Ooooh, oooh! The High Priestess! I love this bitch! She is large and in charge – but only in the smoothest, bestest most loving type of way. She owns her space. It is time for you to own your space. Do you. Be in your power. Don’t worry about the others they need to learn how to hold their own space and their own vibration as well, and as you know teaching by example is where it’s at. It’s been a rough road to get here, you have earned every inch of your beingness and your beingness is exactly what is needed in the world. Now that you have set your own vibration open up and receive the messages that the universe is giving you. Pay attention to that tiny voice within, she is trying to tell you something, listen.
Mother of Cups. You have been through a lot in the last few weeks. The energies have been fierce and you have had to burn some bridges and then rebuild. This week the Mother of Cups asks you to take care of you. Do the things that bring beauty to your world, do what makes you happy and full. The mother is also quite protective. She is asking you to protect your space, protect your energy – in the most loving way, of course. Listen to your inner wisdom this week and keep your boundaries healthy. The Mother of Cups is a welcome energy after all that roughness. She wants to hug you and tell you that all will be just fine, just keep listening to your heart.
Ugh. The five of cups. So sad, boo hoo. Alright seekers, you’ve been through a lot the last couple of weeks. You burned your world down to the ground, you’ve quietly been plotting and scheming a new fulfilling beautiful life, now comes a bit of grief over what you have lost. Your precious cups have been knocked over and all you want to do is cry your eyes out. Go ahead and cry, I will wait until you’re done spilling tears and making your eyes all puffy and red before I continue… done yet? Now, now dear seeker if you would just take that god damn black cape off, stand tall and turn around you will see that you still have two cups left that are as good as ever and that the lights are shining off on the horizon behind those beautiful mountains, all for you. Take your gorgeous puffy eyes and fix them on them there mountains in the distance, pick up your cups and for god’s sake ditch that sad ass black shapeless garb that does absolutely nothing for your figure and get moving. The tears may still come, let them, but don’t stop moving forward. You will get where you need to be in due time and don’t forget that I love you.
So last week you blew your world up. You set flames to all that is not working anymore. As life changing as events were, this may have all been an internal explosion and not as of yet the kind of thing that those around you can see. You know what changed, what needs to change and what you no longer belongs in your life. This week the 7 of swords asks you to stay alert and continue to make all the necessary cuts and adjustments, quietly. Sneaky if you will. The fox looks real chill but he has one eye open at all times and is most definitely sitting on a sword that those around him may or may not see. Make your plans and prepare, no need to announce it to the world at large. You know what needs to be done, be smart, be alert and keep cutting through the crap.
Ever have one of those dreams where the floor comes out from under you and you start falling and falling only to jolt awake and realize it was just a dream? The seven of pentacles wants you to take a good look around you and be grateful for all that you have accomplished. Sure you may had been shooting for a gold-plated Maserati and a 30,000 square foot mansion but all in all you haven’t done that bad, have you? Clothes to wear, food to eat, a roof over your head and I bet you have at least one person around that means the world to you. Be thankful. It’s good to have goals and ambition but don’t let dreams of how great things could be poop all over how decent things presently are. Take a quick moment to imagine all these things that you do have being taken away and you will realize that you have plenty far to fall. Then jolt yourself back to the present reality and say thank you.
The Chariot. Ladies and gentlemen I would like to inform you that it is time to get your shit together and get on with it. Last week you cleared out that which no longer serves, this week the opening has come. Time to move forward. I would also like to let you know that when I pull a card I am using the whole deck, not just the major arcana. As you can see the last three weeks have all been major arcana. That means pay attention! Big things are underway, big changes are happening whether you want them or not. Do you want to ride the chariot or be dragged behind it? Hopefully that last two weeks you have gained some clarity and made way for the new. This week it is most important for you to take actual, real steps towards that which you desire. Make the phone calls, send the emails, buy the ticket, get off the couch and do the thing! The energies of the moment have tremendous forward momentum, time to summon the courage to ride the wave otherwise you will be taken under and scraped along the bottom of the sea only to emerge gasping for air with sand in your crack. Your choice…
Death. Do not be afraid dear seekers! Your personal meat bag will be just fine! We are not speaking of literal physical death here but a shedding of that which does not serve your highest good. Get rid of toxic people, clear clutter from your home, let go of limiting beliefs that no longer align with who YOU truly are. What we believed to be truth when we were 12 may not still hold true when we are older and have more life experience, wouldn’t you agree? Take notice where old beliefs may be popping up on automatic and see if you still really feel that way or if it’s just how you are used to responding. The Hermit asked you last week to go within, to really BE with yourself. This week you are asked to go a bit deeper, now is the time to clean out the old outmoded ways of being. Growth requires shedding the old, the process isn’t always beautiful or easy but it is certainly necessary and new life is guaranteed. Surrender and trust.
Holidays, back to school, end of summer (sad), the energies are shifting from out and about soaking up the sun, good times with friends and family to back to business. This week is a good time to quiet yourself and begin to move to the inner realms. What seeds do you want to plant for next year, what’s next? You do not need to figure all that out this week! Chill! Spend time with yourself, go for a walk, read a book, take yourself to the movies. Now is the time to just be. Let your mind relax so that the inspiration for the seeds to be planted can wash over you. Over thinking will do you no good. It’s like how the best ideas come to you in the shower… you are relaxed with a gentle focus (getting clean) this is when inspiration can make its way in. That is your un-task for the week, relax and distract your brain enough that the light of inspiration can penetrate your energetic field.
Good morning all!!! Starting in September I will be offering Tarot readings at Rainbow Body Wellness Collective on Tuesday & Wednesday afternoons, evening appointments are also available. Contact me to make an appointment. I can’t wait to use my intuitive empowerment skills to help you create the life you desire!
There I am, riding atop a camel in some exotic locale, looking all chic and mysterious, nothing but sand dunes as far as the eye can see. I travel across the desert sand until the sun is low on the horizon and a tent appears. I enter the tent and am greeted by friendly locals. A magnificent feast is laid out just for me, the chic and mysterious woman from a faraway land. Midway through the gorgeous feast dancers arrive with wine and now the party really gets started. We finish dinner and leave the coziness of the tent for the fire blazing outside. Dancing, wine and music for hours under the stars until I am exhausted at which point I am led to my own private tent. It’s draped in luxurious silks, dozens of richly hued pillows are strewn about, I curl up and sleep soundly until dawn. In the morning I wake completely refreshed, I board my camel, a steaming cup of the most amazing coffee in my hand and make way back through the desert sands (looking as chic as ever) back from whence I came. The reality of my desert sojourn didn’t turn out exactly as my rich imagination crafted but I did ride on a camel…
For as long as I can remember I have wanted to visit India. I understood that it isn’t always the easiest place as a solo female traveler. I knew I needed to be cautious but I didn’t let being alone stop me. I arrived in Delhi in August 2005, I would be spending a month in country with 10 days of that being set aside for a meditation retreat. I was also keen to turn my desert fantasy into reality. The Thar Desert located in Rajasthan was my target, the small city of Jaisalmer to be exact. Jaisalmer is one of themost atmospheric places I have ever set eyes on. As you approach the city it appears to be a giant sandcastle. It actually is a sandcastle, a medieval fort made from yellow sandstone.
Jaisalmer fort from my hotel window
No cars are allowed inside the fort as the streets are all too narrow. However, cows and motorbikes are welcome. It’s an interesting experience pushing past a cow in a narrow passageway (excuse me madame cow).
Madame Cow in the narrow streets of Jaisalmer
Also, trying to not get peed on when madame cow decides to relieve herself is fun. It brought a deep understanding to the expression “raining like a cow peeing on a flat rock”.
I was staying within the fort, in a hotel that was actually built into the walls of the fort. It was inexpensive and gorgeous however, it was August in the desert and I had no air conditioning (hence inexpensive), only one very tiny ceiling fan. Very tiny. The room was made out of the same yellow sandstone as the walls of the fort. Very hot, sun-baked yellow sandstone and one very tiny ceiling fan. Did I mention the heat? I just kept telling myself that it is the desert and it is meant to be hot. Besides, who wants to spend all day in the hotel room anyway? There was a rooftop to this hotel that overlooked the whole city and the surrounding desert, it was quite a view. I was up there enjoying said view when I met three other guests of the hotel. We began chatting and hit it off. Pauline, from France, her boyfriend Sudish from Pondicherry and Donald, a Londoner. We decided to get dinner together later that evening at a small rooftop Tibetan restaurant. The views from any rooftop in Jaisalmer are amazing, especially at sunset. We enjoyed good conversation and delicious momos (Tibetan dumplings). The Muslim call to prayer could be heard echoing through the village, a wedding procession then made it’s way through the narrow streets. Drums beating, people dancing, cows doing what cows do. So far my stay in Jaisalmer had been magical. I discussed with my new friends the desert fantasy I was looking to manifest and they wanted in. After dinner we went back to the hotel and spoke with the manager (I do not remember his name), he would arrange our camel safari, we would be off to desert fantasy land in a couple of days. I adjourned to my room where I sweated profusely all night, under my teeny, tiny fan.
The next day I explored the narrow streets and made more cow friends, then another sleepless sweaty night. The morning of the camel expedition was upon me. I had my camera ready (PS. ..cameras hate deserts!), headscarf and giant sunglasses, I was so excited! I say good morning to Pauline, Sudish and Donald and the Manager, who would be accompanying us. We make our way outside the fort where a car is waiting for us. We pack ourselves in the smallish car, the manager up front with the driver and the four of us crammed in the back.
Outside the fort. We were not in the nice jeep type auto.
Whatever, we’re friends now so we make do with the limited space. After a few miles we are outside the city and on the open road. So far everyone is acquainted with each other except for the newcomer, the driver. I introduce us. “Hi, I’m Helen, this is Pauline, Sudish and Donald.”
“Nice to meet you, I’m Satan.”
Pauline, Donald and I exchange unsettled glances. Sudish was not as obviously concerned as the rest of us. Maybe we didn’t hear him correctly, I clarified. “I’m sorry, what did you say your name is? I’m having a hard time hearing back here.”
“I’m Satan.”
“Oh.”
I giggled a nervous giggle and then silence in the car.
We traveled silently for what felt like a near eternity, each one of us contemplating what in our lives led to this moment, being driven deep into the desert by Satan.
The car suddenly stops. Both Satan and the manager exit the car and get into a very heated non-English discussion. I have no idea what is going on. Donald gets out of the car and asks what the problem is. What they say next I could not make up. A large snake slithered across the road in front of the car as we were driving and now Satan does not want to continue on because he considers this a bad omen. Let that sink in for a moment….
Now the hotel manager very much does want this trek to continue so that he can get paid, Satan wants to call it quits. There is a lot of back and forth.
Donald reenters the car and now we have a bit of a discussion about the situation in which we find ourselves. Do we continue? None of us are exactly superstitious but things have gotten weird and we haven’t even touched a camel yet. Finally the Manager and Satan get back in the car and we continue on. Not sure what the Manager said to convince Satan to proceed but we were moving again.
We arrive in a small village where we have tea with the locals, take a few pictures and then continue on to rendezvous with our camels. Part of me thinks this was the deal that Satan made with the Manager, because as it turns out, we are having tea in Satan’s village. While we have some tea , Satan is off doing some sort of Rajasthani voodoo to unhex the snake hex, that’s my theory anyway.
The only know pic of Satan – in Satan’s village
After a cuppa in Satan’s village and an awkward “bathroom” break, awkward because there was no running water and no bathrooms, which I am cool with I just wonder how the locals do it, it was quite an ordeal for them to find a location for me to pee, where do they pee? And why couldn’t I pee there too? Anyway…we thanked our hosts and were finally ready to meet our camels.
Pauline with camels, Satan’s little helpers on left
We board our camels, finally, this is it! Sand dunes as far as the eye can see, the slow amble of the camel beneath me, Satan leading the way. In my head I thought we would all be in on camels but just the tourists were on camels, the locals were walking. It feels a bit contrived but I am still having fun, giggling and taking photos with my traveler friends. We camel it for about an hour, continually going deeper into the Thar Desert. We eventually stop when we get to a place where there is only sand, no scrub, nothing green, just giant sand dunes. We get off the camels and race up and down the dunes, sand penetrating every crack and orifice.
Thar Desert
While us travelers are goofing off and having fun the guides are preparing a meal for us. As lunch is being made the Manager pulls out a bottle of local hooch and passes it around. Normally I would be the first to indulge but I am in India to participate in a meditation retreat and am not supposed to imbibe for at least 10 days prior, so I decline the offer. The bottle goes around with everyone taking a swig. Sudish and the Manager however, go hard. Lunch is served and the party’s just getting started. I don’t remember what we ate but I do remember it was pretty good aside from the a bit of grit here and there. The Manager now breaks out some sweet house music (eye roll) and keeps the hooch flowing. We are now having a full on dance party in the desert. This is great! I am not drinking but I’m dancing, a pretty cool experience, until… The Manager is now getting very friendly (very drunk) and wants me to dance with him. OK, more like on him. I keep pulling away and trying to keep my distance. I didn’t want to be totally rude (looking back I should have told him to fuck off!) so I keep dancing but he is getting really gropey until I finally had enough and sat down. Donald was aware of the situation and helped keep him away from me. A few minutes later Sudish was puking all over. The party was officially over. Pauline gave Sudish some water and cleaned him up a bit. Time to get back on our camels and say goodbye to our magical desert fantasy. I can’t imagine the deep regret Sudish felt on the back of that camel with every jiggly step in the scorching heat.
We get back to the car, cram ourselves in all sweaty and with Sudish smelling like puke. Satan once again at the wheel, we make our way back to the hotel. The Manager is sitting up front, hammered and eyeballing me hard in the rearview window. I am ready for this day to be over but have some serious concerns about my safety at the hotel. This guy is the manager and has keys to all the rooms, he also lives there. I am super creeped out. Pauline is busy tending to Sudish and is unaware but Donald is paying attention to what is going on with drunk-gropey-manager and he is disturbed right along with me. Donald asks me what he can do to help but honestly I do not know. I just tell him to keep his ears open because I will scream my fucking head off if this guy comes anywhere near my room tonight.
Me (pre-grope). So chic. So mysterious.
I get back to my room, barricade the door and attempt to shower the sand out of the crevices. Another sleepless night awaits, heat factor now combined with creep factor. I position myself underneath the teeny tiny fan and close my eyes. My desert fantasy now one for the books. Turns out Satan was an alright guy, his drunk little business partner on the other hand was a real creep. I came away from the experience only slightly groped but 100% un-raped so all-in-all a win!
