9/29/15 Daily Tarot Practice: Three Card Spread

I wanted something different today. I am unsure why. So I pulled out my "mixed" deck to see what would come up.

The cards: Justice, Knight of Swords, and Queen of Swords.

 

First Impressions: One Major Arcana card speaking of a long persisting issue. A "Big" issue. Two Sword cards dealing with daily issues. What struck me the most was that they all are holding swords pointing upwards. Important thoughts?

Justice. Whoa. So why is Justice coming up? My first thought was work. There have been lots of things going on that just haven't see fair or good. Could it mean that? Or could it mean that I need to put a blindfold on, experience what is going on in my life (and work) and take it for what it is... not see it through the lens (perspective) I have been viewing it... and give it a "fair" shake? The Knight of Swords is facing justice. He is active, ready to leap forward towards Justice. Is he fighting justice? Am I the Knight... am I fighting Justice? I am unsure right now what the Knight's quest and purpose is. I wonder if he even knows... or if he is riding off half cocked. Is that me? Am I riding off half cocked? Or is it a good and true fight he is riding into? If so, how does Justice fit in? Maybe I need to ride in and deal with my issues of Justice. Hmmmm. Then there is the Queen of Swords. She is calmly looking out at me. Holding her sword. She is prepared to use it but does so only after much consideration. This queen is my favorite, I love the snow scene behind her and she has such a strong, calm presence. I would like to be her. I would like to put what is going on in my life into perspective and be strong, calm but ready to act if the need arises.

It will be interesting to see how the day progresses. Happy Tuesday ya'll!

 

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9/28/15 My Daily Tarot Practice: One Card Draw and Tarot Book Discussion

This weekend I spent what little free-time I had looking for a Tarot book. I have plenty to use to look up meaning but I wanted more. I can't say exactly what I was looking for... just a way to make my practice and study deeper. My intention of learning Tarot was not for the fortune telling aspects of it. Maybe because I am 51, and so much has happened in my life already, I am not so interested in just finding out if this or that is going to happen. Or maybe its because I have learned sometimes it is better not to know. I have found that what I want is often times not the best option. Life has a way of playing out as it should, if I am only patient enough to let it unfold without mucking it up. And though I have been in this world 51 years I am still trying to learn that lesson: to have faith in life's unfolding and its better not to force my own will on a situation because it often (most of the time) only makes things more difficult (and botched up).

Instead, I would like the Tarot, for me, to be a way to become more spiritual, to become a better person. Tarot has a way of showing you the world or a problem in an entirely different perspective (78 different perspective, not counting reversals). I have not been so successful dealing with some life issues that have been a part of my life for quite a long time. I have come to think my way of seeing... life, my struggles, my issues, my relationships... is a big part of the cause. Maybe seeing from a different perspective will help.

I spent quite a while searching on Amazon for a e-book that might fill my need. I found one: Tarot of the Spirit by Pamela Eakins. Her book had lots of very positive reviews and seemed to be just what I was looking for. As I poured through the book I really liked the idea of Tarot as a tool for enlightenment down your spiritual path. As I read more, I began to realize that this book had been part of a tarot set which included its own highly specialized tarot deck. It was disappointing to find out that my own tarot deck wouldn't do and that to follow the "spiritual" path you had to use that particular deck and see the tarot cards in the particular way Ms. Eakins described them. I am not against Wands really being about Fire and every Wand card is a spiritual look at Fire. But it seemed like it only addressed one aspect of the card... an aspect that wasn't apparent in my tarot deck. I actually went on line and looked at the Tarot of the Spirit deck and it left me cold. I was disappointed, why couldn't Tarot of the Spirit somehow integrate all tarot decks with the spiritual practice the book was outlining?

Again, I searched. I found Tarot for Life: Reading the Cards for Everyday Guidance and Growth by Paul Quinn. It seems like it has a lot of spirituality and a more general perspective on tarot. I have only just started it but so far I am really happy with it. There is a great deal of good information and interesting examples of how to look at tarot and its meanings.

Today's card Draw is based on the first exercise in the book: Find you Inner Teacher. Using just the Major Arcana cards I will shuffle and draw one card. This card will represent the one aspect of myself that this book is inviting me to discover and develop. I will pull the card but have been asked not to look up its meaning, yet.

The Card: The Devil.

 

First Impressions: Just great! The creepiest card in the deck. The card I really, really don't like. But it is the card of bondage... addictive behavior. My relationship with food has bordered on addiction. I eat to soothe. To soothe the depression that has been a big part of my life for many years now. I have not found a way out from under the depression and reliance on food to combat it. Maybe this will be my time. Very interesting that this is the one card that pops up... hmmmmm.

 

It will be interesting to see how this card plays out as I continue to read Tarot for Life...

 

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9/26/15 Daily Tarot Practice: Tell A Story

The Cards: Ace of Coins, Death, 3 of Cups.

You have been worried about finances. They are a big part of your everyday life and things are about to change for the better. But in order for this change to come you have to let something go... something that is important, not a day to day issue, something that has encompassed your life for a long time. Could it be a belief? Maybe you believe that there is never enough money. You will have to find a way to let that belief go. When you do you will have a whole new positive relationship with money and your finances. And that is worth celebrating.

 

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9/25/2015 My Tarot Practice: One Card

It is Friday and I am very glad this week is over. I decided on a one card practice today... mainly because I am really tired this am and instead of going back to bed for a while before work, I promised myself I would at least do my daily practice.

The Card: 9 o Wands (again)

First Impression: Crap on a cracker, not this card again?

Immediately when I saw this card, my first thought was not again. "The Guard", great, am I going to need to be on guard again? What am I guarding against this time? I received this card last week when I was going through an extremely rough time at work. So is this a sign that it is going to be rough again? Or do I have to be on guard against myself?

 

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9/23/15 One Card Tarot Practice

Have to be at work early today, so it will be another One Card Practice.

The Card: 6 of Cups.

First Impression: This is a Minor Arcana so it will be about day to day life. It is a Cup so it will be about emotions.

There are a whole lot of beautiful flowers in this card - that must be a good sign. A boy gives a flower to a girl. Could I be expecting a gift? I know this card often times represents happy memories of the past or something from the past coming to positive fruition in the now. I am unsure how you "see" that in this card - I am sure the original Rider-Waite card probably portrays that a bit better. That is probably why it is a good idea to have a basic knowledge of general assigned meanings of each card. What images you will see on a particular card, from deck to deck, will vary. With that variance, some of the meanings that were apparent with the Rider-Waite deck, might not be so distinct. So why don't I learn with Rider-Waite? I have tried that. The people portrayed in the cards just don't do it for me. I love the landscapes but I am definitly uninspired by the people. My Morgan-Greer deck just makes me eager to practice every morning - something I had never been able to get myself to do with Rider-Waite.

It will be interesting to see what today will bring. Have a great day!

 

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Single Card Pull

Really down today. I am using my practices to add something positive to a seemingly very blue day. Today I will do a single pull. As I shuffle I will ask what can I do to feel better.

I shuffled my Morgan-Greer deck and this is the card I pulled.

The Card: 9 of Coins.

My first impressions. She's beautiful and that's my mother.

The woman on the card does not really look anything like my mother use to (she past away about ten years ago). It is more of a feeling. The flamboyant, lovely individualistic nature of the woman looking out from this card reminds me of my mother. Is my mother sending me her love? What can my mom teach me today? To just be who I am. To stand up for myself. It does make me feel better, at least a little bit, thinking about her.

Thats all for today. Have a good one.

 

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Three Card Daily Practice

It's a Monday and I decided to shake things up a bit. I pulled out one of my other tarot decks to use today. Don't get me wrong, I still love my Morgan-Greer, but I just felt moved to try using my Mucha Tarot cards this morning.

When I shuffled I had no particular question in mind.

The Cards: Strenth, 6 of Pentacles, The Magician.

First Impression: 2 Major Archana Cards - Life Situations, Pentacles: having to do with the body, home, finances. Repeat cards: Strength and 6 of Pentacles. These two cards came up last week too.

Strength: Cultivate my strength. Know I have it and can use it. I am stronger than I think.

6 of Pentacles: I know what this one means, right off. I need to pay my bills. I went through them but I haven't paid them yet. I need to get to it. Just because one area of my life has gotten crazy doesn't mean I should let others go.

Magician: I love this card. It is telling me I have everything I need to make magic happen. I can do it. I can overcome the issues going on in my life... at least how I perceive them.

 

Just for fun, I thought it would be nice to see what the Morgan-Greer cards looked like for this practice.

Although I think the Mucha are nice, there is a simplicity to Morgan-Greer that makes reading a lot easier. It seems like the Morgan-Greer cards get right down to the point, where as with the Mucha, I spend more time admiring the art and all its imagery.

 

 

 

 

 

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One Card, One Question Practice

This weekend has been very emotionally difficult for me. I am having a really hard time dealing with issues at work, that I really have little control over. It has me tied up in knots emotionally and I am unsure how to get past my worries and the emotions they bring.

I pulled one card: "How can I feel better?" or "What do I need to know about the situation to feel better?" are the two questions I kept in my mind when I shuffled.

 

 

The card: The 7 of Swords. Swords - thoughts and challenges. Yep. But isn't this the thief card? Maybe I feel like my job is taking away my power. I feel robbed and unequipped to do my job? But how can I read this card in a way that will answer my question? I recognize the thief. I see him for what and who he is. Yes, he has put me at a disadvantage but I still have tools left to use. I need to be all the thief is not: honest, above-board, hard-working and not give in to the easy way out (such as thievery). It will be difficult but my focus should be on what I can do (the two swords I have left), what I have at my disposal to move forward.

 

That's the best I can come up with. Happy Sunday!

 

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One Card Practice

It's Saturday and I have been doing my tarot practice for a week! Yippie Skippie! The not so yippity skippity part of the day is that I have to go into work for half a day. Yucko! So I am a bit hurried this morning. For a more hurried day, I have found that a one card practice, is just the thing. It is a quick little practice perfect for a time crunched day.

As I shuffle my cards today, I thought to myself, "What card do I need to see today?" My shuffling routine is simple. I riffle shuffle and cut my deck three times. My hope is that my deck knows my habit so "it" can put just the right card in the right place. I have read that you need to shuffle until you "know" it is time to stop so that the "card" can get to the "right" place. Either I am not doing it correctly or I just am not in the know but that technique just never worked for me. The times I tried it I just never felt anything... on top of which I kept wondering if I was doing it right, should I stop now... should I keep shuffling... At least for now, having a specific practice has been one less thing to worry about (if I am doing it right). I am hopeful that synchonisity will put the cards I need in the right place, however I shuffle.

My card today: 5 of Swords.

Initial Impression: Hmmm. I have seen this card recently. It came up during my "Work Quesiton" practice. It is a Sword. That means thoughts, concerns, and challenges. Swords are Minor Arcana so this card deals with daily issues.

 

5 of Swords: Interesting card, the portion dealing with people pictured is gray and in shadow and yet the background is bright yellow with a beautiful big orange sun sinking into the ocean horizon. Water in the background. The figures in the card do look happy. The cloaked man in the foreground has three swords and has definly over come the men retreating in the background.

My meaning: Defeat. Feeling beaten down. Why? This card bring up this week exactly. I had thought things were going well at work and suddenly it all went to crap. I felt like everything was going my way and the tide turned and I pulled under by an undertow. And it made me mad and bitter at the bearer of this news. It was so utterly discouraging.

 

It is now 5pm: This card certainly was an omen of what was in store for me at work today. By the time my meetings were over, I felt like one of the wee downtrodden figures in the background. If there was any rays of sunlight about the day, I couldn't see them... all I saw was defeat and impending doom. I think this card was telling me what to expect but to focus on the light, positive things of the day. I just don't know how to. It is a challenge I need to work on

 

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9/18/15 Daily card with a Plus

Good morning. Today my plan was to pull one card to tell me about my day. I got more than I bargained for when one of the cards jumped right out of the deck at me. So today will be a two card day.

While I was shuffling the deck, the Queen of Rods jumped out. So I set her down, since she was so eager to be a part of my day, and picked my main card: 6 of Coins... in Reverse.

 

First Impressions: A reverse card, I seem to be getting lots and lots of those. Hmmm. I am thinking I have lots and lots of issues going on in my life right now that I either need to be aware of or am struggling with. Two Minor Arcana have appeared today, so today's focus is on daily issues. 6 of Coins seems to have a money focus. Wands, as in my deck jumping Queen of Rods, have to do with action. Did she appear to tell me how best to deal with the 6 of Coins card?

 

What I see:

6 of Coins. I know a bit about this card without looking. This card can mean spending money or donating. When I saw this card the first thing that came to mind: A co-worker just had her first grandchild, I know everyone will be bringing in gifts for her and the baby...and I am just not into it today. It would mean going out early this morning and trying to find something at one of the few stores that are open. And the truth is, I am just not feeling it... at least not today. In the past I have forced myself to do this kind of thing because "I should" not because I want to. I am trying to break away from that kind of thinking but it is really hard. All I think of is - what kind of a rotten person doesn't want to make time to get a gift for their friend. Or, on the other hand, it could be as simple as I need to pay my bills. I suspect I better look through them to see if any are close to being due.

Queen of Wands. She's the mother of all doing. So whatever it is, I have a sneaky suspicion, this is a sign I should be doing something. This queen looks like she does everything with ease, insight, and creativity.

 

So what do these cards mean: I am still unsure. Yes, they could be telling to get that present... but I am so worn out and I am still not feeling it. Paying my bills? Could be. I wouldn't do that until tonight anyway.

I have the day to discover the answer ... unless I should get a gift... and my time is running out for that.

 

 

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9/17/15 Two Card a Day Spread

This is a spread I read about this morning on the blog Little Red Tarot. Instead of pulling one card for the day, you pick two.

My two cards: 2 of Cups and Ace of Wands. Both these cards are Minor Arcana so they will deal with my everyday life.

Similarities. In both images hands are grasping the suit item. Both have lush green backgrounds. The two of cups has a bright yellow sky while the Ace of wands has a light blue sky with lots of big puffy clouds. Both skys seem positive. Maybe the 2 of Cups is closer to sunrise or sunset?

The two of cups shows two people, a man and a women, close, looking towards one another. (Even though the woman is looking to the right and could be looking toward the wands, I don't think she is. I think the male figure looking back at her is holding her attention.) I am unsure if the two figures are in a relationship or symbolize two parts of myself coming together. Cups are for emotions so I am figuring this card deals with my emotions (which is to be expected, I have been very emotional in the last few days...probably not in such a good way.)Maybe I need to merge my female emotional self more with my tough, assertive male self to help even out these emotions Something to think about.

Ace of Rods. A new beginning. Action. A new endeavor? A new passion? It will be interesting to see what this card means as the day progresses. Will blog more this evening after I see what this day holds.

 

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9/16/15 Tarot Practice: In the News Exercise

Today I am going to use the "In the News" practice from the book Intuitive Tarot: Learn Tarot Instantly by Kelly Wallace. So I will pull three cards about something that is about to happen in the news in the next day or two... then see how I did. The news event: the Republican Debate tonight.

I pulled the 5 of Swords, the 7 of Cups Reversed, and The Fool. I have the one Major Arcana card that speaks of things long lasting, not typical day to day concerns. Then there is the reverse card that means something that needs to be really paid attention to or is something that has been an ongoing struggle.
5 of Swords. Somebody who has overcome his challengers? Or is it that his challengers have given up? If The Donald was being represented by the man in the cloak with the three swords than it look like he is a victor. Now does this mean he will be the victor tonight? Or does it mean that he has become the front runner? I tend to think he has become the front runner because he has gotten out in front of the other candidates.
7 of Cups in Reverse. This is something to really be on the lookout for: All the choices? So maybe this card is saying look beyond Donald Trump to all the choices. Another option would be to say that all the options are distracting, but right now, that really doesn't seem to be the case. Yes there are a lot of candidates in the race, but I don't think the number is necessarily distracting because it seems like most of them have bowed out into the background. So, I really do think that this card is saying to really evaluate all of the choices.
The Fool. When I see this card I think of a newbie... someone without any experience starting on a new path. I feel like for a long time, more and more people have been getting fed up with the political business as usual up in Washington D.C. This feeling has seemed have been growing over a long period of time... people have just been getting disillusioned with croanie politics. So, the Fool could represent Donald Trump. He is new to politics. But somehow I don't feel like that is exactly it. Why? I don't think of him as full of youthful, innocent energy. I think this card is saying that what will be represented is not the usual intrenched politicians playing a political game. The candidate/s that will shine will be the ones that don't have a history in politics. That could mean The Donald or it could mean Dr. Carson. Somehow I kind of think, in the end, Dr. Carson will shine brightest because of his more pure and innocent nature in the political realm.
What do you think? I will write an update after the debate and let you know how I accurate I think this reading was.

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9/15/15 Tarot Practice: Three Card Story Exercise

Todays practice exercise is going to be, "3 Card Story Tarot Reading" from Intuitive Tarot: Read The Tarot Instantly by Kelly Wallace.
These are the cards I pulled:

In the five of cups our hero is discouraged. He has had a terrible loss. Although the loss was great, and for now his grief and discouragement is all he seems to be able to focus on, he has not lost everything. There are some mighty fine things still left in his life, if only he would see them. Will he? Will our brave, down and out hero be able to breakout of his disallusionment and begin to realize that there is more than just loss that he can focus on? Or will he remain stuck?
Page of Cups. Our brave hero, has worked through his negative emotions and is ready to really appreciate and experience the wonderful things that remain in his life. Not only can he now focus on the good things in his life, but surprise, there is something there he was completely oblivious to. What surprise has our hero found?
The Lovers. Our hero has found love, in the most unexpected place. A relationship that he considered just a friendship has surprised him by turning into a deep, passionate, committed love. Who would have thought in the aftermath of his tragedy that he would find the love that had been there, unrecognized, all along.
How was that? What do you see? What would your story be?

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The Deck of Many Decks

In my search for the perfect tarot deck... before I rediscovered the Morgan Greer deck, I was in a quandry. I had several decks where I really liked lots of the cards but really didn't like the others. For instance, the Fool card in the Anna K deck is probably my very favorite fool of all (I do wish he had a dog companion, but heck you can't have everything!) And I like many of the Anna K cards but there are quite a few I just don't care for. The Witches Tarot is another deck. A lot of the cards are really nice and follow along with the Rider-Waite traditions but some of them are completely off that track and I didn't care for that. Since my intention all along was to find a deck I could be comfortable enough to pull out and use in front of other people to practice and really learn tarot once and for all... I wanted to start at the beginning and learn with a deck close to the Rider-Waite tradition. Then there is the Mystic Faerie Tarot. I love the images on all these cards but the minors have a completely different "story" than Rider-Waite.

Then there are the dreaded Devil and Death cards. If the devil is okay in one deck it seemed like I didn't care for most of the other cards, if I liked most of the cards in a deck, most of the time the devil was freakin' scary. Hanson-Roberts is like that for me. Playing with the cards in front of someone that I think has doubts about the "evilness or wrongness" of tarot cards... and coming up with the Hanson-Roberts devil I imagine would put them over the edge. Creepy-Creepy. (Since that was the only card I just couldn't deal with in that deck, I took a white-out pen and made the creepy devil disappear - which helped.) Death cards generally aren't the most friendly, and some decks are better than others.

Not having happened apon the Morgan Greer deck yet... I decided to be an absolute rebel and make a deck out of all the best of the decks I had... at least the ones with similar size. Most of my decks were the same size except for the Anna K and that deck was wider across. So I got out my scissors and trim, trim, trimmed. And Voila, I had a new deck.

I know, I know, the backs would all be different. How could I possible use a deck with all those different backs... wouldn't I be able to guess what card was coming up? Well, maybe. But generally, I shuffle the deck three time by the riffle method and just use the top cards one right after another. So what, if I might happen to guess what the cards were before I turned them face up. I would be turning them face up sometime and it is not like the backs would change how I shuffled the cards... or what order they ended up in.

And the truth is, I probably never would have used these decks on thier own. Although it is not the deck I am using now for my practices... it is a deck I see myself using, sometime.

For now I am really loving the Morgan Greer deck. I just love the way the artist portrayed the people. They seem so warm and inviting. And the colors are really nice. There are only two cards I really don't like, Strength and of course, the Devil. The lion on the Strength card is not my cup of tea. I know it is a stylized lion but I just hate how it looks... I have so many other Strength cards with awesome lions... why couldn't the lion be more like the traditional maned lion? I would swap that card out in a minute if it wasn't for the brave lass taming that very lion. She is beautiful, the card is beautiful, it matches the beauty of the entire deck... As much as I reeeeeaaaaaallllllyyyyyyy don't like that lion I can't disrupt this gorgeous deck because of that one element. As for the devil, I guess I will keep it for now... but that one really does have the chance of being swapped out!

 

 

 

 

 

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9/14/15 Tarot Practice: Your Day One Card Exercise

Today, because of a sudden change in my work schedule, I will pull one call for the day. I will put down my thoughts about the card and its meaning. Tonight I will re-evaluate my impressions and put down any further thoughts about how the card might have come up in my day.

Okay, so my very first impression is... Another reversed card? Seriously? It seems that my Morgan Greer deck has had a fondness for giving me reversed cards. Since this is a reversed card it is something important for me to pay attention to or a challenge I have been dealing with. It is a Minor Arcana card so it is dealing with my day to day life. It is a Wand, which means action, doing, creativity. And it has a whole lot of flying sticks on it. Does it mean change? Or things are going to happen quickly? Or am I going to come up with lots of new ideas? It could mean any of those. Because the background is green with blue sky and puffy white clouds, I don't think the changes or whatever is going to happen will be bad at all, in fact it looks good. So today I am going to be on the look out for lots of change and/or movement. Change and/or movement I need to pay attention to or relating to something that has been challenging me for a while. What kind of change or progress that will be, I am not sure. I kind of think it will be about work but maybe it will be about home. Heck, it could even be about the stockmarket (I read today was a special religious day when people are predicting the market to crash) I guess I will have to get on with the day and see what happens!
Have a good one!
So, I am home from work and I know exactly what my card meant. It meant my work would go quickly...and it did. For the very first time it did... and that has been something I have been really struggling with because since I started my new job, I have had to leave late every night!

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The first practice: More Information Exercise

Originally, I was going to do one of the games that is suggested in the book Intuitive Tarot: Read the Tarot Instantly by Kelly Wallace. You pick a news story that will probably resolve in the next few days and pull cards to get a beat on what is going on. Once the issue is really resolved, you can see how accurate your reading was. If I were to do this exercise, I would be hiding from the main issue in my life right now, something I do frequently but would really like to stop.
So, instead, I will be pulling three cards (because I want as more information than just one card can give) today to tell me what I need to know about my issues at work (if you care to read about them they are in the "history" below.

I pulled Strength, 9 of wands reversed (for reversed cards I turn them right side up and put them on my pink template so I can recognize the card was reversed but can still easily read it) and 6 of wands.
And I actually smile. Yes, these cards will definitely describe what is going on at work. Looking at these cards in the most general way, I see one Major Arcana and two cards dealing with Wands.
And the Major Arcana card is Strength, something I need to cultivate more of in my life. Yes, it has been a life theme for a while now. I am the people pleaser, and generally it hard for me to have the courage to stand up and cause any kind of problem, legitimate or not. I tend to take the burden on my shoulders, deal with it quietly, and stress myself out all to keep things at a quiet unassuming status quo. So, the Strength card is saying to me that I need to find my inner courage and put it to use.
The 9 of wands reversed. Wands are about doing. This reversed wand is saying either I have a particular challenge doing or I need to be really aware. But what doing is the card describing? Guarding? I should know from all my tarot reading what this card means in the most general way... but I don't remember so I will have to rely on what its images are telling me. There are many wands behind this knight, I read that as lots and lots of work, lots of battles that he has seen and he has persevered. He is out in front of them. As a reversed card, I take this as my challenge. I need to find courage and get out in front of my problems.
6 of wands. The wreath and the knight on horseback symbolize to me: Victory. What an awesome card to get. Cultivating and using my inner strength and courage I can persevere through these trials. Wow!
It is absolutely amazing to me that on my second tarot practice, one that the topic had lots of meaning and emotion to me, that the cards could tell me something that addressed the situation so spot on. It seems utterly magical (as in the magic the world can bring with all its amazing coincidences, beauty, complexities...)
Good one. What do you see in these cards? I would love for you to comment about how you read these cards... intuitively or any other way. Have a great day!


History of the issue (you can skip this if you want, it is rather mundane, if you aren't living it) At work, about a month or so ago, they changed my position. I work at a big doctors office with several offices and several doctors. It is my job to go over all the individual charges for the day before and make sure they have all been entered correctly so the claims aren't rejected by the insurance companies which delays payment. It certainly wasn't a sexy job and I always felt crunched for time because I had to get through the entire days claims, or else. A month ago they decided that instead of having the two people at each office that do check-out enter all the charges for the day, that they would just have a group of four people at one site do them all. This drastic change in job structure has come about because the Coding system for sending charges to insurance is going to completely change in October and if the claims aren't correctly coded with the new systems, payment will be delayed. The hope is that these four people will learn the new coding system and go over each charge as they are putting it in to make sure it is correct before the charges are sent to insurance. Unfortunately, the steps included in charging out and checking the claims takes a lot more time than management has decided it should take. Management also determined that I should be able to handle all the charges of three offices. I officially started doing my new job on Thursday and Friday, last week. I started with two offices and on Friday was expected to easily handle three. Also, one of the other girls was sick and the only other person available ended up having to do two really big offices. By 11:00 am I knew I was severely in the weeds. I wasn't able to keep up and didn't feel comfortable asking for help because the one other person who was able to do the job had double the work already. I didn't think I was that slow but obviously I am, I wasn't done doing all the charging until 8:30 Friday night (having started at 8:30 am). Mind you, I didn't take a lunch, or breaks, or even get up out of my chair (which is physically REALLY bad and hard on me). I knew I was under the gun and was trying my best to focus and get done. I even watched my colleague do her charging to see if maybe the way she does it is faster, because she didn't seem to have any problems getting everything done for her two offices but I do it in a very similar way. The big boss, even stopped and asked how it was going to which I said I would have to get back to her on Monday after I finished the day. (I didn't go into how far behind I was... she would have only given part of my work to the other girl - and she had enough already). As she was leaving my boss said, two people should easily be able to do 5 offices if they had to. Seriously?
The point is: I am too slow. Or maybe this position really isn't for me. I don't mind doing the work involved but obviously I don't want to be a detriment to the other people I work with and I don't want them having to take the bulk of my work to get it done. It is really hard to admit that I can't do the work and successfully complete it and it has been tying me up in knots all weekend. I really don't want to keep this job if I have to be given a lesser load to complete it. That seems really unfair to the other people in my team that are going to be doing it with me. My old position will be going away... so if this position doesn't work... I am unsure if there will be any position available for me to go to.
I don't really know how to address the situation on Monday. I have NEVER been good at confrontation and there is a lot riding on this one. As stressed out as this situation has mad me, I would love the just chuck the job entirely, but unfortunately my kitties, my husband and I like to eat and have a house to sleep in, so that probably isn't the best option. :(

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1st Practice: Know Your Deck Exercise

My first practice: I am going to use an exercise that I read about on the dailytarotgirl.com website. It is a way to connect with your tarot deck. The tarot deck I will be using is the Morgan Greer deck. It was just delivered today by Amazon. What is really interesting, years ago I had this tarot, and along with many others, gave it away because I didn't feel like it was the "right" deck. Today when I pulled the cards out I was so taken by the artwork, the colors, the characters. So much so, that I took my time and really looked through the entire deck.

Today I will ask my new tarot deck one question and pull one card as an answer. The question: As a tarot deck, how will you help teach me? I will be using strictly intuition to come up with an answer (no looking up meanings... just looking at the art, deciding what elements jump out at me and what that means.

Also, if a card comes up in reverse I will be putting the tarot card on a background template, right-side up... so the card can be easily read, but also so I have something to remind me that it came up in reverse. Using the Intuitive Tarot: How to Read the Tarot Instantly by Kelly Wallace way to read reverse cards, I will read the card as if it is something that I need to pay special attention to - or something that I am having difficulty with and need to work on.
The card I pulled was:

Of course, my first official card of my first official practice reading is in reverse. So I am going to put down my hot pink template and place my card on top of it right side up.

So how do I read this card? Well obviously, it was in reverse. I am going to read this as something in my life that I am struggling with, something big. I know enough about tarot to recognize this is a Major arcana card which means it is a major life struggle. What kind of struggle? Is it my spiritual life? Yes, that is definitly a part of it. And I have struggled for a long time to find a spiritual practice that fits into my everyday life. This is a part of what the card is saying. The moon in the dark starless sky says to me: Intuition. Intuition is the way I can improve my life and enhance my spirituality. I have been struggling to listen to my intuition for a very long time. It is easy for me to think a problem to death and not listen to what my gut says... This deck will help me this, if I let it.
Thats it. My first practice. I am amazed how this card really does touch on an issue I have struggled with for a long time. I find it amazing that this issue is my decks specialty. How awesome is that?
When you look at this card, what does it say to you? What images jump out as being important? What lesson or advise does this card have for you? Do you have an issue in your life that this card could address? I would love to hear... so send me a comment. Thats all for now. 'night!

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Welcome!

It all started with Solitaire...Jane Seymour's character in the 1973 James Bond flick, Live and Let Die. I was nine. And I was transfixed by those cards Solitaire used... And I had to have some! I didn't know what I would do with them, neither did my mom for that matter, but I still wanted them. I can't even remember where I actually bought them. In those days nobody had tarot cards. But I found some somewhere (probably because of the Bond movie), the Witches Tarot... opened the box and YIKES! For a nine-year old the cards were frickin' scary (in fact I still think they are frickin' scary).

And yet as scary as those cards seemed, it was that deck that started me on my tarot journey. I loved the idea of cards with pictures on them that could be read ato find out things about myself and what is going on in the world. And though I have read and bought tons of tarot books... bought so many different tarot decks... I could never quite focus on learning the tarot. Why? For a really long time I thought it was because I could never find the right deck... or the right book for that matter. I just didn't seem to connect with the Rider-Waite deck... I loved the artwork of the Hanson-Roberts deck... but it didn't seem quite right. I tried the Morgan Greer, the Robin Wood and many other decks but I thought I just wasn't connecting because of the medieval theme. I tried so many other non-Rider Waite clones... and so many books to learn tarot. What I didn't realize was that there was an undercurrent that I felt... that the cards were bad and unchristian.

It wasn't so much that I thought that. I didn't. I have always felt that if I use the pictures on the cards to help me figure out life and make it better, the God I believed it wouldn't have a problem. It was me. I had the problem. I truly believed and still do to a certain extent, that other people think I am bad, wrong, unchristian... whenever I bring the cards out. That includes my family, my husband, friends... And it has really stifled my desire to learn tarot because it is hard to get anywhere when you don't practice because you are afraid to take your cards out and use them.

My mind knows that I shouldn't care what anyone else thinks. But I do. Or at least I have until now. I started this blog so I could have a place to practice. A place that I am committed to practicing at every day...

I hope that my practice may help others too. This won't be one of those blogs where I am pulling cards to give you your fortune about the upcoming week. No, I want this to be a place where you can come... see the cards I have pulled, read my practice, and maybe use the cards to practice too.

Starting out, I will use practices and methods I learned from Intuitive Tarot: How to Read the Cards Instantly... by Kelly Wallace. It is a really simple way to get to know cards without getting caught up in all the meanings. It seems like a really good way to get familiar with my cards and to start the most unintimidating practice I could think of. As I progress I imagine I will move to a more structured practice but the truth, is who knows. What matters is that I start and that I practice.

Come join me. I would love it if you would practice too and write a comment about what you learned.

 

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