Life Design
Empower Yourself With A Tarot Meditation
The Tarot is so much more than just a method of fortunetelling. Tarot can be used as a tool for meditation just as much as it is an aid for divination.
For example, you can meditate on one of the cards in the Major Arcana, to connect with that specific card’s archetypal energy. Connecting with the card’s energy can not only help you find the answers you need, but more profoundly it can also invite that energy into our life.
Every archetype can awaken within us certain a type of personal power. The Magician can inspire us to become more quick on our feet, as he is mercurial in nature. The High Priestess connects us more deeply with our intuition and higher self. The Tower can bring an immediate closure to a negative situation we cannot stand anymore, and so on.
Let’s focus on The Empress card with a more detailed analysis, to demonstrate how we can utilize her in meditation.
Symbolism Of The Empress
The Empress is the number 3 card in the Major Arcana of the Tarot. She is the archetypal queen and symbolizes all the riches of femininity. She is related to the planet Venus and the zodiac sign of Taurus, representing affectivity in all its fullness.
As an earthly partner of the Emperor, her archetype represents the earthly plane achievements and pleasures of the physical body, including motherhood. There is also a connection between the Divine Feminine or Divine Mother archetype, represented by this card, and the Earth as Gaia, our nurturing mother.
Spiritual Ascension 2020
When we experience a big shift or breakthrough, it will often feel like our lives are falling apart in order for something greater to manifest. The year 2020 is a prime example of this. It continues to be an extreme year on all levels, and it has truly been testing our inner and outer world.
I believe there is a spiritual reason for all of this. We are shifting into the Age of Aquarius. Our purpose, spiritual connection, relationships, and physical bodies are in the midst of a major spiritual awakening that feels like an intense storm or crisis for many of us.
We are now becoming more aware of the people, places and circumstances that no longer serve us. It is an opportunity to strengthen our intuition and re-calibrate our inner compass.
Emotions are also running high this year, since we are constantly being triggered, but it’s happening to get us in touch with who we really are as spiritual beings, and to help us navigate through the fears connected to our past traumas.
It is meant to integrate the light and dark aspects within each of us, and to embrace it wholeheartedly, without caring what other people may think.
You may also have been noticing certain ascension symptoms. For example, your body no longer wants certain foods, and substances, so be sure to cut back on anything that makes you tired or irritable, or causes you physical discomfort. Drink lots of water, keep a health journal, get some exercise, and eat a healthy, wholesome diet. It will help you be more calm and mindful during these demanding times.
There will continue to be days of anxiety, anger, impatience and frustration, so be sure to acknowledge when any such negative emotions surface, so you can find a moment to breathe and re-direct your energy into something that helps you find greater peace of mind.
Astrological Forecast October 12 – 18, 2020
Mercury goes retrograde in Scorpio on Tuesday, so we need to be alert and stay on our toes, especially in aspects of communication, technology, legal agreements and travel. And because Scorpio is a water sign, this will also be a time of intense emotional introspection and clarity.
Interestingly, Mercury will resume its normal forward motion again on election day in the United States, on November 3, 2020. This may affect voter turnout, the functioning of voting equipment, early ballots being lost, and delays in the final results. Not the best timing, Mercury! Even without the retrograde preceding the election by three weeks, it is sure to be an interesting time, full of twists and turns!
The Libra New Moon on Friday will set the stage for two weeks of new beginnings, and potentially redirect us if we’ve lost sight of our current goals. This is also a strong lunation for relationships and the possibility to create new ones, or re-balance current ones, and embrace new potentials.
Practice extra caution over the weekend, as the Moon travels through Scorpio. It has a tendency to create an illusion, or throw us off balance, so be as mindful as possible at the end of this somewhat restless, scattered week.
Multi-Tasking Does Not Cultivate A Quality Life
I’m sure there has been a time in your life when you may have been too active on a hot summer, day without adequately hydrating, or juggling far too many tasks at once without taking a break. While you may have crossed the finish line, or pleased your boss by checking off all the tasks you completed, your sense of well-being was probably rock bottom, and your nerves frazzled. You possibly also questioned whether or not the best version of yourself showed up for life the next day.
Although many of us have found ways to multi-task our hectic lives, research is increasingly showing that effective multi-tasking is in fact a myth. Working on multiple projects at once doesn’t necessarily make us high achievers, or a successful super humans. Multitasking for most individuals merely replaces quality with quantity, and often leaves us feeling overwhelmed and disconnected from our deeper purpose.
As a spiritualist, I make it a practice not to judge how others achieve their everyday objectives and goals. But I do counsel many people who seem to have traded quantity for quality in their lives, and are missing out on the gift of savoring the sweet taste of personal achievement that is purposely focused and uninterrupted.
While old habits are tough to break, each of us has the innate capacity to build new processes within our mind. Psychological tools, such as Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) for example, can be used to re-program the mind to think differently.
Metaphysics and New Thought spirituality also teaches that through positive thinking we can manifest healthier outcomes in all areas of our lives. Many indigenous peoples also have a long tradition of spiritual practices, such as vision quests, dream interpretation, divination, and rituals and ceremonies, to help seekers find their best path.
Creating Space For Divine Love
Love has a life of its own. In its true, pure form and spiritual essence, love is a transcendent energy emanating from God – the supreme loving and lovable Source. When love descends from this uppermost divine realm of origin and takes seed in our heart, we can know it is an act, and element of grace that we receive.
When the seed of love is planted in our heart, it is to be watered, nurtured, cultivated, and protected with our life and soul. Love needs space to grow, and nourishment to flourish. It is the quality of consciousness that creates this space and atmosphere for love to thrive.
When tending to the garden of the heart, we must first examine and prepare the foundation. Just as flowering plants would struggle to grow in dry soil, so too will love not readily emerge from a hardened heart. It requires softness, flexibility and receptivity. Love, likewise, needs a base that is rich in qualities to give. Soil stripped of nutrients does not foster growth, nor does a heart that is deplete of a generous, giving spirit.
Furthermore, there are weeds of unwanted things that must be removed to allow for love to expand. Lust, anger, greed, selfishness has no place in the garden of love. Love in its genuine spiritual essence will not take root in an atmosphere surrounded by manipulation, anger, resentment or narcissism.
Again, love has a life of its own. It cannot be pushed or pulled, or ‘gamed’ into being. To truly experience its pure divine scent and flavor, the heart must be open, soft, receptive, giving, honest, respectful, and devoted to the supreme, eternal, transcendent, loving Source.
Open-Minded Curiosity Is The Key To A Happy, Healthy Life
A client asked the other day how I keep my immunity up during these challenging times, and if there is anything special one can do to stay mentally healthy. My answer was simple. You simply need to keep an open mind, and have passion for life.
Working with spirit has taught me over the years to live my life wholeheartedly, with daily gratitude, and with an open mind and a healthy curiosity. I am always eager to learn and experience new things. We are not meant to be constantly stuck in a rut, nor spend our lives in mediocre stagnation.
Just the other day, a friend told me that she thought I am the most imaginative and adventurous person she has ever met. I am always so optimistic and upbeat, she said, and she gets energy from me just by spending time with me.
She has also witnessed how positive things happen in my life through my spiritual practices. For example, I use certain crystals, visualizations and affirmations to bring about real change in my life – not only for myself, but also for others.
The more we are open-minded to explore new horizons, and learn new things, the more we allow positive, creative new energies to enter our reality, empowering us to achieve things that we otherwise wouldn’t – especially when we just sit around doing nothing.
Astrological Forecast October 5 – 11, 2020
An easy-going week awaits us, with no major astrological shifts or surprises, but do keep in mind that Mercury will be going retrograde next week, and could create a few electronic and technical glitches, as it slows down. This is a great week to back up your computer, iPhone and any device that stores lots of your personal information.
Monday will turn out to be our most productive day of the week as the Moon travels through Taurus, so get important work out of the way as best you can. Tuesday and Wednesday are ideal for socializing, information gathering and learning new things, as the Moon dances through curious Gemini. The Moon will enter Cancer on Thursday and have us turning inward through Saturday, attending our emotional, home and personal needs. A bit of over-sensitivity could loom on Friday, so be careful not to take things too personally, or fall under an illusion. The Leo Moon will brighten our Sunday as it encourages self-care and generosity with others.