life lessons
The Powerful Wisdom Of The Major Arcana
There are 78 cards in a traditional Tarot deck. The first 22 are called the Major Arcana. The word ‘arcana’ comes from a Latin word arcanum, which means ‘ancient secrets’ or ‘mysteries.’
The 22 Major Arcana cards, starting with The Fool and leading all the way to The World, are all archetypes that represent hidden knowledge that many centuries ago were privy to those who worked closely with spirit.
When we consult a Tarot deck, the Major Arcana cards take us on a journey into another world, accessing ancient truths and divine law. In psychic Tarot readings the Major Arcana cards can describe attributes of people and their character traits, but most often represent the spiritual lessons we go through in life. Continue reading
Being A Cusp Capricorn
I was born amid a snowstorm, in an age where there were no cell phones, nor color television. In fact, we only had a handful of channels on television, if you were lucky enough to own one. In those days vehicles were V-8 engines and did not have seatbelts. Life was so simple.
In the Summer we played outside, and in the Winter we played outside. If we played a game on a rainy day, it was a board game such as monopoly or checkers, or we colored and dreamed of what we wanted to be when we grew up. Most boys wanted to be a policeman, or a fireman. Those were not even an option if you were a girl. You could be a wife, a mother, a bookkeeper, a secretary or a teller at a bank. Options for women were very limited.
I don’t know how many times I was told I could not do something with the explanation, “Because you’re a girl!” This broke my spirit for a long, long time. I wanted to play baseball and hockey. “No, sorry, that’s for boys only. You can draw or paint, or cook.” Continue reading
Our Lives Between Lives
We have all had countless past lives, whether we know it or not. Our souls are continually reborn into a new body. And chances are we’ll remember bits and pieces of each past life, as we learn life lessons in each existence.
But what happens to us between each death and rebirth? Are we stuck in some sort of cosmic waiting room, just sitting there and wondering who we’ll become next? No one knows with absolute certainty, but many of those who have experienced near-death events report that reincarnation is very real.
The soul, our purest essence, is continually evolving, learning and taking valuable lessons from each existence, no matter how long we remain here on Earth. But the soul itself never dies. It exists outside of time and space and receives a new body after we pass from a previous life. Many spiritual traditions in the world agree upon this basic idea. Continue reading
When Your Child Is Your Spiritual Coach
Coming from a family who never communicated their personal feelings, I learned a lot about the importance of communication between age groups in my early teens, when I was sent to live with a Dutch family with three children for several months.
I always admired their closeness, but it wasn’t until I actually moved in with them, that I realized just how far their caring and sharing went towards feeling part of such a close knit family. They prayed together too, and included me, always asking for healing for my mother who was having treatment at the time for her ‘nervous condition.’
In later years, as a recovering alcoholic in Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), I would often hear the expression, “A family that prays together, stays together.” I am sure this family has stayed close all these years, even though we have lost touch. Continue reading
Saying Thank You Is Good Karma
Karma can be witnessed by looking back on one’s own life and experiences, or by observing the lives of others and how karma affected them. If you are close with someone you can see their karma unfold if you’re paying attention. Sometimes we don’t see it until much later in life.
A less obvious kind of karma, which I have started to notice over this past year, relates to saying two simple words: thank you. Why is saying thank you so very difficult for some people? I have never understood it, until recently.
One of the most common reasons people don’t say thank you, is because they were never taught to do so as children. Usually we are taught these things early on. But some people are brought up in dysfunctional homes where there is the lack love, attention and connection between parent and child. Continue reading
Hold On Tight To Your Dreams
There are times when we are tempted to withdraw from the world, sit around, and feel sorry for ourselves. For many of us it is all too easy to get into the rut of complaining about how everything bad only happens to us, and how unfair life is. Some of us also easily complain that other people seem to have everything, and we have so little. When this kind of thinking takes over, it may be time to ask yourself some really tough questions.
Am I in a comfort zone? Is it really too difficult to make the necessary changes to have a better life? Do I really want to get well? What benefits am I possibly getting from choosing to remain stuck? Has my circumstances or my health status become my new identity? Am I always looking in the rear-view mirror, wishing I could rewrite the past? Do I obsess about what could have, should have, would have been? Continue reading
What Goes Around Comes Around
Karma is a very real thing. I know an older lady who firmly believes that she will never have to struggle coming in the door, whenever she comes home to her condo. She never has to set down any of her items to look for the right key to unlock the door and let herself in. There always seems to be someone there to let her in; people are usually going out as she is coming back in.
Amazingly, this appears to be true. I have never actually seen her having any trouble letting herself in, and it seems to be the case especially when she is bringing in groceries, or carrying a heavy load.
I asked her why she thinks this is, and she told me that when she was younger, and her legs used to worked better, she used to always help elderly people. She would help them to their car, or help them bring things in, or help them cross the street. It was something her parents taught her from a very young age – to always be ready to lend a helping hand to children and the elderly. Continue reading