The Two of Wands

I know it's been a while since I wrote but life's been a little crazy. I'm trying to figure out what being unemployed should look like. But for someone without a job, I'm awfully busy! I'm learning to sew so I can make roller derby clothes and maybe get an on-line business going! I'm thinking that today's tarot card is validating this idea. I'm finding that this card appears for me a lot, especially since losing my job. Today's tarot card is the Two of Wands. This card suggests that my power today lies in attraction. I have a vested interest or am committed to sharing my vision, ideals, or game plan in order to make a connection. I am willing to step up because it takes two and I can't win if I don't play. Anything is possible. I am empowered by the passion of my own potential and I transform through self-discipline.

When this card's energy enters your life, you will find the ability to make your dreams into reality, to achieve your highest ambitions. Now is the time to understand how we create our own reality every second of our lives. It is also time to learn how we can use that to our advantage. Boldness and daring are unlimited when this energy is under your control, so go into the world and show your power to everyone. Personal power is another theme of this card. The Two of Wands is a reminder that we are always in control of our lives, and though we may be surprised by events from time to time, the reins remain in our hands waiting for us to use them. This is why it's important to plan ahead, and know where you are headed before you set off on your journey. There is no place for uncertainty and hesitation, but fortunately, this card gives you the energy to rid yourself of those. You deserve to be the creator and the ruler of your life. Allow your inner power to show itself - you'll be surprised by what you accomplish. This card deals a lot with the power of the Will to accomplish great things in the world.

Without the initial vision there can be no final success, and without determination the goal can never be reached. The Two of Wands is a card that embodies that determination to go out into the world and succeed. A cohesive vision of the final destination starts to form, and though this first impression may be incorrect, that really does not matter at this time. There will be plenty of time to change your course later if you are not heading in the direction you want to be. What is important now is to get moving towards your goals, whatever those are. Look out world, here I come!

Summer Manifesto

As grown-ups, we try to balance work with play, "regular life" with summertime rhythm, being with doing... and it's way too easy to let summer slip right on by. So here is my summer manifesto! I hope to promote a summer full of watermelon-chin-drips and firefly-winks plus a few lazy games of Cornhole (some folks call it Bean Bag or Bean Toss) -- or at least a daily porch sit to watch the grass grow.

1. Summer is a reminder that life is sweet. Step outside and allow the astounding beauty of nature (yes, even in this heat wave) to remind you that you don't make the sun rise or the flowers bloom and thus perhaps, just perhaps, you are not responsible for the world. Smell the breeze (unless you live next to Solo Cup like I do), feel the sun beating down on your skin, notice the colors; life is here right now.

2. Play is not just for kids. As I watch the neighbor kids play, I realize that one must play to be restored to their own true self (plus you may even look years younger after some fun!) Spend an afternoon with someone who hasn't kept playing, who has decided to keep putting off pleasure, and if that doesn't motivate you to get out the Frisbee or grab the whiffle ball bat, nothing will. Never say you are too old or too busy.

3. Forget big chunks of time. Instead, grab the invitations to savor the moment when they present themselves. Even one minute of actually tasting that juicy peach will change your day. If cancer has taught me anything, it's that life is short. We've all lost people we love. Use that to stoke your courage to leave the computer and make a fort with your kids or pick flowers from your garden to make a bouquet or...whatever it is you say you have no time for. That's the perfect place to start. Listen for your complaints and your "If only I had time" remarks. When you hear one, drop the complaint and do the can't, the impossible. It won't be perfect, but then part of the joy of summer is being messy and imperfect.

4. Do something outrageous. Hopefully, you have a memory or two of an outrageous feat from a summer past. Mine would be Sturgis, Summer 2004, a week filled with bikers, parties and lots of nudity (no nudity from me but had I known I would eventually lose my left breast, I might have taken the opportunity to show it off!). What would be a little outrageous for you? Or more than a little outrageous? It's not about nostalgia or recapturing your childhood. What enjoying the summer is about is remembering that your life is a choice and you can let it become a burden and a to-do list you never catch up with or one crazy motorcycle ride over to see Devil's Tower, with bugs in your teeth, and the wind in your hair. Now that's true summer!

Lunch with Shelia

Today I attended a luncheon with Shelia Simon, democratic candidate for Lieutenant Governor. There were 16 women (including Sheila) in attendance. She wanted to know what issues were on the minds of women. We discussed education, affordable housing, affordable childcare, equal pay for equal work, violence against women, healthcare, renewable energy sources as well as a tax increase. I found Sheila to be very personable and forthright. Interestingly, today's tarot card is The High Priestess. This card affirms my alter ego today is the Translator, whose superpower is her expertise and access to the trusted 'word on the street.' My reputation or method precedes me. My secret formula: I never let them see me sweat! Having mastered the blueprints, I now have the props to read between the lines and get my foot in the door. I sit in as instructor at the floodgates between mystery and answers. I define the house rules, and pass on the message -- or keep it private -- by referring to the 'handbook', a voice of experience. I reveal my pearls of wisdom with an enticing restraint that keeps them coming back for more. So get with the program, look 'under the table' or take with a grain. Insult, sanction or throw the book at it on a technicality, or be dependent on same old story.

The Priestess seems to bear the widest range of interpretations, because she speaks directly to the Inner Voice, the unconscious mind. She is the manifestation of the unconscious and the effects of the mysterious in our everyday world. While it would be impossible for anyone to learn all of her mysteries and secrets, the High Priestess remains as a guide to those of us willing to venture deep within our minds to discover the true powers hidden deep inside each of us. This is the same power as that depicted on the Magician, but the scope of the Priestess' power is far different. While the Magician focuses his powers outward, to achieve a meaningful effect on the world, the High Priestess shows us that we can also use these powers on an inner level, to enrich and transform ourselves. Such transformations are certainly not as dramatic as the Magician's, but they are almost always more powerful. The High Priestess represents the mysteries of the unconscious and the Inner Voice, and her appearance is often a sign that your own intuition is trying to send you a message. The unconscious often speaks to us in symbols, so be alert around you for anything that seems out of the ordinary. This said, if you have an important decision to make when the Priestess appears, this is often a sign that the answers will be revealed to you, if you are patient and open to the whispers from within. You simply have to wait and be receptive to inner messages. Her lesson is that everything you need to know already exists within you.

Gratitude

Today I learned that one of the gentlemen I went through chemo with is now in hospice care as the cancer is spreading out of control. What do you say when you learn this information? His wife recognized me as we were in the elevator together and I mentioned that since I no longer see him in treatment, I was wondering how he was. That's when she choked up and told me about hospice. Here I was feeling sorry for myself because of my health insurance situation and he is losing his life. It was like a slap in the face; the news made me cry. This is what happens when you spend a lot of time with so many people who have cancer. Although there are many cancer survivors in the community, there are still those who lose their battle. Does knowing these folks make me a better person? Absolutely. Does it make hearing such heartbreaking news easier? No. Although life has been rather sucky lately, I am grateful for many things in my life: my family, my friends, roller derby & the Twin City Derby Girls, the Young Survival Coalition, our dogs and even the fact that although I am battling cancer, I am feeling good.

Today's tarot card is the The Queen of Cups, which suggests that my power today lies in intuition and drama. I trust my intuition and nurture an environment of deep devotion, patience, and intense passion. I mirror my hearts desire and am never too busy to connect to those who trust, love and need me. "It's the thought that counts." Many can say "I would die for them" -- only I can live for them -- spoken with sincerity by a true "Drama Queen." I am empowered by embracing my emotions as a gift and unconditional love is my Holy Grail or gift. No intuition is more powerful than that of the Queen of Cups. She is the pure force of Water, and her connection with the subconscious is rivalled only by the High Priestess. She is often like a mirror, reflecting the hidden depths of others back to them, so they can see their own mysteries for themselves. However, her cup is closed, and her own secrets remain invisible to all, even to herself sometimes. Such is the paradox and fluidity of the Water element. Hardly ever manifesting as an event, the Queen of Cups is almost always found either in people near you, or in yourself.

Was I reflecting back fear and sadness today when I learned of my chemo pal's situation? I'm pretty sure I was as we all fear that will also be our fate. Even though I made her cry, his wife graciously told me that she had read of my job loss in the paper and knew that no matter what, I was strong enough to survive the cancer. That was one more thing to be grateful for--the support and belief others have for me!

The Eight of Wands

It's been a weird few days. Friday, July 2nd marked the 5th anniversary of Mike's motorcycle accident. It came and went almost without a thought. Normally, we lay low and let the day pass quietly. This year, it was like a normal day. We did nothing to acknowledge it and carried on as usual. Saturday, July 3rd was my granddaughter Gaby's 1st birthday. We really wanted to be there for her party but due to my recent unemployment, money is an issue. Besides, we had tickets to “Scars and Stripes Forever" featuring Indianapolis' Circle City Socialites versus the Code Blue Assassins from the Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls of Bloomington, Indiana. The Socialites won 110 - 30. The Circle City Socialites are an Indianapolis all-girl roller derby league. They were founded in 2009 and operate independently of the seven other roller derby leagues in Indiana. Like most of today's roller derby leagues, they are skater-owned and rely on the support of volunteers. The Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls are Bloomington, Indiana’s flat-track Roller Derby League. Founded by a small group of women with a vision in August 2006, they now consist of two teams and over thirty skaters. The 2010 Bleeding Heartland Rollergirls consist of two teams, the Flatliners (in their fourth season) and the Code Blue Assassins (beginning their second season).

Today's tarot card is the Eight of Wands which suggests that my power today lies in climax. It has all led up to this moment of anticipation and there ain't no stopping it now. I have thrown my "hat" in and given it my best shot and have just as good a chance as any -- but the outcome is still up in the air. I am ready to accept what lands, sticks, misses, or hits the fan. When it rains, it pours. I am empowered by the potential payoff in this direction and I transform through timing or focus under fire. Generally this card refers to swift and decisive action, in the form of a sudden release of energy. This burst of power clears away confusion and negativity, opening up lines of communicaton and starting events in motion. It's like the wind of a hurricane, that throws everything out of its path. Obstacles will be swept our of your path and you will be free to advance as fast as you like. Beware, though, of becoming too hasty and impetuous, for that is the warning of the Eight of Wands. Action can be quick and still well-thought, but it cannot be hasty if it is to have an effect on the world. So take things in stride, but hold nothing back. If there have been major obstacles in your way, you now have the power to get rid of them - either by the new energy within you or by the communication skills that this card gives you. So go looking for stubborn problems and see just how many you can solve now. All the pieces of your life will seemingly fall into place and you will see the big picture for the first time. Sweeet!