Leaves Fall – a sample video tarot reading

Leaves Fall – a Divine Blueprint tarot spread for Autumn

Last week on the blog, I talked a little bit about contemplative tarot. I’d like to be clear: this is not my specialty. I don’t believe I am a very contemplative person at the core. I am able to think deeply — on an intellectual level — about any situation, of course, and I can reach a state of empathy when I’m reading for another, but I’ve always had a bit of cognitive dissonance when it comes to really feeling & sorting through my own bullshit (avoidance is much easier for me — which is probably why I’ll die of an inoperable brain tumor someday). Also, I don’t like to cry. Just thinking about crying makes me feel nauseous. And damned if not every time I agree to go there — whether I’m reading for myself or am having my cards read by another professional, I end up all weepy and wet-faced.

So I’ve only just recently tried this shift in my self-care (journal, yoga, hot baths) that is inwardly focused and I must say, it’s scary! It’s really unpleasant to face some of what you might experience when you begin to seek these kinds of answers from The Universe. What you find within yourself may be ugly or need corralling. You may linger over a reading for several days or a week. I am not a psychologist, but I think that’s ok. In fact, I think it’s healthy to ask big questions and then feel disturbed when  you get the answers. It means you’re human. It means you’re vulnerable. It means your heart hasn’t gone completely cold, despite yourself .

So I want you to take the following reading blueprints and advice from a position of sharing what I’m working with. And we can go through this together.

Ooh, I said blueprint. I don’t like the phrase “tarot spread” because I don’t think it’s very good description of the actual usage. I also find the word spread kind of ugly – purely aesthetic. I’ve considered other words that might better convey the purpose – layouts, maps, positions, etc. I like “blueprint” because it also suggests that we’re building something. We are. We’re building a base of understanding of the Self.

The other aspect of the following blueprints (this is the first of a series that will run through the end of October) is that they’re all Halloween-themed. This adds a layer of spook, for sure. We’re going to be using scary themes – monsters, ghosts, death, afterlife, etc., as the backdrop for our readings. In working with these spreads, I’ve noticed that the themes add serious depth to my experience. In a way, it’s like enjoying a scary movie – thrilling – because we’re actually safe the entire time.

Of course, I’m actually kind of creepy and morose and I probably have hidden goth tendencies… so your mileage on these spreads may vary.

The first spread we’re going to examine is about the changing seasons. The equinox was a few days ago. In the Northern Hemisphere, it’s fall. This means cooling weather, first frosts, leaves changing color and the onset of the harvest season. I’ve called this blueprint “Leaves Fall” and I think it’s very appropriate for this time of year (you know, if you’re entering the fall season, like I am – everyone else can just wait six months!).

You must understand this if you want to get the most mileage out of your readings:

1. The blueprint is the metaphor.
2. A tarot reading is a narrative.
3. We use the metaphor to add layers of understanding to our narratives.

In this case, the metaphor is a tree in the fall. The leaves are falling — being shed to conserve energy while the tree hibernates for the winter. After the leaves fall, they become compost to nourish next Spring’s new growth. This is not a spread to use if you are beginning an outward exploration of the world, but is rather suited for the times in our lives when we need to become self-reflective, concerned with our own energy usage and regroup while we wait for a re-emergence with the arrival of brighter seasons. This spread looks at our histories, our growth, our gifts and then examines what is ready to fall. This spread answers the question, “What can I let go of to better preserve the self? What happens to the leaves of self I’ve let fall?”

The first thing we do when we begin any act of divination is to get grounded. I’ve recorded this short grounding meditation that you can use if you are having trouble or feeling off balance/out of focus. Get your cards and your reading place ready. Light candles, make an offering to your internal/external Spirit, etc. Listen to/download the grounding guided meditation by clicking here.

So you are grounded and safe. Before I do a reading, after I have grounded, I shuffle until I reach this place that is close to trance – and then I find knowing. I know the cards are in order to reveal whatever The Universe might reveal. I don’t question this, I just know it. This is basically how divination works, in case you were wondering

Place seven cards so the arrangement approximates the blueprint. I start at the bottom of the tree and work up, then lay the two cards on the right. I am not concerned with ordered numbers with this blueprint. The tree should grow organically, so trust your hands to put the cards in the correct order, however you find your hands working.

Let’s talk about the metaphors in this blueprint and how you might use them to add a layer of meaning to your narrative. The following are just ideas you might implement. Use them as suggestions, not hard and fast guidelines:

• What roots me – The tree’s roots. Where were you planted? Where did you grow? What is your connection to your past? To your personal, family, ancestral history? To the history of the Universe?
• How I grew – The tree trunk. What summarizes your experience of growth? What describes your inner rings of growth? What is at your core? What is ingrained (as in, wood grain)?
• What sustains – (two cards) The tree leaves. What do you use to sustain yourself in the present? As the leaves turn sunlight into energy, where do you find your source of energy? What have you used (a skill? a talent? a gift? a person?) to live in the way you do/am/have been?
• What I’ve brought to fruition – The fruit of the tree. What has come into being as a result of what sustains? What is your highest potential for growth? What is the ultimate gift you cultivate? Is it sweet? Bitter? Useful? Poisonous?
• What falls – The falling leaf. What is the part of self you need to let go of? Which part of self no longer serves? In order to survive another season, what must be shed?
• Where it rests – The fallen leaf. What is your experience as you let go? Where do you move away from? What grows from your transition? How do you cope with what’s left behind?

And finally, how might a reading go with this spread? Since this entry is toppling a cool grand in word count anyway, I’ll post my reading on Tuesday morning, along with the modifications for using the Lenormand or another oracle instead of tarot. But in the meanwhile, if you’d like to try this and post about it, be sure to leave a comment here so I can pop over to your blog and check it out!

Oh, and because I’m just super-fantastic like that, I’ve made you a handy PDF you can download with the complete diagram and suggestions for usage, so you can turn off the damn glowing screen and get some good old fashioned divination done. Right click and save here!

Until tomorrow, gentle readers!

I took a deep breath and then deleted my facebook profile

Actually, I didn’t even take a deep breath. I’m a little bit, well, impulsive. So I just searched through the help section on facebook till I found the article I needed, and then pressed the “Yes I’m sure” button. Facebook promptly sent me a very helpful email saying that if I changed my mind in the next two weeks, they could restore my account. But I won’t change my mind. I almost never do. About anything.

Oh it isn’t like I didn’t think it through! I loved posting inane photos of my adorable kids and dog. And facebook is a great tool for communicating with my audience from this website. But last night found me sitting at open-mic night at my local pub, enjoying the music and company of my friends. I turned away from the music for an instant and saw three people at the table I was at checking facebook on their phones. I suddenly decided that I didn’t want that in my life — and whether or not I choose to check my social networks when I’m out “socializing” — by taking part in it, I am still feeding the beast.

The other aspect of facebook that I did not love is that the format never cultivated actual friendships for me. The word “friend request” seemed inauthentic, and more and more I find myself in a place where I need the self that is projected into the ether, my cloud-me, to be closer to what I am in real-life. Facebook, for me, was more of a place where I engaged in petty passive aggression and indulged in my vanity. In real life, I try to avoid both — so why did I get so caught up in it online? Finally, I felt like the facebook profile needed maintenance. Rather than my network serving me, I felt as though I had to constantly update this stream of information in order to be relevant and interesting and not get lost in the stream. And maintaining this network was another energy draining task I was adding on top of my blog, my students, my clients, my children and my hobbies. Who needs that?

My solution for the fan page was to create a new profile that only contained my name, city and a snapshot of me. No friends. No wall. I don’t need a stream to read and I don’t want to receive messages for this account. I just need a log in to the fan page. I transferred the administration of my page to my new, empty account. Once that was finished, I deleted my facebook profile. No “goodbye facebook”, no contact info posted. If someone wants to get a hold of me, it’s easy enough to track me down.

I find myself curious about what will happen next. I wonder:

• Will no one talk to me now that they can’t just post on my wall?
• Will people send me invitations to events, or call to let me know what’s going on?
• Will I find some other social network to fill the gap that facebook leaves?
• Will I freak out next week and log into facebook, restoring my account?
• Will I be more productive and not miss it at all?

I do have a g+ account, but I do not have interest in using it for anything other than meaningful conversation, really, and sharing photos from my phone (inane kids, dog) to members of my family. I like a lot of things about g+, though google is a little scary (I have theories that I could write about the future and google, but you’d probably think I was nuttier than you likely do already!).

I have a twitter account that I fall in and out of love with. Mostly I find twitter useless and spammy.

So any of these networks could, in theory, be a stop-gap or replacement for facebook, should I decide to use them for that. But will I? I’m not sure I can say right now! What I know for certain is that I didn’t spend any time or brain power skimming over someone’s leveling up on some online game or misinformed reposted status update. And as little as that may seem, in the grand scope of the universe all those little energy leaks add up.

And look, I’m a single mama. I need to reserve every bit of energy I can!

Some questions for discussion (should you like to continue this conversation with me):

1. Does your social network serve you? Or do you find you serve it?
2. Social networking, for me, indulges my vanity. What qualities do you find it cultivates in you? Are these qualities you want to cultivate?
3. What does an “ideal” social network look like? Have you found one? What is it?

Pre-sale for Lenormand 101 is LIVE!

Lenormand 101 is my core teaching material and I’m so thrilled to announce it’s official launch, as a stand-alone video & workbook based e-course. I’ve been busy re-formatting the videos, recording new material and lecture, and creating the course guide so you know which videos to watch, which part of the workbooks to explore and how to best absorb this material.
Lenormand 101 covers the basic card meanings, reading in pairs, lines, quick spreads and introduction to the Grand Tableau. Registration includes two hours of video instruction, a PDF copy of my Comparative Lenormand Workbook and an updated version of The Little Book of the Grand Tableau, and a free ticket to the next Lenormand Q&A conference call (first Tuesdays of every month).

The investment for the 101 Core Module is $35 and once you’ve purchased the Lenormand 101 module, you have lifetime access to the class content — including any and all updates to your module.

Check out the preview video here:

Feedback about the 101 Core Module:

“I’ve just spent the last 2 hours watching the videos and they are absolutely fantastic! You explain your methods so clearly and it’s nice to hear someone stress using your intuition – so many lenormand systems seem to expect you to learn fixed sets of combinations. You’ve created a first-class product here and I would definitely recommend your course to others. Thank you!”

Sarah

Preorder the Lenormand 101 Core Module before Oct 1 and receive one of these additional freebies:

Lenormand 101 Module “Grammar of the Divine: The Language of Lenormand”

This 75 page workbook, illustrated with the Postmark Lenormand, leads you through every card to create your own Lenormand dictionary. The journal also has room for notes. I recommend having it printed out (go to your local copy shop) and keeping it in a 3-ring binder.

OR

The Postmark Lenormand Printable Deck of Cards

My classes are illustrated with this deck, and now you can get your own copy! You can print this at home or take it to a print shop and have it printed on card-stock, cut out the cards, and use your deck right away. See a sample of the front of the cards, the back of the cards and the first page of the read-me file.

In addition to one of the two freebies, you will receive a complimentary seat in my next Lenormand Q&A teleconference!

The next Lenormand Q&A is scheduled for Tuesday, November 1, at 7 p.m. EST.

Lenormand 101 is $35 and you can preorder with payment through paypal here:

(the preorder is closed now, thank you! wow!)