrown in there, too), a little black bundle of joyful energy with one ear that laid close to his head and one that stuck up, like a jaunty, cock-eyed chapeau. We petted him in the store, and I knew instantly that he was the right one. Still, we didn’t take him home that day…and the next, a Monday, I went on my lunch hour and bought him without telling Keith. We’d talked about him all night, and I could think of nothing else. My husband called me at work to ask if we could go back and get him that night. I said, “It’s too late. I already bought him, and I’m bringing him home after work.” We named him after a favorite poet, T.S. Eliot, and we became a perfect little family. 

Eliot was a big part of our lives for many years. When our twin boys came along, he felt displaced, I’m sure, and he often seemed confused by the chaos and the noise the babies introduced into our lives. Even so, he never tried to bite them or did anything aggressive. He did bark a lot, though, which, coupled with a lack of sleep and a loud household, didn’t endear him to me for several years. I even considered finding him a new home, knowing he wasn’t happy with the new arrangements. We never could find the right person to take him, though, and so he stayed, weathering my boys’ early years and gradually, begrudgingly, getting used to them.

Eliot was 13 years old when we had to have him put to sleep. By that time, his eyesight was poor and his hearing even worse, but he still wanted to be a part of the family. He’d started having seizures, and he wasn’t eating much, instead trying to lie down but shaking all of the time. I couldn’t bear to see him suffer, and Keith and I decided the best thing for him was release. We had to do it sooner than we’d hoped, but we knew we made the right decision. It was hard to let him go, and even harder when, that night, I went into the bedroom, saw his little bed, and realized he wasn’t ever coming home again. I cried and cried; my heart truly did feel broken.

I think I missed his companionship most of all. In his later years, Eliot didn’t bark much (he couldn’t hear people coming and going), but he laid contentedly at my feet wherever I was in the house, and I appreciated his presence. He didn’t play anymore, but his personality, his stubbornness, his love of watching the squirrels in the yard, remained intact. When we made our final trip to the vet, even though he shook like a leaf and moved slowly, he tried to carry his leash in his mouth, anticipating a beloved car ride. He was, for lack of a better descriptor, a good dog.

Being without him left a hole in my life. I told my husband that I couldn’t live without another dog. A few weeks later, we went to a breeder a friend recommended and saw a beautiful, tiny dachshund pup along with his sisters and brother. He was the only red one–all of his siblings resembled his mother, a black and tan dog. But as soon as I held him against my chest, next to my heart, I knew it had been stolen away by this little creature with big, sad eyes and even bigger ears. We picked him up a couple of weeks later and brought him home, naming him Kipling after much debate amongst all of us in the household. He, too, is a good dog. He barks like a fool at anything and everything that goes on, and he’s quite sneaky about trying to lie on the couch. But anytime I need solace or warm legs, he’s there, my lovely lap companion. 

Why am I talking about pets today? Two of my good friends have had to face their pets’ end days recently. One of them had to put her beloved kitty to sleep just a couple of days ago. My other friend has a dear Great Dane that is nearing the end, and he fears having to make the decision to let him go. Sad times, and the grief we feel over the loss of a pet, these wonderful friends that stick with us through everything, is consuming and misunderstood by those who don’t have pets in their lives. 

People ask me all the time if pets cross over to the Other Side. Yes, they do, especially the ones that have been loved by someone in the physical world. They are cared for and played with in the afterlife after they make their transitions until we can get there to accompany them again. Pets even come through in readings, usually communicating through feelings and pictures what they need to say to the owners they’ve left behind. They will often visit their human counterparts from the Other Side and check up on them to make sure the house is still safe and that all is harmonious since they’ve crossed. I often see our dog, Eliot, in the evenings, lying near the couch or walking down the hallway. I only see him for a few moments, but it’s enough to reassure me that he’s still around, and he’s waiting for our reunion someday in the spirit world. 

That will be fun, I think. We can introduce him to Kip, and any other companion animals that we’ve had. We can all go for a long romp in the beautiful fields of Summerland. We’ll all be whole and complete again in every way, and the love we’ve had for each other will be amplified through the pervasive positive energy of the Other Side. 

So today, if you’ve got a pet, love him or her. Pet her, brush him, take her for a walk, give him a special treat. They all deserve it. 

Sending love and light to you and yours.

Tarot Tuesday 5-5-09

Yes, it’s that time of the week again: Tarot Tuesday, and our first of the lovely month of May!

Feeling quite whimsical and a little silly today, I was drawn to use a deck of cards someone gifted to me last year. Yes, that’s right: it’s the Gummy Bear Tarot!

As you can see, the Gummy Bear Tarot (by Dietmar Bittrich) merges the very traditional images of the Rider-Waite deck with the squishy, irresistible kid’s candy, simplifying this amalgamation into an oracle that is easy and fun to read.

Just because we’re working in a festive atmosphere, however, doesn’t mean that we’re not taking the reading seriously, or that these cards can’t be true divination tools. Since this was the first time I used this deck, I did what I normally do with any new deck, something I encourage all of my Tarot students to do when they begin using their own set of cards. Remove the cards from the box and spend several minutes looking through them, admiring the artwork, shuffling the cards, and simply holding them in your hands, allowing them to absorb some of your energy. 

Next, close your eyes and connect to the Divine of your understanding (God, Christ, Buddha, the All, etc.). As you hold the cards, say a prayer like the following:

“Creator, please remove from these cards any residual negative energy they may hold and replace it with your Divine blessing, love, wisdom, and knowledge. Make these cards into a divine channel for spirit communication, healing, and enlightenment. Surround these cards with Your Divine Light so that only the highest and the best messages can be communicated through them. Infuse me with Your loving energy, so that I may see and understand the messages that need to be delivered, and help me to convey them in a way that helps others to understand Your perpetual presence and love. I ask this is the name of all that is holy. And so it is, amen.”

So, now that we’ve cleansed and consecrated our deck, we can begin a reading. Our question today comes from Candy, who writes:

“I have decided to try and refocus on making my life long dream come true. Am I following the correct path? Am I going to be successful on my quest?”

I decided to throw out 5 cards for Candy to give her some idea of the energies around her right now and the energy that is coming into her life very soon in regards to her question. After concentrating on Candy and her question while shuffling the cards and cutting them, here are those that Spirit selected for her:

Card 1: Ten of Pentacles

Card. 2: Major Arcana card The Chariot

Card. 3: Four of Cups (reversed)

Card 4: Queen of Cups (reversed)

Card 5: Major Arcana card The Fool

Hmmmm…in this reading, Candy has drawn 2 Major Arcana cards as well as 3 reversed cards. Reversals can often mean a need to slow down or re-evaluate, or to pay close attention to those particular messages. They can also mean that the Universe is slowing things down–the timing may not be right for everything to manifest. Let’s take a closer look at Candy’s cards to get to the bottom of the messages.

The first card, the 10 of Pentacles, indicates good fortune, both in the physical world as well as in the mental and spiritual worlds, in Candy’s recent past. She should be building from a stable financial foundation as she begins on the quest that she asks about, and there should be a rich, fulfilling home or family life for her to rely upon as she steps out into unfamiliar territory. Major Arcana The Chariot coming right beside the 10 of Pents truly indicates a movement forward, especially on the material plane, and congratulations to Candy for recognizing her control of this situation. Interestingly, in this deck, the Chariot is stationary, not moving forward, obvious when looking at the creatures tethered in front. They are at rest, so it may be that the Universe, while encouraging Candy to continue to seek her desires and to act in accordance to manifest them, is cautioning here that Divine Timing is not quite right for easy movement forward. This does not mean that movement is not at all possible–it just may be more difficult than Candy would like.

The next 3 cards reversed seem to reinforce this idea. The 4 of Cups, reversed, offers choices to Candy, ones that she needs to contemplate seriously before making a decision. My feeling here is that she still has aspects of her plans or her dream that she has not thought through completely, and Spirit is cautioning that acting too soon or in haste will not bring satisfactory results. The Queen of Cups, reversed, indicates a woman who is kind, compassionate, and dreamy, but again, the caution here is to not fall so far into dreams and wishes that the practical side of life is forgotten or neglected. Candy may have a tendency to get caught up in the fantasy of what she wants and forget to do the hard, practical work that will bring her dream to fruition. Knowledge is power; find it, use it, and learn as much as you can before trying to market it. 

The last card, The Fool reversed, says a lot to Candy. Again, a Major Arcana card, the Fool does indicate in this placement that Candy is embarking on a long, arduous journey. Yes, it may be delayed a bit, but it will not go away until you act on it. The reversed Fool, however, seems to symbolize here a great admonition from Spirit NOT to become, literally, a fool. Be cautious about the people to whom you entrust information about your dream. Do your research and see what others on the same path are doing. Recognize your power to divert the situation down other pathways if and when that’s needed. This Fool, the one in the cards, isn’t looking where he’s going, and he’s about to walk off a cliff in blind faith. That’s all well and good if your faith is that strong. Is yours, Candy? This is a rhetorical question, but one that you must go within to answer truthfully. No matter where your faith is, my feeling here is that it’s important to wait a while before embarking on a large investment or starting up a new business. Within 3-6 moths, the climate may be better and your opportunities wider and more diverse. Keep your eye on the prize, so to speak, but walking off the cliff now into oblivion will not get you what you want.

Candy, I hope this helps you. Thank you for submitting a question!

Now, wasn’t that a fun little deck? I suppose I need to lighten up and use it more often. 🙂

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That’s all for this Tarot Tuesday, everyone. Thank you for stopping by to read. And if you’d like a chance to have an on-blog reading, please comment below or send your question to info@vandeneynden.biz

xo until next time!

The Merry Month of May

Although my May did not exactly start out stellar (see my previous post about The Tower), I am determined that the rest of the month will be wonderful. My dachshund, Kipling (named after the writer), celebrated his birthday on May 1, which is also one of my favorite Pagan holidays, Beltane. A fire festival of fertility, Beltane is a time to honor prosperity and abundance and to ask for more of it from the Universe, if this is what’s needed. If you’re hoping to bring something specific into your life, use the energy of Beltane, still active, to do so. Considering that we’ll be moving into a Mercury retrograde on May 7 (with the planet going direct again on May 30), which may hinder communications and slow down processes, we need to take advantage of the positive, fiery prosperity energy of Beltane while we can! And if you’re more interested in *actual* fertility, be sure to take advantage of the Beltane energy. I know my twins were conceived during this energy in 1995–so be careful, it’s potent stuff! 

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Our weekend was highlighted by a trip to the theatre to see our favorite company, Falcon Theater in Newport, Kentucky, mount POSEIDON: AN UPSIDE DOWN MUSICAL. What a treat this show was! Featuring a wonderfully engaging cast and some truly outrageous and hysterical moments, POSEIDON was a welcome distraction from the stress of last week. POSEIDON is a musical spoofing the 1972 disaster film THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, which starred Gene Hackman, Ernest Borgnine, Shelley Winters, Jack Albertson, Red Buttons, Roddy McDowall, and Pamela Sue Martin. The musical is making its regional premiere with Falcon, and it’s truly a delightful and rollicking stage adventure. If you’re in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area, love live theatre, and are looking for a fantastic and fun show, POSEIDON: AN UPSIDE DOWN MUSICAL is highly recommended. You can reserve your tickets for the next 2 weekends of performances by visiting Falcon Theater’s website:

On Stage

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Don’t forget that tomorrow is Tarot Tuesday! If you haven’t already, you can submit a question by commenting on the blog or by emailing me at info@vandeneynden.biz. Every week, I choose at least one question from those submitted to answer on the blog, so don’t hesitate to send in yours.

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I am currently cooking up some new classes and workshops, which I hope to announce in the next few days. I’m also developing some new readings and opportunities for my clients to touch in with Spirit and access their own energies and potentials, so announcements about those new offerings will be coming soon. Stay tuned!

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Speaking of classes, I hope you’ll be able to join my office partner, Joanne Franchina, and I for a unique and exciting event coming up at the end of May. Keep reading for all the details!

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That’s it for today. Please check back tomorrow as we concentrate on the energies of Tarot and answer some questions for some readers. Until then, enjoy your Monday and the beautiful gifts that Creator has given to you!

xo