Mommy Time Monday; Be A Star!

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!

What are you good at?  Let's ditch the modesty for a moment and just admit our strengths - to ourselves and to those around us!  If you are a parent you know the value of praise, but how often do you really take time to praise your own strengths and talents?  Take a moment right now to write down a few things that you're good at; things that you are proud of.

This week I drew The Star from The Housewives Tarot.  It's time to allow yourself to feel the limelight!  Go ahead and let yourself feel good about your accomplishments, accept the praise of others... and accept the praise from your Higher Self!  If you haven't been doing what you're good at, take time this week to revisit your strengths.  Are you a good cook?  Take time this week to cook up something fabulous and then soak up the praise as you share the meal with others.  If you're a talented writer, artist, or craft maker, take time to make something special.  You know where your talents lie... take time to indulge in your abilities and feel a little pride in what you do!  It will make you feel better about yourself, which in turn helps you be a better mom, housewife, and friend to all those around you!  Just remember there is a thin line between being Proud and being Prideful... let's not gloat!  But I promise you, if you take time to appreciate yourself and do what you do best, the week will be rewarding!

The Star / Moving Forward Fearlessly

Journaling with Aquarius and The Star - see the original post/meme HERE

Do I allow my higher source to be my guide?
I wish I could say, "yes, always!" I wish I could say this is easy, and that I don't need reminders and universal nudges to allow myself to be guided by God and Goddess and the Higher Powers of the Universe. The truth is, I forget. It's as simple as that, because it doesn't take any effort to allow my higher source to guide me, it just takes awareness. Us humans though, we are such silly creatures of habit. And 30 years of habitually forgetting to allow myself to be guided - well, it's a hard habit to break.
How can I nurture myself and those around me more?
Be more forgiving of myself. If I am not so hard on myself, and willing to forgive myself for my short-comings, the Love and Nurturing can flow more easily. If I allow myself to act out of Love, rather than acting because I feel like "I have to do this", then the Nurturing becomes simple.
Do I emit a presence of peace and harmony to others?
Hmmm... not lately. I have been a bundle of nerves; the combinations of stress and uncertainty with hormones and poor health have provided a gateway for my clinical depression to take hold of me again. Chemical imbalances, sick children, and money problems are not exactly a friendly breeding ground for peace and harmony... but I think this goes hand in hand with the two previous questions. If I allow Spirit to guide me, forgive myself, and nurture myself, I won't be able to help but emit a presence of peace and harmony.
What can I do to allow more tranquility into my day?
Do I need to allow more tranquility into my day? OR - do I just need to recognize the opportunities for tranquility that are already here? Yes. That one. If I am open to it, I can find tranquility in washing the dishes, folding the laundry, writing a blog, putting in job applications, looking for a house, and doing homework with my children. Aside from that, I think if I made time for daily yoga and meditation again - something that I have gotten away from in the past two months - I would allow more tranquility into my day with these practices.
What can I do to be more at ease with myself and my surroundings?
Continue to get rid of clutter and physical things that cause clutter and messes. Prioritize the things I need to get done, or make a list of important things to do and try to accomplish one thing a day. Follow the Guidance of My Higher Self. Forgive Myself. Nurture Myself. Find tranquility in everything. Meditate. Do Yoga. Write.

-------------------------------------------------------
I decided to draw an Oracle Card to go along with my journal on The Star. I thought the Fairies would have some advice for me to help me embrace and follow through with the things I wrote about above. So, using the "Healing with the Fairies Oracle Cards" by Doreen Virtue, Ph.D., I asked the Fairies what further advice they had for me.

"Moving Forward Fearlessly"

Yes, of course. It just comes down to Fear. Not listening to my Higher Power? Fear. Not being nurturing to myself and those around me? Fear. Not allowing peace and harmony to flow through me? Fear. Not recognizing the tranquility all around me? Fear. Not being at ease with myself and my surroundings? Fear. I have been so afraid of so many things, that I have blocked myself from moving forward. I have locked myself into this corner because I have been so afraid - afraid of not having enough money, afraid of not being able to find a job, afraid of not being able to find an affordable place for my family to live. I have become so afraid of failure that I have stopped seeing the successes around me. Well, it is time to let go of the Fear. Time to trust, time to have an abundance of Faith, and time to begin Moving Forward Fearlessly.

From the guidebook by Doreen Virtue;
"You are making big breakthroughs in your life by putting your Divinely inspired ideas into action. Trust that you are guided each step of the way. Those gut feelings, dreams, and strong impulses you've been getting aren't just examples of wishful thinking. They represent the germination of new projects and situations that are vehicles for your Divine life mission. Don't ignore these gifts from heaven, which come on wings of repetitive, strong thoughts and feelings. The fairies ask you to honor your inner feelings by taking at least one step today in the direction of making your dreams and desires a reality. Fearlessly take one step to dismantle any part of your life that is out of integrity. Take another step toward realizing your heart's desire. Even a tiny step that is remotely related to improving your life will make you feel like you're soaring with the fairy realm. Keep taking one step a day, and soon your dreams will be a reality.
Affirmation; I move forward fearlessly, trusting that each step I take is perfectly guided."

Thursday's Thirteen - Starstruck!

I haven't done a "Thursday Thirteen" in a while now, but I figured since I am currently obsessed with the tarot card The Star, this would give me the perfect excuse to go web-hunting for different variations on this card! So I searched high and low and here are the 13 versions of The Star that I found to share!!

1) Beautiful in it's simplicity, here is a digital image of The Star, much like the Rider-Waite version, and including the imagery of a young maiden pouring water into a stream and onto the earth. The Sunrise represents hope and renewal, and the 8 pointed star, which represents cosmic order and radiant energy. Artist/Deck unknown.

2) Harry Potter Tarot - this is an unpublished deck by Laura Freeman. A bit different from the classic image, this artist choose the image and symbolism of The Phoenix - a mythical creature that is in a constant state of rebirth and regeneration - very appropriate for The Star card, although in this deck it is called "Hope". http://www.nasubionna.net/ 3) The Thoth deck shows the naked Egyptian goddess Nut. Her right hand is held high, and she pours water from a gold cup onto her head. Her left hand is held low, and she pours the immortal liquor of life from a silver cup onto the junction of land and water. Behind her is a celestial globe on which is a seven-pointed Star of Venus. In the left-hand corner is a seven-pointed Star of Babalon. This card represents hope and promise. The imagery suggests Jung's archetype of the star. According to von Franz (Boa, 1992) Jung taught that the star symbolizes that part of the personality that survives death; the spiritual part of the psyche. http://www.schuelers.com/chaos/chaos7.htm

4) Here is a photoshopped version of The Star, though I don't know the artist or the deck. Though it lacks some of the classic symbolism, the Maiden with her vessel of sparkling water of life is still present. Perhaps the 3-leafed clovers represent the feelings of Luck that come with Youth and Hope, but I have a hard time finding the sense of Purity and Renewal here - perhaps the city setting that looks like New York or Las Vegas just spoils the mood for me.


5) All I could find about this card is that it was created by an artist known as "14 Fourteen", but I don't know if she has created a whole deck or just a few cards. What I do know is that I LOVE this card! From the interesting star (suspended by a hook) that seems to be staving
off the darkness to the best of it's ability, to the maiden who seems to be haphazardly pouring her water, to the small creatures gathered around her, I could explore the imagery of this card all day!
6) You all know by now that I have an affinity for The Housewive's Tarot by Paul Kepple and Jude Buffum. Here we find The Star translated as Success and Victory, and finally getting the recognition for your hard work. Winning that blue ribbon sure looks invigorating, and I bet this housewife goes home with a renewed sense of self and finds inspiration to try new recipes!

7) 'The Stars' from The Fey Tarot, illustrated by Mara Aghem. Now this is refreshing. I can almost feel ans smell the crisp night air, and the inspired hope and vitality of this young Fey. The stars seem to be falling right into her skin, as she absorbs their light to take with her on whatver journey may lie ahead.

8) The Star / Aquarius from The Celestial Tarot by Kay Steventon and Brian Clark. I blogged more about this card last week, Here

9) The Voyager Tarot by James Wanless. I wouldn't know where to begin with the multitude of symbols in this multi-media creation. This deck is purely amazing!

10) Unknown - this simple artists sketch seems to capture Hebe, the Greek Goddess of Youth and Vitality, who poured the waters of life for the Olympians and mankind alike.

11) Beautiful, refreshing, and Hopefull, here is The Star from The Gaian Tarot. Gazing into the pool, and perhaps even drinking from it, I feel that this card represents the way that the Waters of Life are available to all of us... we can all find renewal and hope if we just look and ask. This deck is set to be published in September of 2011 by Llewellyn Worldwide... it will be on my Wish List for sure!

12) Another deck unknown to me, but very beautiful and I thought it deserved a place here. The Star is present, as well as the imagery of water... though it's hard to tell if the setting is above water or under water. Does our hope and vitality come from within us or around us? Does it matter?

13) I am trying to finout what deck this is... it may not be part of a whole deck but simply an artist interpretation of this card. The only clue I have is that the artist may be known as "Sanja", and I found her website at DeviantArt. Simple and Beautiful, the feelings of Youth and Hope are easily seen in this card.

The Aquarius Spread

I thought I'd share a tarot spread with you today, another of the Aquarius / The Star themed blogs to go along with our current astrological phase. This spread can be used any time, not just during an Aquarius sun or moon (though those times would be ideal) and can be used for anyone - whether you have Aquarius in your charts or not.

The Aquarius Spread
~ I Know ~

1) These are my current friends.
2) How is my desire for freedom?
3) Do I claim leadership in my life?
4) How do I oppose society?
5) How is my spontaneity?
6) This is my feeling of inferiority.
7) Do I overestimate myself?
8) How can I reach the star? (Can I live my dreams?)

This spread can go along well with the meditation and journaling exercises outlined at Journal Yourself Awake in this post - Journaling with Aquarius and The Star.

Enjoy, and many Blessings to you!

If you are interested in having this reading done for you by me, or any other reading, feel free to contact me by e-mail!

Credits; This reading is from "Illustrated Tarot Spreads" by Heidemarie Pielmeier & Marcus Schirner, pg. 91. The illustraton of the spread is using the background of The Star tarot card from the Renaissance Tarot Deck, U.S. Games Systems 1987