The April Fool

The Fool in all his haphazard brilliance
from "OSHO Zen Tarot"© by
Deva Padma

There's a line in Tracy Chapman's song, "Fast Cars" that says, "Starting from zero got nothing to lose."  That pretty well sums it up for our hero of the tarot, The Fool.  The sun is at his back, the sky is clear, he has everything he possesses in a bundle and good Lord, he's about to walk straight off a cliff!

Before we get too concerned about his dire predicament, let's remember that Fool is divinely protected.  Most of you will agree with me on this - at least you will if you drive freeways.  Our friend Fool represents new beginnings, innocence, openness and limitless potential.  Fool simply puts one foot in front of the other on his journey.  He hasn't figured out that he might come to harm or might not succeed.  Those concepts, or rather lessons are much farther down the road.  Right now it's enough to be out in the glorious sunshine where anything could happen.

I like thinking the innocence of The Fool protects all of us when we begin a new endeavor.  Otherwise Hannibal was just some insane freakazoid shoving elephants over the Alps for fun rather than a brilliant military tactician.  Though personally, in his case, I favor the freakazoid theory.  Still, when we undertake a daring or difficult act, isn't it nice not knowing that failure should be a certainty?  How many acts of genius were originally thought to be the workings of madmen or madwomen?

Six years ago, on April 1st, my husband and I committed a

Ciro Marchetti gives us a more cosmic
Fool whose experiences are no longer confined
to the cliff. There's a universe of possibility here.
From "Legacy of the Divine Tarot"©

 reckless and foolish act, or so many believed.   We bought a 40 foot sailboat sight unseen on Ebay for $2000.00.  We had the option of inspecting it before handing over the money and although we had coached ourselves on keeping emotion and excitement to acceptable levels during the inspection, we fell hopelessly and hideously in love with The Enchantress.  That's right, we walked right off that cliff.  We are still hopelessly in love with her.  Rebuilding her became a magnificent obsession - though not always a wise one.   Had we been able to fully understand the nature and depth of the commitment we were making that April Fool's Day we would never have clicked the Bid button.  And I firmly believe we would have been all the poorer for lack of the experience. (Read more about our boat project in blog: "Case for Divine Justice)

We're about a year from completion.  Yes, there were a lot of missed vacations and parties, new high-tech widgets that we couldn't afford, but she's ours - every plank we sanded, nail we hammered.  So, I thank the lesson of The Fool.  He isn't bound by popular convention or actuarial tables.  He goes with his gut and more often than not still comes up smelling the rose.

Lady Oracle




ladyoracle56@yahoo.com


Your comments are always appreciated 

The Bridge To Somewhere

I may have told you before that my favorite spread is an augmented Celtic Cross.  Instead of drawing the traditional tens cards, I draw eleven.  For those of you who think I'm referring to getting around the Point Guard for the Boston Celtics, let we briefly explain.  The Celtic Cross tarot spread is a great snapshot of your life as it is, as it was and as it will be.  Celtic Cross is the spread of choice for a lot of tarot readers and the brass ring for most of my beginning students.  It looks like this:


                                    4                                                   10

                           5       1 -  (2 lays across 1)     6               9

                                    3                                                    8
                                                                                       
                                                                                          7

I place an eleventh card to the left of the 10 spot.   I'm not sure why, except an extremely gifted psychic taught me to read cards that way and it's stayed with me.  Most client's like the the double outcome.  I like to think of it as a universal do-over, or one to grow on.

1 and 2 represent you in the present moment, 1 being the card that signifies you and 2 being what crosses you.  What crosses you can be a challenge, a trait, a personality quirk or gift.  Like most readers, I don't like labeling things in tarot as either good or bad.  Face it, that's what mothers and best friends are for.

I call the number 2 position (the one that crosses you in the present moment)  "The Bridge."  You see, 5 is your past and 6 is your future in my version.  And it's in 5 and 6 that you face where you've come from and where you're going, respectively.  What crosses you is a clear indicator of the baggage you drag from the past and insist on carrying valiantly with you into the future.  In a lot of cases you carry good stuff - adversity that helped you grow, a loving and supportive environment or maybe a keen intellect.  Then, of course, there are the challenge cards, the cards that recur in our journey towards self.  These cards can show us our less than desirable traits.

The 4 of Pentacles is my personal nemesis -  possessiveness or refusing to relinquish control, blocked change.  Who? Me? Yup, there he is holding his coins, guarding himself and refusing to let the light shine through.  That's tarot my friends, in your face and on your table.  Uncompromising yet nevertheless endearing.

The Bridge shows us the best and the worst we carry from past to present to future.  Ultimately we choose what we take with us on our soul's journey and our view from the bridge provides us with an opportunity to decide whether or not our burden is worth the price of the fare.


Lady Oracle
             

Mercury Retrograde, Tarot And You – March 2012

I make it a point to check the retrograde calendar without fail...well, usually.  This present one (March 12th through April 4th)  snuck up on me -  complete with missed appointments, various and sundry mechanical failures and an overall feeling of being stuck wearing somebody else's dirty gym socks.  At least I passed through the eye of the storm in not so blissful ignorance.  And when I finally realized the cause of all snags and snarls in what few organized systems I possess, I said, "Well, of course, retrograde!" We have just a few more days...a few more days.  Repeat it with me, a few more days.


If you're not familiar with Mercury retrogrades, I'll take a minute to explain.  Each year as Earth orbits the Sun, it overtakes Mercury three to four times.  When we pass Mercury, it creates the optical illusion that Mercury is actually reversing it's orbit.  This optical illusion is a metaphor for the mishaps and misstatements that punctuate our lives during this period.  It's also proof that the Cosmos has a twisted sense of humor.

Are you drawing more swords than usual in your tarot readings?  Hmmm.  Could be old Mercury messing with your mind.  Do your cups runneth over?  You know the culprit.  So how go I stop saying the wrong thing at the worst time, or stop spending hours wallowing in emotional quagmires?  Worse yet, how do I get my cable remote to work again, you ask.

The key to a successful Mercury Retrograde is preparation.

1) Know your yearly retrograde dates, relax and breath into them.  Meditate.
2) Keep you expectations low during this time, both personally and professionally.  If possible, try not to     enter into new contracts or negotiations.  Don't decide to have air-clearing discussions with friends and family.  Communications of all kinds are highly influenced by Mercury's illusion.
3) Remember your  "R" words.  Renew, revisit, rest, re-plan, re-figure, renovate.  Things that are already in progress can benefit from a Mercury Retrograde revision.  Those are safe to do.
4) Keep your favorite tarot deck handy and plenty on sage and sweetgrass incense about for cleansing as needed.  Swords may caution you about over-thinking or living in your head.  Cups will point out over-indulgence of angst and remind you that there is, indeed, a morning after.

Follow these steps and while life won't necessarily be a breeze, it will be much easier.

Retrograde Dates for 2012


March 12th  to April 4th

July 14th to August 7th

November 6th to November 26th


Lady Oracle