What Card for December?

I have indeed been lax in posting and I shall not go into the vagaries of my life.  Instead, I will consider what jumps to mind here in the twelfth month of the year right before Solstice.  The Hanged Man (or Woman as the case may be.  More on that later.)

The last month of the year is the perfect time to consider what has come before, what worked, what didn't, what was expected, what didn't manifest and how to look forward into 2014 with a sense of grace with arms wide open.

So, here are some Hanged Man cards.  Many of them I do not know the deck from which they swing.  But the feeling of letting go is always apparent.  Release.  Accept. Be calm.  Meditative.  Surrender.

The Peaceful Path Tarot

 Cat's Eye Tarot is one of my favorites.  Real cat positions, 

not felines dressed to match the traditional image.

Traditional Rider Waite Hanged Man

Unique image from unknown deck.

Animals Devine tarot deck

The Sun & Moon Tarot Deck

I love this deck!  The artwork is playful and intuitive.

Victorian Faerie Tarot Deck

I love this art work.  This is on my wish list!!!

Tarot of the 78 Doors

Blessed Solstice, Darlings!

The Light will return and the cards will turn.

Join Us!!!

In honor of Veteran's Day

SpeakEasy 12 poets look at War

Free Admision

Join us!

World Peace Poets present Read-In! Write-On! event this Saturday, November 9, 2013

Join us for international poets, youth poets and an open mic.

St. James Presbyterian Church

Bellingham, Washington

worldpeacepoets@gmail.com

Rotarota: Tea & Tarot

One day when I was having a hair cut, my stylist said she was taking a tarot class.  Immediately we began a conversation that continues to this day.  Art, beauty, life interpretation, nuance, curiosity and what-do-you-think-this-card-means? comments.  She asked if I would start teaching.  No.  That's what I said for a few years.

She was as persistent as I was.  Then it became clear to me that it wasn't about teaching but guiding, allowing each person to find their own truth in a card's image.  No, we don't toss out the books.  We just set them aside while we delve into our own experiences and begin to create a bridge to the subconscious with truths that reflect our connection to a higher self.

That's how the study group Rotarota: Tea & Tarot began.  This month we had our first featured tarot artist, working on a new deck.  (Of course there will be a new deck!!!  We always want one!)  (Just one more.)  Gordana Curgus is the artist.  The accompanying book will be by Judyth Sult.

Photo by Gordana Curgus

The study group card of the month was The Hanged Woman (or Man as the case may be).  With divine synchronicity it was the card that Gordana had just completed.  We were most honored to have her present two versions of the card and talk about the process.

Number Twelve, The Hanged One

This is the second card that Gordana produced for the Hanged Man.  The first one, more traditional, did not suit writer Judyth Sult's perception of the card.  Here half of the infinity sign surrounds an androgynous figure.

My focus is that you know everything you need to know.  You just don't know it.  No, it's not an original concept.  I learned it from a spiritual sculptor in the '60s, Riva Bruns at the Yucaipa School of Creative Arts.

Long ago when I lived in Colorado, writer/artist Rachel Pollack came to a tarot group I hosted there.  To see the original artwork is a great honor, to understand the back story from the creative point of view, expands awareness of the card.

What deck are you working with today?  Use a magnifying glass and see if you missed anything.  In this group, we have half a dozen magnifying glasses on the table and many different decks.  Have fun with your cards.  And may we all send out gratitude to the creative process and the creation of a deck.

Bright blessings this day!!!

Malachite

This striped beauty may appear common but its attributes are anything but common.

Malachite

(Photo credit:  Hall of Minerals)

Turn to the Stone People to help many life situations.  Malachite is considered beneficial to enhance the immune system, to reduce the stress of arthritis, to assist in reducing tumors, to alleviate torn muscles, to strengthen and repair broken bones.

Also look to Malachite for toothache (place externally.  Use polished stones.  Malachite dust is considered toxic.)

Gum infections and sinus blockages are also helped by Malachite.

Look to Malachite for emotional stability, to resist emotional abuse and blackmail and encourage healthy relationships based on self respect and self love not need.

Chakra:  Heart

Malachite can help daily living by neutralizing some of the effects of modern life:  place a tumbled Malachite near the microwave or TV.  Place a stone on or near your computer.  It also reduces the effects of fluorescent lighting and harmful rays of technological equipment.

Tuck a thumb stone in your pocket when traveling if you have fear of flying.  "What's in your pocket?" a TSA agent will ask me.  "Oh, I forgot," and I hand over a collection of stones.  I'll remember Malachite on my next flight.  Usually I call in Archangel Michael. Archangel Raphael is also a good traveling companion.

Malacite invites you to let go of the past and move forward toward your intention.

This emerald/grass green striped helper is associated with Viking goddess Freyja.

Depressed?  Hold onto a Malachite palmstone as you work through the source of depression and find a way to release it.

Whisper your darkest fears to Malachite and let the stone transmute them to the trees, to the Moon, dissolved to your greatest and highest good.

When Do You Pick Up Your Tarot Deck?

The sun is bright above and you're heading out for your favorite beach.  Do you take a tarot deck with you?
Perhaps tuck it in your suitcase?  Or if you're driving, do you have a back-up deck in your glove compartment?

Do you think of the cards when everything is Pollyanna bright and life is good?  Or do you only wonder how you can get out of this dilemma and that's the moment you think about your tarot deck(s)?

What card did you draw?

One friend draws a single card each morning and meditates on it, writes down the images and uses this process to understand her day better.

If you're a fair weather friend to tarot, that's fine.  However, if you use the cards daily, the images will assist you more readily when you are in crisis.

For today, I send you bright blessings of Lughnassadh!