Mommy Time Monday - The Empress

Mommy Time Monday! Each week I'll draw and post a tarot card from The Housewives Tarot and share it with you. So go ahead, sit down and take some time for yourself, you never know what inspiration and advice The Housewives may have for you!

This week I drew The Empress. In the Housewives Tarot, this is card 2 rather than the traditional card 3, she has switched places with The High Priestess and comes two cards before The Emperor rather than one. Makes sense, because this deck is geared towards the women, the wives, the mothers; and that's exactly what The Empress is! She is the ultimate mom, wife, and housekeeper! In this card she is an older housewife, one who has the wisdom of experience. She is holding a large book that says "Recipes for Success" and she has a table in front of her with many common ingredients needed for cooking the perfect meal. She not only knows how to run a household, but she is perfectly willing to teach you the ropes and share her recipes and tips with you!

The guidebook says; "Motherhood * Poise * Nurturing *
A feminine force to be reckoned with, The Empress is the earthly mother to housewives everywhere, and she spreads her wisdom of domesticity across the land. Symbolizing your hidden potential, she is warm, comforting, and perfectly poised and coifed, with just a touch of authority to complement her nurturing charm. She has tested each and every recipe herself in her own kitchen, and loves nothing more than sharing the tips and secrets of her success. Follow her instructions carefully, and you're on your way to domestic bliss."

The first thing I noticed as I was looking at this card this morning was that she looks like my grandma. I found this picture of my grandma, and look - they're even wearing the same color and have the same hair style!

My grandma and I were not especially close in life. She lived far away so I grew up without her daily presence, only really seeing her on holidays, vacations, etc... usually less than once a year. When we did see each other, there was sometimes friction, as our personalities often clashed. I think that's because we're both Capricorns... her birthday was the day before mine!

She passed away a little over a year ago, just before Christmas in 2009. The interesting thing is, now I feel closer to her than I ever did before. I can feel her presence with me sometimes, she is checking in on her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I can talk to her more easily now, without the miles separating us. I have found a deeper understanding and respect for her as I learned more about her life. She was a devout Catholic who always attended mass, volunteered at her church and hospital, raised 5 children, and always kept a beautiful home. I talk to her a lot now, asking her how she did it all, and her answer is always "Love".

With this card, I feel like I still have a lot to learn from her, and that I can take a few pages from her book and improve myself as a mother and housewife. With a little bit of poise and stubbornness like my grandma had, I can step into my role as a Capricorn Mom. Volunteer work will satisfy the part of me that wants to spread love and make a difference, and maybe cooking things from scratch and trying new recipes will uplift me along the way, too.

What women in your life do you look up to? Is there a family matriarch that you can learn from? Go ahead and take time to model some areas of your life after the women that you look up to. Take a few lessons from The Empress and you'll be on your way to becoming an Empress yourself!

The Housewives' Tarot, by Paul Kepple and Jude Buffum, Quirk Publications

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Journaling questions for the Two of Pentacles (from Mary K. Greer's "Tarot For Yourself")

* How are your nurturing and mothering qualities being used right now?
* What creative projects are growing and developing?
* What are you attracting to you?
* Who is inspiring and nurturing you?
* How are you indulging your senses?
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Want more? Stop by my website and see the new Domestic Divination section! You can get your own tarot reading with the Housewives Tarot and see what advice and motivation The Housewives have for you! http://tarotbyjosephine.webs.com/domesticdivination.htm

Weekly Housewives' Report 1-23 to 1-29

My week in review!
I feel pretty good about last week's accomplishments so I just thought I'd share them with you, and perhaps pass on some motivation too!
Last week's Housewives Tarot card was the 2 of Pentacles. You can read that post HERE. I really was feeling like the housewife in this picture. With all the duties of mom, wife, work, etc... How was I to balance it all? Just doing the basics seemed like too much to handle. But this card reminded me that I DO have the power and the grace to handle it all. I just needed to balance my time right!
Last week's Oracle Card was "Call On Your Runners". You can read that post HERE.
Flylady's Zone of the week was The Master Bedroom. My bedroom was in serious need of some TLC. I'm a bit ashamed to show you these, but I think many of you can probably relate!

Uhm... yeah, that's my Master Bedroom. This room can quickly become a disaster in my life. It's not a place that needs to be "company ready", because Company, if any is had, would have no need to go in there. It becomes the "Stash and Dash" area. To busy to put laundry away? Stash it in the bedroom. Not sure where to put something, or too lazy to put it away? Stash it in the bedroom. As you can see, this hasn't really worked out.

Another view. As you can see, I couldn't even GET to my closet!

And yeah... this is my Altar area. *Hangs Head In Shame* What a Bad Witch I had become! I have limited space and a need to have my altar kept in the private area of my home, so it doubles as my bedside table. But I shouldn't have let it become so unkempt!

So anyways, I set to work on my bedroom. I took on a "no pressure" type attitude, letting go of perfectionism and just accepting that ANYTHING would be an improvement on what it was. And guess what? It only took about 2 hours to get the majority of that mess cleaned up! Afterwards, I wondered why I had put it off for so long!

Look! I can see the floor!! AND I can get to my closet! The clothes are all hung up and/or folded and put away. The boxes are back where they belong! The top of my dresser is now a perfect place to do my daily devotions or meditations.

I put my journal, a candle, and my fairy clock here, and got rid of all that clutter. The basket on top of my jewlery box is full of my crystals and gemstones, which helps promote harmony and positive energy in the room, and I can even choose a crystal of the day if I want/need one. I aslo ended up putting my God Box here. It wasn't here yet when I took the picture, but I think this is the perfect place for it!

Oh, and my Altar area is back in order. All is as it should be! I've been sleeping better, waking up in a better mood, and all in all I've been more motivated this week. Can't say that this project didn't help!

FlyLady helped too! With her zone projects and "Fly Missions", I was able to get more done than just cleaning up the mess. She had some great suggestions that only took 15 minutes (or less) a day and really helped me Bless my Bedroom!
On Monday I cleaned out under the bed and vaccuumed the whole room.
On Tuesday I cleaned out my sock drawer, threw away old socks and organized it. I even bought myself new socks and did the same with hubby's sock drawer!
On Wednesday I spent more time clearing away clutter on the night stands and tops of dressers.
On Thursday I dusted the room, even wiped down the tops of the door jambs, wiped the doorknobs, windowsills, etc.
On Friday I pretty much had my bedroom nice and clean, so I focused on the small bathroom that is adjacent to the bedroom. I gave that room a good scrubbing and put stuff away that needed to be put away. Now when I go in my bedroom I really feel like it is a relaxing area, both for begnning and ending my day!

It's funny the things we take for granted, and the way that we minimize the importance of having a clean, sacred space to rest. This week, the work I did here in my bedroom was not just a cleansing of the room where I sleep, but it was a major blessing for myself! Giving myself a peaceful environment to sleep, read, rest, get dressed, etc, was a HUGE affirmation of self-love. It gave me a major boost that I really needed!

Tuesday's Oracle - Call on Your Runners!

Welcome to this week's Tuesday's Oracle! On Tuesdays (When I have the time) I draw an oracle card from one of my Oracle decks and share it with you. Always before I draw the card I pray for guidance and support from the God and Goddess, the Elements, the Angels, and the Fey. I also pray that while this guidance is generally for me, that it may also be something I can share with others, and that this message from the Divine will reach the hearts of others who may benefit from it. Namaste!

This week I drew a card from the Trust Your Vibes Oracle Cards by Sonia Choquette, Hay House.



from the guidebook;
"There's no need to ever again search in vain for anything, or fear that what you seek isn't out there, or that if it is, you'll miss it. Be it a good parking spot, the ideal abode, or even your soul mate, you have a group of spirit guides cal...led "runners" who are ready, willing, and able to help you find exactly what you seek. Humorous, efficient, and practical, they're called runners because they are very close to the natural world and actually run ahead of you to find what you seek. Their favorite sport is to guide you to the right place at the right time. They're the hidden force behind what is known as luck. They're the "go-fers" of the spirit world, but work only on assignment. They love to serve and are at your beck and call.
Send them ahead to save you a good seat at the movies or on your air flight, or to find answers to your research project. Call on them now to help you connect with your heart's desire. Relax your brain and put them to work instead. Take them with you wherever you go, and let them make your lucky day!"


I remember when I first got this deck, this was one of the first cards I drew. I began "trying it out" immediatley, calling upon my runners to show me the type of things they could help me with. Now however you visualize these Spirit Guides is up to you, but for me I felt as if they are like long strings of light and energy, like tendrils that can reach out from my body in any direction. I have found that I call on them most often when I am driving. I send them out on the road ahead of me to search for any hazards. The trick with Runners is learning to LISTEN to what news or advice they come back to you with! Sometimes I will send out my runners and then find myself with an unusually strong desire to take a different route, or change lanes, or go somewhere else all together. I listen to these urges and follow through, and most of the time never know what it was that I avoided. I remember once I was freeway driving to pick up my husband from work, traffic was fine. But I sent out my runners anyways and within a few minutes I felt I was being told to exit NOW. I was confused... the traffic seemed fine, the news radio hadn't reported any accidents on the freeway, and I was still 10 miles from my exit. But I listened... I pulled to the right lane and took the very next exit. As I approached the overpass I looked back down at the freeway on the other side of the exit.... cars were slamming thier brakes and coming to a stand still. If I had continued on past that exit, I would have been stuck in a traffic jam! 20 minutes later after picking up my husband, on our way home we saw there was STILL a traffic jam on that side of the freeway. If I hadn't listened to my runners I still would have been sitting there!

I think the "runners" that Sonia describes here are also part of the invisible energy force that makes up The Law of Attraction. Last week my husband brought home a case of bottled drinks. I didn't even know these drinks were in the car. My friend came over and we decided to drive to the store. We got in my car, I saw the box of drinks, reached in to get one out and handed it to my friend. "Oh, wow!" she exclaimed, "I manifested this!" I asked her what she meant, and she said that for about an hour she had been thinking to herself that she was thirsty and that she would really like to have a 'Black And Blueberry'. She was planning on buying one for herself when we got to the store. Can you guess exactly what kind of drink I had just handed her? A "Black and Blueberry"! My friend's Runners, working with the Law of Attraction, heard her desire, and helped bring her exactly what she wanted.

Go ahead, ask your runners to help you identify your desires, and set them to work to "run ahead" and prepare the way for you. They will let you know if you're on the right path or not, and if you listen, they will guide you to exactly what you need!

Mommy Time Monday - 2 of Pentacles

Mommy-Time Monday!
Housewives' Card of the Week
2 of Pentacles

I thought I'd start something new and every Monday draw a card from my Housewives Tarot deck for some good housewife/mommy type advice for the week ahead. I might not get around to posting every Monday, we'll see how it goes. But just like with my Tuesday's Oracle posts, these cards are not just for me, but for anyone who might come across them!

This week's card is the Two of Pentacles.
From the guidebook by Jude Buffum and Paul Kepple;
Keywords - Balance, Responsibilities, Pressure
"Like juggling priceless porcelain plates, balancing the responsibilities of a housewife and the pressures of a business takes grace and determination. The Two of Pentacles is about maintaining a balance, even when you've got a snot-nosed brat tugging at your right leg and a belligerent cocker spaniel chewing on your left. Don't despair, the babysitter will be here at five o'clock sharp!"

Boy do I know what it's like to be trying to balance so many aspects of your life!! Last week it all got to me, or should I say, Clinical Depression and PMS got to me, and I couldn't keep the balance. I slacked off on my housework, my mommy duties, and even my self-care and spent most of the week either sleeping or reading. This week I'm ready to try and get my house, and life, back in balance! This card is a good reminder that I need Grace and Determination to manage a household, but I also need to keep MYSELF in balance. The housewife on this card is still dressed fashionably, and seems to have a style of her own... she hasn't let her duties stop her from taking the time to express herself. (On another note, her hair is red, and I just dyed my hair red last week!!) So while it may be tempting to jump all gung-ho into the housework, getting organized, balancing the checkbook, printing coupons, etc... let's not forget to do it all with our own personal style and grace, and take the time for our personal life as well. Like the housewife on this card, do it with a smile, dance, laugh!

The Housewives' Tarot, by Paul Kepple and Jude Buffum, Quirk Publications

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Journaling questions for the Two of Pentacles (from Mary K. Greer's "Tarot For Yourself")
* What two or more situations are you handling with ease?
* What are you adapting to?
* What do you want to change in your home, profession, status, finances, etc?
* What are you juggling in order to keep stable (money, weight, lifestyle)?
* In what ways do you play and use your excess energies?
* What calls for diplomacy? (And Grace?) (Or determination?)

Tuesday's Oracle - make a God Box!

Welcome to this week's Tuesday's Oracle! On Tuesdays (When I have the time) I draw an oracle card from one of my Oracle decks and share it with you. Always before I draw the card I pray for guidance and support from the God and Goddess, the Elements, the Angels, and the Fey. I also pray that while this guidance is generally for me, that it may also be something I can share with others, and that this message from the Divine will reach the hearts of others who may benefit from it. Namaste!

Today I used the "Angel Therapy Oracle Cards" by Doreen Virtue and I drew the card called "God Box"

The bottom of the card says "Write any worries, concerns, or desires on a piece of paper that you put into a special container called a "God Box", as a way of letting go and allowing the Divine to help you."


I have heard of this before, and I know many people have. Actually I was rather surprised at myself that I didn't already have a "God Box". We all know the concept of surrendering our worries to The Divine, to "Let go and let God." The God Box gives us a physical tool to use to help us in giving our worries over to God/Goddess and the angels.


The guidebook by Doreen Virtue says: "The angels want to relieve you of the burden of worry by giving you a physical method for releasing your cares to Heaven. Writing down your prayer requests or worries for Divine intervention is an effective way to work in partnership with God and the angels. What matters most is that you write from the heart and then "give" the paper to heaven symbolically either by burning it (which releases it), putting it in the freezer (which stops the situation from progressing), burying it (which helps heal the situation), or putting the paper in a God Box."



I've had this little ceramic box that I painted tucked away fro so long that I forgot that I had it. Actually, I think I had originally wanted it to be a "God Box" but it got packed away before we moved last year and honestly I totally forgot it even existed. As I read today's card, I started scanning my bedroom, looking for something that I could re-purpose as a God Box. I prayed for the angels to guide me to something I could use. I was drawn to a small box on the bookshelf in the closest... a small box I hadn't opened since we moved out of the apartments over a year ago. I opened it.... and right inside of it... here it was! The little ceramic God Box that I made so long ago!


Now that my God Box has found it's way out into the open again, I have found a home for it where I can see it often and add my prayers or write my worries and hand them off to the Divine. You can use anything to make a God Box of your own. Beautiful ornate boxes are sold almost anywhere, or your can find something in a craft store to design yourself... or even find something in a thrift store that you can use. Chances are you already have something lying around the house or packed away in a closet that you could use for your very own "God Box"! I'm so thankful that the Angels guided me to my lost God Box and reminded me of the importance and power of giving my worries over to God!

Tuesday's Oracle - Look Inside Yourself

It's been awhile since I've done a Tuesday Oracle reading for you, but today it seemed like the perfect thing to do! This morning when I was getting ready to do my daily draw, I felt drawn to my Healing With The Fairies Oracle Cards by Doreen Virtue. After I sat and meditated for awhile, asked the Fairies to give me a message that would not only apply to me personally, but a message for some readers of my blog as well. So I'm sure that somewhere out there, this message is for you!

LOOK INSIDE YOURSELF!

We have all started off the New Year with high hopes for what the year will bring, what we hope to accomplish, and New Years' resolutions or goals... but many of us find that somehow within a brief span of 11 days, our plans already seem thwarted, some of our positivity and focus already seems to be disappearing, and we may already be doubting what kind of year 2011 will be. I know that on New Year's Eve I spent the day cleaning my house, convinced that if I started the year off with a clean home it would be easier to keep it that way! Here I sit, 11 days later, the laundry has piled up again, dishes are piled in the sink, and there is clutter taking over just about every flat surface that I look at. I feel so tempted to say, "Well, so much for being organized in 2011. Maybe I'll just NEVER be organized or be able to stay on top of the housework." But if I allow myself to feel that way, and give up after just 11 days, then that will be exactly what happens! But somehow if I look inside myself, I will be able to find my inner Neat-Freak and give her an outlet. Yes, there will be times that the housework piles up... but I think if I have faith in myself and don't give up, there will also be times when I meet all my expectations... (Yes, even those Capricorn Perfectionist expectations!)

The same applies to my goal of quitting smoking. Which at this point I must admit, has been a failure. I have had some serious doubts, thinking maybe I'll never really be able to quit, maybe I have no willpower and self control, maybe I just don't care enough about my health and my future to succesfully quit. I mean, why else do I keep going back to smoking? But I'm not giving up on myself quite yet... and this card has reminded me that I DO have the strength inside of me, the willpower is there, and I can't allow myself to rely too much on outside sources to get me to my goal. The connection with the Divine is INSIDE ME, and that's what I will need to tap into to meet my goals; whether they are to clean my house, quit smoking, or anything else. It's the same for You. Whatever doubts you may be having... they aren't coming from Inside you... those doubts don't come from your core where you are connected with the Divine. If you really look inside yourself, to the very center... there is Love. That love is like an endless battery that can give power to whatever you want to focus it on.

AFFIRMATION;
"I have great beauty and light inside of me right now. I tap into all the knowledge of the Universe."

Festival of Sarasvati - Ritual for Inspiration and Wisdom

The Festival of Sarasvati is traditionally held in India on the New Moon that falls closest to January 12th, or on January 12th itself. The festival is known as The Besant Panchami, or Duwat Puja. Since Sarasvati is the Goddess of Learning, Writing, and book-keeping, it was traditional to clean the ink stands and pens. Since last night was the New Moon, with January 12th just around the corner, when I found this ritual I knew it would be perfect for me! I was born on January 12, Sarasvati's Festival day.... is it a coincidence that I love to write and learn? I think I have been blessed by this Goddess throughout my life... though it took me 30 years to find Her.

SARASVATI -
Often depicted as a beautiful woman with 4 arms, she rules over the arts of civilization such as all branches of learning, writing, communication, the alphabet, math, and calendars. She is often called upon to bring inspiration, knowledge, wisdom, and to clear away sluggishness of the mind and ignorance.

The ritual I found is from the book, "Moon Magick" by D.J. Conway. (Can you tell I love this book? I'll probably reference it often throughout the year, it's so fabulous!) The book suggests honoring Sarasvati at the time of the New Moon in January, after New Years Day, but I think it could be held at any time you want some inspiration and help from Sarasvati. Here I will outline what I did for last night's ritual.

I actually started on the 3rd, by cleaning out my computer desk. I cleaned out the paper caddy on top of the desk and put important papers into files and threw away the junk. I cleaned out three desk drawers on the 3rd, doing the same thing - filing the important stuff and throwing away the junk. This was actually an important part of the ritual for me... and I found it very fitting to do this so close to the New Year... getting a fresh start with paperwork, so to speak. On the 4th I continued and completed my project of clearing out the desk. I had books that needed to be put back in place, scraps of paper to be thrown away, things to be filed.... but I did it and it feels great!! The book also suggests organizing and dusting your book shelves, and dusting/cleaning your computer area and keyboard. Basically clean up any area that you use to read, write, and learn.

Next, I set up my altar. I have The Goddess Tarot by Kris Waldherr, and I found that the equivalent of The High Priestess in this deck is called Wisdom and depicts Sarasvati. Since I don't have a statue of Sarasvati to put on my altar, I used this tarot card. If you don't have anything, you can perhaps print a picture of her from the internet, draw a picture of her, or at least write her name on a note card to place on your altar. I surrounded her with flowers, and I laid out a fresh clean peice of paper and a pen, and a white candle. I also added the two tarot cards that relate to the current moon cycle - Death for the New Moon in Capricorn and The Chariot for the upcoming Full Moon in Cancer (Capricorn's polarity). Since I was already using The Goddess Tarot, these cards brought into attentance the Japanese Goddess Nyai Loro Kidul and the Celtic Goddess Rhiannon. I am sure I will be blogging about them at some point this month, but the focus here was on Sarasvati!

After my altar was set up, I prepared myself by taking a bath, shaving my legs, brushing my hair, and getting dressed. It was probably 9:00 at night, but I dressed myself as if I were going to a job interview. I figure that when you are invoking a wise Goddess such as Sarasvati, you can't just show up in your bath robe and slippers! Conway suggests that you should light the incense and candle, and meditate for awhile in front of your altar, chanting the OM. But in my research of Sarasvati I found something I thought would be even better... I found a Mantra specifically used to invoke Sarasvati! So I turned this lovely video on from my computer, and chanted/sang the Mantra while facing my altar until I could feel myself vibrating and I truly felt that I was having an audience with Sarasvati!
Sarasvati Beej Mantra

Candles lit, incense burning, wine poured, I spent some time in meditation, chanting the mantra and thinking about how Sarasvati has blessed me with a strong desire to learn and a passion for writing. Then I prayed this prayer from the book;

"I stand at the center of this spiritual universe,

within the heart of the sacred mandala.
Gentle Sarasvati, I come to you for aid and blessings."

On the piece of paper I wrote down some goals that I have... asking for assistance with my organization and help keeping important papers straight in my home. I wrote down that I would like to be inspired to write in my blogs; to learn more, share what I learn, and teach others. I asked for clarity in my writing, clarity of thought. I filled the page with several wishes, then laid the paper back on the altar and prayed;

"Beautiful Sarasvati, Goddess of Light and Inspiration,
Reveal to me the knowledge I need.
Grant my requests in a manner that benefits me.
Thankyou, lovely Goddess."

I made sure my candles would be safe for the night (placed on fire proof holders, nothing too close to them, banished the cats from the room, etc.) and I went to bed. This morning when I rose, I lit another white candle, chanted the mantra again a few times, and meditated some more, then I burned the paper in a metal pan and watched the smoke swirl around my altar and the image of Sarasvati. When the ashes cooled, I took them outside and scattered them to the wind, thanking Sarasvati for the Knowledge and Inspiration I know she will bring me.