May 6, 2016 New Moon in Taurus - Sing in Exaltation!

High Priestess - "The Goddess Tarot" ©

You've got to love new moons. Not only do new moons change our emotional template for the coming month, but they also serve as a beacon of light in the chaos that lurks during the dark of the moon. As a Scorpio, I often get taken out by L.L.L. - Loss of Lunar Light. It's generally not a pleasant experience, but last night wasn't too bad. My easy passage may have been courtesy of an exceptionally good red wine, but it probably had more to with the Moon's new monthly journey beginning in the sign of Taurus. Lady Moon is particularly high-functioning in Taurus, or as they say in astrology, exalted. Exalted celestial bodies showcase their best attributes and we have an easier time accessing their strengths and ignoring their frailties.

Moon in Taurus gives us the ability to sharpen our perceptions - particularly our concentration and our intuition. Taurus lets us be practical and look towards expansion of all good things in our life. That's very important now in the face of so much retrograde activity. We currently have Mars, Mercury, Pluto and Jupiter all in retrograde, though Jupiter, that gentle giant of bounty and abundance goes direct tomorrow.  I can I get a booyah on that one? 

The Moon hangs out in Taurus for only a matter of hours

Taurus' tarot card by Kris Waldherr©

before sliding into Gemini on May 7th. So why bring up new Moon in Taurus now? There's more of a restless edge to lunar energy in the sign of the twins, so it's important to plant your feet firmly and engage in some happy anticipation while Lady Moon remains in Taurus. No, it's not a good time to make life-changing decisions - there's too much retrograde activity for that - but, you can dwell on an island of hope and expectation today, one that will build excitement for possibilities if you let it. Today is the perfect breeding ground for the germ of an idea that can be considered and refined during all our retrograde energy. Hoping, visualizing and knowing a thing to a certainty are the building blocks of manifesting all that is good for your life. It can all start with one little day in May. Dream bold, dream large. The day is yours.

Lady Oracle



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Mercury Moves to Pisces, March 12th While Saturn goes Retro March 14th – "Well-Chosen Words and Patience Yield Big Results"

There are times when each of us takes up the practice of oral podiatry, or in other words, the time honored custom of putting ones foot in ones mouth.  That’s when we must endure those awkward silences while others stare at us in disbelief and we long to smack our palm repeatedly against our foreheads. Luckily, we are periodically granted a reprieve from verbal idiocy when Mercury transits Pisces.

Mercury is our planet of communications and rules both

The Moon is tarot's association for
Pisces from RWCS deck,
US Games® version

Gemini and Virgo.  Geminis are superb communicators, while Virgos add clarity and organization to the mix.  When Mercury moves into the realm of Pisces, however, our ability to communicate bumps up to an intuitive level and depending on how prominently Mercury figures in our birth chart, we have an instinctive advantage on how best to present ourselves in both spoken and written formats.  The right words will simply find us if we let them. Mercury remains in Pisces until April 14th, so take advantage of this opportunity to sell your ideas, tell your stories and speak persuasively with strength of purpose and with compassion.  

On March 14th Saturn, the hall monitor of our solar system, goes retrograde.  Saturn’s job is to teach us by presenting challenges for us to overcome.  These tests are meant to inspire us and help us rise above and go beyond our self-imposed limits. They are  not meant to break us. Think about #7 in tarot’s major arcana, The Chariot, whose driver rises above the obstacles in his path.  Saturn currently resides in Sagittarius the Archer who specializes in seeking the truth. His pursuit is eventually rewarded as he comes to recognize the greatest truths and fully understand their complexities.  Archers have a great ability to focus and that requires insight and discipline.  Saturn’s challenge to us in the house of the archer is to learn patience.  

Saturn retrograde offers us the opportunity to reflect on the

Kris Waldherr's stunning depiction of #21,
tarot's card for Saturn. From
"The Goddess Tarot"© 

lessons we’ve learned, to take the wisdom we’ve garnered from our choices and internalize it.  This process serves to expand and enrich our lives.  After all, Jupiter, the planet of expansion, rules Sagittarius. Saturn goes direct in Scorpio on August 2nd, where it teaches us the lesson of using our power wisely, with discretion and to avoid gossip, both incoming and outgoing.

The tarot association to watch during these transits are #1, The Magician (Mercury) #18, The Moon (Pisces)  #21, The World, (Saturn)  #14, Temperance, (Sagittarius) and #13, Death and Transformation (Scorpio).  You may also find that #7, The Chariot (rising above and overcoming obstacles) and the 7 of Wands (holding your ground, or defending your position) have special significance in your readings, so pay attention.

Work proactively with the energies surrounding these celestial events and you will set the tempo for a sweet spring and summer.

LADY ORACLE

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March 5, 2015 Full Moon in Virgo Under the Influence of Aires – “The Tidy Warrior”

The Hermit is tarot's card for Virgo
From "Steampunk Tarot"© by Barbara Moore
and Aly Fell

Are you motivated yet?  If not, then clearly it takes a pyroclastic blast to get you out of your chair.  Aires still has charge of Venus and Mars, blending the joyous, often impulsive, enthusiasm of the goddess of love with the confident, courageous power of the god of war.  This is the Full Moon cycle in which to get it done – whatever ‘it’ happens to mean for you.  Our Full Worm Moon in Virgo gives us the opportunity to be bold, articulate and display passion about the things that matter to us. Most importantly, it is a Full Moon that demands action.

Our patience is limited during this lunar cycle and to one degree or another (depending on your birth Moon’s placement in your birth chart) none of us will suffer fools gladly.  We become frustrated more easily.  We get the message, why can’t anyone else?  Avoid casting judgments about other people’s value systems and keep Virgo’s penchant for the neat and tidy focused on yourself. 

Lady Moon's tarot card as seen
by Rome Choi, creator of
"Dreamingway Tarot"©

During this Full Worm Moon in Virgo we have the urge to not only take charge of our lives, but to make each moment count as significantly as if it were a year.  That’s the energy of the cosmos you’re feeling as it ramps us up for the final, exact squaring of Uranus and Pluto in mid March.  Full Moon in Virgo says get organized and formulate a plan for the challenges ahead.  

LADY ORACLE

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Tarot's Four of Swords - “Practicing Stillness”

4 of Swords from RWCS

Life can make you crazy and conversely, you can make your life crazy.  It’s an art to know when to take action on something and when to let it lie.  The four of swords asks us to gear down and ease our frantic mindset by sinking into silence and stillness. It is only in these states of tranquility that can true wisdom can enter our minds.

The suit of swords deals with ‘daggers of the mind,’ or in science fiction parlance, ‘monsters from the id.’ A classic depiction of the four of swords shows us a knight, or nobleman resting in much the same pose as a figure atop a tomb from the middle ages. His hands are clasped as if in prayer, representing his supplication and request for Divine guidance. Three swords hang suspended over his head and torso. They hover above three chakras points: The third eye (ajna), where his intuition, or psychic connection lives; his heart chakra, (anahata) where he feels and expresses his love and lastly, above his solar plexus (manapura) where he houses his personal power, fear and anxiety. These swords represent the areas where obsessive thought patterns can root themselves and make us miserable.

Our knight’s eyes are closed and he lays death-like with the

4 of Swords from "The Wizard's Tarot"©
by Corrine Kenner and John J. Blumen

fourth sword resting below him as a decoration on the side of the slab. This fourth sword represents a mind at rest, heedless of the day to day travails suspended above our hero in the conscious world.  Below, in the world of the subconscious, or the meditative state, all is tranquil.  

Stillness is not a natural state for most of us.  Sometimes it makes us so antsy that we take on other projects simply to avoid the stillness in our own mind. Tarot’s four of swords challenges us to still our minds, our emotions and fears in order to reach that serene place inside each of us that connects us to Source and holds our inner wisdom.  You can’t hear a whisper in the middle of a maelstrom, though. The answers we seek come in the silence of our souls and through our ability to hear inner wisdom through our connection to the Divine.

In readings this card indicates a need to rest and recover, to draw in and quietly prepare for actions to come, as well as to contemplate reality past emotion and ego. Use the four of swords to help guide you as you sort through life’s difficult situations. Taking time of rest and recoup makes you stronger in the long-run.

LADY ORACLE


Vive La France!

December 8, 2014 – “Santa Claus Goes Retrograde”

Jupiter, the friendly giant of our solar system begins its

#10 Fortune, from Kris Waldherr's fabulous
"The Goddess Tarot" © is tarot's
card for Jupiter. 

retrograde cycle today.  During Jupiter’s ramp-up for retrograde we began feeling the need to rein in our lives a little bit. We had a sense of having spent too long at the banquet table and began wishing for more Spartan fare. (Probably, in part, a reaction to all the dressing and gravy during Thanksgiving) Nationally and globally during Jupiter Retrograde there’s a sense of having too much information to process and that our gains as a species have come too fast and left us feeling a little hollow inside.  

Our desire to slow down and take a serious look at the foundations of our lives is one of the best gifts we receive from our Santa Claus planet.  Jupiter governs the expansion of our worlds – another way of saying it provides us with the opportunities to grow.  Ruler of Sagittarius, Jupiter occupies a place in the ninth house of the zodiac. This where we store our philosophical and religious views, our relationship to the laws that govern our culture and our desires for travel. Jupiter entered Leo earlier this year, bringing us a powerful and charismatic energy to propel our lives forward.  No wonder you’re feeling a little overwhelmed.

Leo's card (of course) is #8 Strength.
From "Steampunk Tarot"© by Barbara
Moore and Aly Fell

Retrograde cycles are based on an optical illusion that as Earth overlaps a planet during its orbit of the Sun, the planet we pass appears to move backwards.  There’s a decrease, or even a slight reversal of the astrological benefits associated with the outdistanced planet.  Many people groan when they hear the word, ‘retrograde.’  They shouldn’t. Retrogrades are a natural part of the expansion and contraction process of the Universe – particularly Jupiter’s retrograde.  As the opportunities slow we have the chance to go inside ourselves and shore up our core beliefs and values.  If you’re going to build a skyscraper, you have to have a solid foundation.  That’s the purpose of Jupiter’s retrograde, to allow us the chance to reinforce the footings of our lives in preparation for the next surge forward.

Jupiter remains in retrograde until April 8, 2015.  Use this time as the opportunity it is.  Make your plans and make certain you have the support systems in place to set them in motion this April, because come this spring there will be whitecaps in the power waves rolling off Jupiter as it turns direct in Leo.  Be ready.

LADY ORACLE

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December 6, 2014, Full Cold Moon It Gemini - "Welcome to the Party"

# 6 The Lovers, is tarot's association for

Gemini.  This depiction is from Ciro Marchetti's

"Legacy of the divine Tarot"©

December’s Full Cold Moon in Gemini should be called, “The Party Moon.”  Sociable Gemini joins party hound Sagittarius and the wild rumpus begins.  Okay, maybe not that wild, but this month’s Full Cold Moon (No need to explain that name, is there?) is everything fun, frolicking and social.  

Gemini is an air sign in the

Mercury's tarot card, #1, The Magician

from "Wizard's Tarot"© by

Corrine Kenner and John J. Blumen

 mutable (changeable) modality. This simply means that because the sign of Gemini falls at the end of a season rather than at the beginning, (cardinal) or in the middle (fixed), some of its traits shift with the changing astral and seasonal influences.  Our Twins govern the third house of the Zodiac where we keep our knowledge, our habitat (neighborhood) and the relationships we don’t choose, like siblings, or neighbors. The third house, and therefore Gemini, are ruled by the planet Mercury, governor of intellect and communication.  

#2, The High Priestess, is tarot's card
for Lady Moon. This depiction from
Kris Waldherr's wonderful "Goddess Tarot"©

Your ideas will be easier to convey to others during Full Moon in Gemini and in turn, other people will have an easier time envisioning how your concept works for their world. This moon has a quick-witted, vibrant mindset.  Making new discoveries, or finding new interests is never a problem. The challenge comes in finding something that holds our interest. 

While we are social and engaging during this moon, there is a downside.  We'll have a tendency to become a little more disorganized – more erratic in our emotions and in what we expect from our relationships. Guard against impulses to manipulate others into doing what you want. Though you may think you're clever enough to pull it off, you can't fool all the people all of the time and once someone discovers they are being played, even in some minor way, you risk the loss of their respect.

Enjoy the social whirl during this holiday season's Full Moon

Barbara Moore and Aly Fell brings us this
depiction of #17, The Star for this season
of light and hope. From "Steampunk Tarot"© 

in Gemini. It's not a moon for deep thinking, or for burning passions.  It carries a light, fun energy that may be just the thing to kickstart your holiday season.

LADY ORACLE

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Full Moon in Taurus November 6, 2014 - “Exalted And Bound For Glory”

Tarot's card association for
Taurus is #5, the Hierophant.
From "Wizard's Tarot"© by
Corrine Kenner and John J. Blumen

A planetary body is said to be ‘exalted’ when it resides in its most powerful sign. This month’s Full Frost Moon occurs in fourteen degrees and twenty-six minutes of Taurus, giving us Lady Moon in her most exalted position. It’s time to kick the tires, light the fires and forget Throw Back Thursday. You want to stay focused in the present for this one, because Full Moon in Taurus is a moon of manifestation.

Taurus is an earth sign in the fixed modality.  Signs belonging to the element of earth are pragmatic. Though their forte is dealing with financial matters and durable goods, their house traits all have to do with self.  Calm, dependable Taurus dwells in the second house of the Zodiac where we find our self-esteem, earning abilities as well as the material goods we possess.  Bull people know how to create harmony for themselves and they also enjoy the finer things in life. To visit a true Taurian home is to experience comfort, even luxury.  It’s because of their understanding of material matters (think about tarot’s Pentacles) that under the right circumstances they manifest dreams, goals, money – just about anything – like none other.  November’s Full Moon in Taurus is precisely the right circumstance.

November’s Frost Moon also receives a manifesting power

The Tower (of power) represents
warrior Mars. From Ciro Marchetti's
wonderful "Legacy of the Divine Tarot"©

boost from Mars. Warrior Mars is in Capricorn until December 3rd and Capricorn the Goat (or Seagoat, more correctly) is also an earth sign, but in the cardinal modality.  Cardinal signs carry the traits of independence and the need to achieve. These signs want to start new things and to be on the cutting edge of trends.  Mars in Capricorn is very controlled, focused energy – powerful, with a tremendous amount of persistence.  The combined power of Full Moon in Taurus and Mars in Capricorn virtually shouts at us to commit and to create something with our lives.  The time for pipe dreams and ‘what ifs’ is done.  On November 6th we have the opportunity to pull our goals and desires out of the ether and make them real.

As with any manifesting work, it must be done sincerely, from the highest of intentions and with no harm intended to anyone, or anything.  Write down what you want for yourself. Be specific. Be positive.  How you phrase your desires matters. Don’t ask for the end of sickness. Instead, ask for the beginning of glowing, good health. Every organ, every cell working in harmony and perfection as they were intended to do.  This is a Full Moon, a time of culmination. Whether you focus on finances, career, health or love – ask for positive increases, not the end, or decrease of something.  See your life as you want it to be. Sense it. Taste it. Hold the belief that your life is already the way you would like it to be. The power of your positive intention will see it done.

Kris Waldherr's depiction of Lady Moon's
High Priestess. From "Goddess Tarot"©

Full Moon in Taurus is filled with stability, warmth and humanity.  It is a Moon of purpose, yet still rich in both romantic and creative passion.  Use this Full Frost Moon to bring your goals and intentions into reality, to become the person you seek to be.  Tarot tip: Try using the Ace of Pentacles as the signifier card (you in the present moment) as you look at your relationship with the material during this Full Moon cycle.  What you learn may astound you.  

LADY ORACLE

P.S. Your friendly neighborhood oracle apologizes for being absent so much of October.  Tarot events and other commitments keep me from my blog.  I'm back and looking forward writing more articles and op ed pieces for (hopefully) your enjoyment.  

L.O. 

September 25, 2014, Jupiter Trine Uranus – “Santa Claus in a Rocket Pack”

The Fool represents Uranus. This
depiction (my personal fav) is from
"Legacy of the Divine Tarot"©
by Ciro Marchetti

Trines are a harmonious menage caused by an aspect of 120 degrees between planets.  They are a favorable aspect, although too many of them at once can makes us rather complacent – not something we need be concerned by with today’s trine between Jupiter in Leo and Uranus retrograde in Aires.  Good things, people, novel and innovative things.

Jupiter is the planet of expansion. It brings in fun, vitality, as well as opportunities for success.  The sign, Leo, enhances Jupiter by boosting the planet’s confidence and charm but also by lending the lion’s ability to inspire people.  This is the combination of great leaders, blending charisma with self-determination and generosity of spirit.  Today is a day to harness forward momentum and accomplish those tasks that may have felt too difficult to undertake mere days ago. Leo always enjoys a spotlight and Jupiter wants everyone to join the party. It’s time to reach beyond the goals you’ve set for yourself.

Uranus carries breakthrough energy that creates sudden and

Jupiter's card, The Wheel of Fortune
perfectly expressed by Kris Waldherr
in her deck, "The Goddess Tarot"©
(Lakshmi is another fav)

sweeping change.  It is revolutionary thought paired with passionate action.  Historically, when paired with Pluto, these planets inspire revolutions, dictatorships and societal shifts in consciousness. Uranus’ job in the duo is to question authority and challenge the status quo. In retrograde, the planet of rebellion turns its eye inward, making us question our intentions towards society as a whole.  Have we engaged? Are we part of the process? Put this energy into the fire sign of Aires and you unleash originality coupled with determination to create change within ourselves and in the world as well.  

During this Jupiter and Uranus aspect accomplishing the impossible feels as if it’s no big deal.  New concepts are welcome and we enjoy exploring them.  This is a trine of joyous individuality and freedom of expression. We can expand our vision of ourselves. Use this fantastic energy to create, to reinvent and to explore the adventure of being you.

LADY ORACLE

Mars in Sagittarius, September 13th to October 25th, 2014 – “Genghis Khan Meets Dora the Explorer”

On Saturday Mars, our fiery, warrior planet, takes up

Ciro Marchetti's depiction of #16, The
Tower, from the legendary
 "Legacy of the Divine Tarot"©

residence with Sagittarius, the Archer.  We’ll develop the attitude of the conqueror, but with the attention span of a gnat.  It’s not quite as bad as that.  We will have moments of pure gold where we gain extraordinary ground in our lives – surmounting obstacles, seizing the day until we succumb to the tangents presented by the roads less traveled.  Mars in Sagittarius marries the mind of a conqueror

 with the heart of an explorer.   

This is a transit for risk takers and there’s a significant up tick in our competitive natures. We greet life enthusiastically and with idealism.  The Martian fire is still present, however. Sagittarius simply points it in the direction of moral principles and concern for the human condition.  Ethical behavior and staying true to our convictions becomes more important during this transit and we don’t allow a great deal of flexibility in either one.

#14, Temperance, as envisioned by
Corrine Kenner and John J. Blumen
is their deck, "The Wizard's Tarot"©

During Mars in Sagittarius we can demonstrate quicker wit and embrace bold plans for overcoming challenges.  Ideas flow fairly easily and while we have the warrior spirit to execute these plans, we often lack the focus necessary to stick with them to completion.  Mars in Sagittarius produces scattered energy making us easily distracted. Focus, people, focus.

Tarot’s card associations for this transit are #16, The Tower, (swift, unexpected change) for Mars and #14, Temperance, (carefully blending the components of your world, spiritual, emotional and material, for balance) for Sagittarius.  They nicely sum up the exchange between the warrior and the hunter.  If you find yourself missing out on opportunities due to lack of focus during this transit try meditating on some of tarot’s ‘follow through’ cards to ground yourself and narrow that energy beam to where it does you the most good. 

Here are some helpful cards for meditation: Queens of

The powerful Queen of Wands from
"The Wizard's Tarot"© by Corrine Kenner
and John J. Blumen 

Wands (creative action, confidence and skill), Knight of Pentacles (steadfastness to duty and tasks even when you’d rather not), 9 of Wands (perseverance, going the distance though difficulty) and 7 of Pentacles (tending to tasks which will yield longterm results).  There are certainly other components to these cards, because tarot is a marvelous blend of both simple and complex concepts. ( See Blog: “Lights, Camera, Action” for using the suit of Wands for motivation.)  However, you get the idea and if you’re a tarot reader you probably have your own favorite cards to motivate yourself. In any case, have fun and try pulling tarot energy to guide you through this transit.

LADY ORACLE

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August 25, 2014, New Moon in Virgo – “A Fresh Start and Self-Determination”

This Monday morning, at 7:13 a.m., we birthed a New Moon

The Hermit represents Virgo, living
its truth. This card from "Steampunk
Tarot"© by Barbara Moore and Aly Fell

in Virgo.  ( You may have felt that ol’  dark of the Moon last night - I did. See blog:

 “I Feel a Dark Moon Rising” )  New Moons establish a new tempo for the lunar cycle ahead. They provide a fresh start and this one says clear the clutter.  New Moon in Virgo gives us an opportunity to sort out what serves us in life, to cast off what doesn’t, and to put our remaining resources to work for us. Virgo Moons move us forward because they like practical application and routines becomes our happy place.

The Moon represents the emotional component in our lives and Virgo does a nice job of balancing that energy with analytical thinking because Virgo thinks through feelings. It analyses events and people, particularly now while Mars is conjunct (same place, same time) with Saturn in Scorpio. Conjunctions are about new planetary cycles and this one works well with New Moon in Virgo. Saturn in Scorpio analyses people, then runs a mental checklist to determine if they fit in the resource, or the recycle category.  The decision is not arbitrary. Saturn in Scorpio is also insightful and where Mars in Scorpio is a goal-driven warrior style of energy, Saturn in Scorpio in more circumspect. 

The High Priestess represents
Lady Moon - this is the US Games®
RWSC version

This New Moon in Virgo is an excellent time to start a new project, whether it’s work related, or simply something creative and fun.  Neptune opposes our Virgo Moon and softens Virgo’s obsession with nit-picky details and perfection.  Neptune’s dreamy influence also eases the Virgo Moon’s tendency towards fretting.  

This New Moon directs us to set things in motion.  It’s a great kickstart as we wrap up the summer and prepare to return to our more formal autumn schedules.  Think about what serves you, what you wish to take with you on the next leg of this year’s journey, and what you would be wise to leave behind.

LADY ORACLE

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Mercury in Virgo, August 15th to September 1st – An Organized and Well-Oiled Machine

Mercury's guiding tarot card, The Magician from
"Wizard's Tarot"© by corrine Kenner
and John J. Blumen

On August 15th, Mercury began it’s trek across i-dotting, t-crossing Virgo.  This is great energy to help us wind down the summer.  Believe it or not, it’s time to gear up for Labor Day weekend and the transition into fall.  Mercury in Virgo gives us the organizational boost to re-pack that tent and get the camping gear ready to go for one last summer time hoorah. 

Mercury in Virgo is an efficient mind.  Everything is examined and systematically sorted.   Flow charts and lists become our new friends.  People with Mercury in Virgo in their birth chart can often give Martha Stewart a run for her money.  They plan wonderful parties, or large scale events where everyone feels welcome and included. They are highly creative people.  Who knew pop can tops could be turned into tech-metal garland for an urban industrial-themed picnic? Who ever knew people would attend an urban industrial-themed picnic for that matter? Mercury in Virgo, naturally.  

Virgo's card, The Hermit - self-contained
and living their truth - yup, makes sense
From "Steampunk Tarot" by Barbara Moore
and Aly Fell

All of us can enjoy the benefits of Mercury’s energy during this transit whether we’re readying for the trip back to college, starting a new project at work, or breaking out the glass jars to prepare for pickling. We understand cause and effect much more clearly right now and we also can discern patterns, whether they’re in behaviors, or in chemical analysis. Expect some emotional distance right now, either from yourself, or from others. While Mercury is the planet of communications, it is primarily the planet of the mind and we are more comfortable during the next two weeks with our own thoughts and theories than with emotion. Pay attention to the suit of swords in your tarot readings, particularly the ace. Aces are alway good news because they mean something new is beginning and nothing makes things happen like an organized and creative mind.  

LADY ORACLE

Tarot Reading at Public Events – Keep Calm and Think of Monty Python

The perfect mindset for public tarot
reading! From "OSHO Zen Tarot"©
 by Deva Padma

You’ve picked your reading venue, run your ads, packed up your table cloth and your favorite decks. You show up to your event twenty to thirty minutes early so you can clear your space, ground and acclimate your cards. It’s show time and you are ready. You’ve thought of everything. Business cards, notepads, a gift for your event host – now all you need is a querent. You sit at your table with an open and welcoming smile as you greet passersby.  Then the unexpected happens. A couple strolls towards you. One of them looks rather upset, points a finger at you and yells, “I know what you’re doing. I know what’s really going on here! You’re a witch! Witch!” Sounds completely over the top, doesn’t it, accept that it actually happened to me during a public reading event at a bookstore. I looked around half expecting Michael Palin to suggest they build a bridge out of me, or at the very least, Terry Jones wanting to see if my weight was equal to that of a duck’s.

 Public reading events aren’t every reader’s cup of tea. You can try to prepare for every contingency, but when you choose to read for the general public weird stuff happens and you have to learn how to roll with it. How calm you remain and how quickly you can think on your feet determines the success or failure of your reading event. In my case, the witch denouncer backed out of the shop, taking their friend with them as they continued to condemn my mystical proclivities.  I looked at the people around me who were nervously awaiting my reaction. I grinned at them and responded, “Was it something I said?” People started to laugh and before I knew it, everything was back on track. The truth is that the majority of people out there want you to succeed. They came to watch you succeed. However, they take their cue from you at an event, so it becomes very important to put their comfort above your own, because to varying degrees, they have already put their faith in you as a reader simply by showing up. 

Stay in the moment
another great reminder from "OSHO Zen
Tarot"© by Deva Padma

Most readers have expectations of a venue host. Usually they are completely reasonable – a discreet reading area, the ability to display your business cards, posters, someone to help steer querent traffic, etc.  However, some also impose their own bias on the people they serve.  Some refuse to read for children, claiming their energy is too chaotic. Seriously? Children are charming to read for – all wonder and excitement. Others won’t read someone who’s consumed any alcohol whatsoever. What are you going to do? Have them fill out a questionnaire first? Some of the most successful and joyful events involve reading for children.  Restaurants with full-service bars are another good venue selection.  It comes down to trusting your host to support you while you support their clientele to the best of your ability.  It serves no purpose to offend a business’s clientele with high-minded principles. Don’t confront customers about their belief systems. You’re not there to win an argument, you’re there to entertain and no matter how difficult it may be, never let your audience see you stressed.  Yes, you heard right, entertain and audience, because believe it or not, your readings are a performance.  

There are tarot readers who take issue with being likened to

Don't forget to enjoy yourself. it's
your party! From "OSHO Zen Tarot"©
by Deva Padma

an entertainer.  They are welcome to because that’s all the more venues for me.  Liberace once stated in an interview that, “Good piano players are a dime a dozen.” So ask yourself what makes you stand out?  “My readings are clear and I’m honest with my querents,” you say. “I work to enlighten them while I respect their feelings. I have integrity.” So do the majority of readers.  What makes you so special?  Simple answer – you do, your presentation, the personae you project.  You have ten seconds or less to engage a potential client.  Within that time they will judge you on appearance, perceptions about your attitude and whether, or not, their inner guidance system believes you to be ‘safe.’ Be aware, be present and don’t use their reading to seek validation.

The reader sets the tone at an event. It is their responsibility to put people at ease. Do it with style, do it with grace, but most importantly, do it in a manner authentic to you as a person. I use humor and when that fails, I pull out the Paula Dean brownies. I have no mercy.  

LADY ORACLE

Mercury in Leo, July 31st to August 14th - "An Eloquent Mind"

Tarot's card for Leo (of course) comes from
"Steampunk Tarot"© by
Barbara Moore and Aly Fell

Mercury in Leo is an eloquent mind, so pay attention, my friends, because this is an important transit for moving your life forward. Mercury’s intellect and communications skills combine with the lion’s charismatic leadership, making us virtually unstoppable. There’s a boldness, a passion and a natural presumption of success accompanying this transit. Mercury foregoes pure analytical thought to go with gut instinct. Idealism is our friend and we seek each and every one of our opportunities with a dramatic zest for living.

Leo loves center stage and Mercury in Leo is the consummate performer. People born with this transit prominently in their chart have a pleasing personality, effortlessly drawing people to their side. The next two weeks is an optimal time for presenting yourself if a favorable way. Schedule appointments with those tough clients you’ve been avoiding. Send out your resume. Dust off your portfolio and get your presentation ready. You have the answers to people’s dilemmas so get out in front of them with your knowledge and your creative approach. Persuasion is your middle name right now, so what are you waiting for?

As with everything, there is a yin to this yang and Mercury in

The Magician represents Mercury. Shown
here from "Wizard's Tarot" by Corrine Kenner
and John J. Blumen

Leo can influence us towards arrogance if we are operating a little left or right of center. Leo’s ‘performer’ gene can cause us to become opinionated and devalue the contributions of other members of our family or team. We have lots of planetary influences in Leo currently (Sun, Jupiter, Mercury, Lilith See blog: Sun in Leo), so guard against Leo’s confidence mutating into less desirable attitudes such as arrogance, or egocentricity. We all live on this planet together and no single person or group of people is the ‘whole show,’ regardless of their opinion on the matter.

Mercury’s transit of Leo it an excellent time to push your goals to the next level. Think of it as that summer growth spurt before things start bearing fruit for autumn’s harvest. Opportunities are what you make of them and when properly used, transits like this one give substance to your hopes and dreams.

LADY ORACLE