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shalanna. . . or writing. Just did some work on the NaNo novel.
Words of wisdom:
Name your band (or title your book) "Overrated." Then you can't get offended, because the critics will have had one of their main claws clipped. "That band is Overrated." "Yes, we know."
Trivia item:
Alice Cooper has stated he took his stage name from Alice Ghostley because of her character in the 1967 TV series, "Mayberry R.F.D."
And you can add to my Karaoke-ready list "White Rabbit" as sung by Jefferson Airplane/Grace Slick. It's actually quite psychoactive. The psychos are also very active on second Mondays.
Tomorrow evening, there's an election in an organization that I'm a member of, and I'm up for one of the three Board Member At-Large positions. If I manage to find the Reading and Radio Resource Center near KERA (the PBS station) down in Dallas, I'll go to the meeting and perhaps get elected. Don't know if I really have the time to serve, but I should make the time: it'll be good for me to get out among people again. I swore I'd do some activism, and that's one of the ways to start. We'll see.
Over the past few weeks, I've had several readings done by various Tarot card readers. (Why, yes, I am what would be called a "fundamentalist" born-again Christian, and that's supposed to be on the no-no list, and not because it doesn't *work* at all . . . but let's not get into that right now.) The *point* is that in each reading, I've had the selfsame Major Arcana cards turn up over and over, whether the reading be the 6- or 12-card spreads. And it was with different readers. Once it was an online reading on a website. So . . . I think these cards are not just coincidentally coming up. Hmm.
If you know a bit about what I'm talking about, maybe you'd be interested in knowing which cards or even seeing the meanings. I'm trying my First-Ever LJ Cut here because this is rather long and because some people will freak out.
Skip this if it totally offends you and you're upset that anyone would even mention it. That's why I'm putting
Right after the election, I had a reading where the question I concentrated upon was "will [agent] take me on." I got:
How you feel about yourself now (The Empress)
This is a time for nurturing, material and domestic comfort, a feeling of abundance, harmony, joy and love. This is also a card of creativity so it is a good omen if you are feeling creatively inspired at this time.
What you most want at this moment (The Tower)
The cards suggest that what you most want at this time is an easy solution to a problem. However, turmoil and upheaval often brings about change - just not quite as we would like it. Seize this opportunity as a chance for a new beginning.
Your fears (The Star)
You are fearful of the future and rather lacking in self-belief - you are afraid your hopes will be dashed. Well, don’t be: this is your wish card - a time of joy and fulfilment. Good health, possibly after a time of illness, and good fortune that will give you a new zest of life. If considering a new love affair, new job or career, or travel, then go for it. You may also receive a gift or gifts!
What is going for you (The Chariot)
Drive, drive, drive, that’s what’s going for you. You certainly aren’t a quitter that’s for sure. The appearance of The Chariot tells of conflicts ending in victory, so don’t give up, battle on and you will succeed. This is a time of movement and change. Expect a journey relating to work, and if you’ve had your eye on that car, it will soon be yours.
What is going against you (The Hanged Man)
You are allowing yourself to be victimised and emotionally blackmailed by others or you’re playing the martyr or victim to try and manipulate others. Don’t be too materialistic or try and hang onto someone or something for all the wrong reasons. Someone or something has to go, you must find the ability to let go and give this up - don’t worry: it will turn out for the better for you.
Outcome (The High Priestess)
Your intuitive powers are at their height at this moment in time; only by listening carefully and trusting them completely can you embrace that power. Do this and you will make strong, clear, self-assured decisions. Allow for flexibility and expect promising outcomes.
Okay, hmm. But a week before that, here's what came up:
I asked an online reading site if my mystery novel would be passed on to the editor (it is in a stack, out of which stack one or two will be passed upward.)
Position: Situation Card: Nine of Cups
The joy of shared victory resounds throughout your environment.
The Nine of Cups in this position suggests that your immediate circle may have experienced some sort of victory. The group, either a family unit or a domestic partnership, has made it across the finish line together, completing the agreed upon labors in a coordinated way. At the heart of the joy in this card is the unity that comes from the realization of shared dreams. This card calls for a celebration, a toast, a round of applause. The Nine of this suit is sometimes titled Happiness, but it is also known as Victory. The rewards of high achievement are not all monetary, however. This happiness also refers to the feelings of fulfillment that come from good service to the community and support of one's family, as well as gratitude for all the blessings in one's life.
Position: Challenges/ Opportunities Card: The High Priestess
You are challenged to use your intuition more skillfully than ever before.
The card that lands in the Challenges/Opportunities position refers to ways that you can turn obstacles into stepping stones. The High Priestess in this position indicates that you are now testing the skills you have been developing. Here is an opportunity to determine how well your inner labors will have paid off, how well your intuitive receptivity will guide you through the unpredictability and distractions of daily life, how well your inner talent translates into decision and action. Once you see the links and contrasts between what you know in your heart and what life presents you, ask yourself what you want to do about it.
Traditionally entitled "The High Priestess," this major arcana or "trump" card represents human wisdom -- whether viewed as a kind of female Pope, the ancient Egyptian Priestess of Isis, the even more ancient Snake and Bird Goddesses, the Greek Goddess Persephone, or the Eve of Genesis before the Fall.
For the accused heretics who were burnt at the stake for revering her in the 14th and 15th century, she symbolized the prophecy of the return of the Holy Spirit, which was perceived as the female aspect of the Holy Trinity.
The Challenges/Opportunities position helps you get the best out of your situation. It reflects the cutting edge in the situation, the learning curve whereby you can turn adversity into accomplishment -- using creativity and a positive attitude. This card can point to recurring themes in the challenges you have faced in your life -- and to opportunities that may yet present themselves.
Position: Self Card: King of Coins
When issues of survival are resolved a person is free to make unpressured choices, dream big dreams -- and be generous. The King of Coins in this position indicates a person who has it all. This may have to do with financial security, lack of worry and feelings of abundance. This points to a person who has solved the survival issues that drive most humans most of the time.
The King of Coins knows how to work the system in order to get what he needs so he can live as he wishes. He is free to make choices without undue pressure from the bottom line. In this situation you can be generous and not worry about it, you can dream big, you can help others, you can protect the rain forests. You can be a benefactor to the whole human race based on how you use your magnificent freedom and abundance.
In previous centuries this card referred to the myth of Midas, who loved gold so much that he was cursed so that everything he touched turned to gold. One day his daughter reached out to him and was turned into a golden statue. This story illustrates the downside of letting material security take too much precedence.
In truth, while the character of this card understands the value of wealth, including the burden it produces, he or she is mature enough to keep things in perspective. Even though the suit of Coins represents the material realm, this king is not just a materialist -- his sovereignty reflects higher values, as well as general welfare and prosperity.
Near Future: Justice
Be grateful for the intimate assessment you are about to receive.
The card in the Near Future position indicates which way the wind is blowing with regard to your situation. If you follow the Advice card, however, you can improve on or neutralize tendencies.
When Justice is in this position, you will have an opportunity to see something you identify with critiqued, possibly a situation or event. You may recognize which parts of your approach have substance and which are undeveloped. Insights you would never have thought of may emerge. The penetrating intelligence of your adjudicator will show you how closely your personal vision matches community standards of balance and harmony.
The judge on this card is the grandmother of humanity in whose mind resides tribal law. When you come before her with your big ideas and visions, she cuts to the quick and reveals the imbalances and blind spots. Be humble and receptive when you come before Justice. Do not resort to denial if she reveals your unfinished business.
Long-term Potential: The Tower
You could be a catalyst for charged communications; wherever you stand is a flashpoint. With the Tower in this position, if you persist in your current line of thinking and behavior, you may build such a static charge around yourself that you will evoke a major electrical event. That is to say, you will increasingly attract forces of chaos and coincidence. Keep in mind that lightning follows a long period of irritation, accumulated static and ungrounded energy.
(All this is most likely in reference to my crazy anxiety about getting something published--I'm so stressed that I stress out the entire household and I keep saying, I'll either give it UP or I have to get a contract, etc.--SC)
In practically all renditions of the Tower card, disaster is striking or has just struck. The demons of madness and despair are released from ancient hiding places, and nature conspires with human failings to destabilize a society. The upheaval is collective and impersonal. Let us remember these images were created for the educated nobles and clergy -- reminding them that they have the most to lose if the hierarchy is toppled.
Lightning is a fitting karmic payback for the guilt of those whose fortunes come from the exploitation or abuse of others. A modern subtitle might be "Revolution," indicating that through drastic social change oppressed people can find renewed hope of better times. The Tower experience comes like a flash of lightning to topple the hierarchy of the old order, after which everyone can have a fresh start on a more equal footing.
The card in the Long-term Potential position reveals probabilities and possible long-term results of the path you are going down. Because this card reflects the far future, you have time to consider if this is really the outcome you want to cultivate.
(This may mean that if I don't handle success properly, it could be a disaster. Also could mean that I need to change this stress thing or there's disaster ahead. It's not as scary as tower in most positions.--SC)
(However, it's scary.)
Higher Power: The Empress
Let yourself be inspired by the nurturing feminine.
The card in the Higher Power position reflects the broader perspective and influence of your conscience, Guardian Angel, inner wisdom.
The Empress symbolizes an ideal or cause that comes from the compassionate universal mother. Whether it's Kuan Yin or Isis, the great archetypes of the ancients, she represents a nurturing feminine, dispensing love, wisdom and abundance. Let the light shine within you.
The Empress requires that we surrender to her. Let her guide you through chaotic circumstances. You can relax in her embrace and trust her. She is doing what is best for all, and you are one of her own.
I've had other readings where the Star shows up (in the "what you want" position), and the Empress and High Priestess keep showing up, and the (ack ack ack) Tower shows up. I really don't need lightning to strike or tear up the house, and if you look at the Tower, people are falling out of it as it crumbles or gets struck. It's really kind of unnerving. However, my friend explained that it's a harbinger of change that you should grasp on to. It's true that if I suddenly had a book contract on one of the new novels, it would be a change. And if I had a success, that'd be a change, all right! So who can say?
Still, maybe the forces behind the cards (which may or may not be indifferent, impartial, friendly or unfriendly, or have their own agenda to mislead--this is one reason it's a little iffy as a pursuit) are trying to scare my butt. That part worked. *grin*
Now you see why I put the long-winded and (some might say) sinful part of the entry here, at the end of the entry behind an LJ cut.
The general drift seems to suggest that I'm going to have some sort of career breakthrough. What I'm supposed to give up is some of the clutter and mess in the house and some of my lazy-self free time, I surmise. However, it makes me nervous to hear that "change is good." I'm mainly a slug, myself.
I think I'm even a little afraid of success. I blew my first "real" out-of-college job because there were such high and great expectations (SMU had told the hiring people that I was Really Wonderful and they were Really Impressed by that, for some reason), and success suddenly seemed out of reach for the first time ever. That job was in software engineering, not in creative writing, and so it wasn't my life's intended work in the first place. It was still a disappointment and made my family REALLY upset, though.
We'll see. (As Mama always said when she meant "No way, even though they're ice-skating in Hell.")
Words of wisdom:
Name your band (or title your book) "Overrated." Then you can't get offended, because the critics will have had one of their main claws clipped. "That band is Overrated." "Yes, we know."
Trivia item:
Alice Cooper has stated he took his stage name from Alice Ghostley because of her character in the 1967 TV series, "Mayberry R.F.D."
And you can add to my Karaoke-ready list "White Rabbit" as sung by Jefferson Airplane/Grace Slick. It's actually quite psychoactive. The psychos are also very active on second Mondays.
Tomorrow evening, there's an election in an organization that I'm a member of, and I'm up for one of the three Board Member At-Large positions. If I manage to find the Reading and Radio Resource Center near KERA (the PBS station) down in Dallas, I'll go to the meeting and perhaps get elected. Don't know if I really have the time to serve, but I should make the time: it'll be good for me to get out among people again. I swore I'd do some activism, and that's one of the ways to start. We'll see.
Over the past few weeks, I've had several readings done by various Tarot card readers. (Why, yes, I am what would be called a "fundamentalist" born-again Christian, and that's supposed to be on the no-no list, and not because it doesn't *work* at all . . . but let's not get into that right now.) The *point* is that in each reading, I've had the selfsame Major Arcana cards turn up over and over, whether the reading be the 6- or 12-card spreads. And it was with different readers. Once it was an online reading on a website. So . . . I think these cards are not just coincidentally coming up. Hmm.
If you know a bit about what I'm talking about, maybe you'd be interested in knowing which cards or even seeing the meanings. I'm trying my First-Ever LJ Cut here because this is rather long and because some people will freak out.
Skip this if it totally offends you and you're upset that anyone would even mention it. That's why I'm putting
Right after the election, I had a reading where the question I concentrated upon was "will [agent] take me on." I got:
How you feel about yourself now (The Empress)
This is a time for nurturing, material and domestic comfort, a feeling of abundance, harmony, joy and love. This is also a card of creativity so it is a good omen if you are feeling creatively inspired at this time.
What you most want at this moment (The Tower)
The cards suggest that what you most want at this time is an easy solution to a problem. However, turmoil and upheaval often brings about change - just not quite as we would like it. Seize this opportunity as a chance for a new beginning.
Your fears (The Star)
You are fearful of the future and rather lacking in self-belief - you are afraid your hopes will be dashed. Well, don’t be: this is your wish card - a time of joy and fulfilment. Good health, possibly after a time of illness, and good fortune that will give you a new zest of life. If considering a new love affair, new job or career, or travel, then go for it. You may also receive a gift or gifts!
What is going for you (The Chariot)
Drive, drive, drive, that’s what’s going for you. You certainly aren’t a quitter that’s for sure. The appearance of The Chariot tells of conflicts ending in victory, so don’t give up, battle on and you will succeed. This is a time of movement and change. Expect a journey relating to work, and if you’ve had your eye on that car, it will soon be yours.
What is going against you (The Hanged Man)
You are allowing yourself to be victimised and emotionally blackmailed by others or you’re playing the martyr or victim to try and manipulate others. Don’t be too materialistic or try and hang onto someone or something for all the wrong reasons. Someone or something has to go, you must find the ability to let go and give this up - don’t worry: it will turn out for the better for you.
Outcome (The High Priestess)
Your intuitive powers are at their height at this moment in time; only by listening carefully and trusting them completely can you embrace that power. Do this and you will make strong, clear, self-assured decisions. Allow for flexibility and expect promising outcomes.
Okay, hmm. But a week before that, here's what came up:
I asked an online reading site if my mystery novel would be passed on to the editor (it is in a stack, out of which stack one or two will be passed upward.)
Position: Situation Card: Nine of Cups
The joy of shared victory resounds throughout your environment.
The Nine of Cups in this position suggests that your immediate circle may have experienced some sort of victory. The group, either a family unit or a domestic partnership, has made it across the finish line together, completing the agreed upon labors in a coordinated way. At the heart of the joy in this card is the unity that comes from the realization of shared dreams. This card calls for a celebration, a toast, a round of applause. The Nine of this suit is sometimes titled Happiness, but it is also known as Victory. The rewards of high achievement are not all monetary, however. This happiness also refers to the feelings of fulfillment that come from good service to the community and support of one's family, as well as gratitude for all the blessings in one's life.
Position: Challenges/ Opportunities Card: The High Priestess
You are challenged to use your intuition more skillfully than ever before.
The card that lands in the Challenges/Opportunities position refers to ways that you can turn obstacles into stepping stones. The High Priestess in this position indicates that you are now testing the skills you have been developing. Here is an opportunity to determine how well your inner labors will have paid off, how well your intuitive receptivity will guide you through the unpredictability and distractions of daily life, how well your inner talent translates into decision and action. Once you see the links and contrasts between what you know in your heart and what life presents you, ask yourself what you want to do about it.
Traditionally entitled "The High Priestess," this major arcana or "trump" card represents human wisdom -- whether viewed as a kind of female Pope, the ancient Egyptian Priestess of Isis, the even more ancient Snake and Bird Goddesses, the Greek Goddess Persephone, or the Eve of Genesis before the Fall.
For the accused heretics who were burnt at the stake for revering her in the 14th and 15th century, she symbolized the prophecy of the return of the Holy Spirit, which was perceived as the female aspect of the Holy Trinity.
The Challenges/Opportunities position helps you get the best out of your situation. It reflects the cutting edge in the situation, the learning curve whereby you can turn adversity into accomplishment -- using creativity and a positive attitude. This card can point to recurring themes in the challenges you have faced in your life -- and to opportunities that may yet present themselves.
Position: Self Card: King of Coins
When issues of survival are resolved a person is free to make unpressured choices, dream big dreams -- and be generous. The King of Coins in this position indicates a person who has it all. This may have to do with financial security, lack of worry and feelings of abundance. This points to a person who has solved the survival issues that drive most humans most of the time.
The King of Coins knows how to work the system in order to get what he needs so he can live as he wishes. He is free to make choices without undue pressure from the bottom line. In this situation you can be generous and not worry about it, you can dream big, you can help others, you can protect the rain forests. You can be a benefactor to the whole human race based on how you use your magnificent freedom and abundance.
In previous centuries this card referred to the myth of Midas, who loved gold so much that he was cursed so that everything he touched turned to gold. One day his daughter reached out to him and was turned into a golden statue. This story illustrates the downside of letting material security take too much precedence.
In truth, while the character of this card understands the value of wealth, including the burden it produces, he or she is mature enough to keep things in perspective. Even though the suit of Coins represents the material realm, this king is not just a materialist -- his sovereignty reflects higher values, as well as general welfare and prosperity.
Near Future: Justice
Be grateful for the intimate assessment you are about to receive.
The card in the Near Future position indicates which way the wind is blowing with regard to your situation. If you follow the Advice card, however, you can improve on or neutralize tendencies.
When Justice is in this position, you will have an opportunity to see something you identify with critiqued, possibly a situation or event. You may recognize which parts of your approach have substance and which are undeveloped. Insights you would never have thought of may emerge. The penetrating intelligence of your adjudicator will show you how closely your personal vision matches community standards of balance and harmony.
The judge on this card is the grandmother of humanity in whose mind resides tribal law. When you come before her with your big ideas and visions, she cuts to the quick and reveals the imbalances and blind spots. Be humble and receptive when you come before Justice. Do not resort to denial if she reveals your unfinished business.
Long-term Potential: The Tower
You could be a catalyst for charged communications; wherever you stand is a flashpoint. With the Tower in this position, if you persist in your current line of thinking and behavior, you may build such a static charge around yourself that you will evoke a major electrical event. That is to say, you will increasingly attract forces of chaos and coincidence. Keep in mind that lightning follows a long period of irritation, accumulated static and ungrounded energy.
(All this is most likely in reference to my crazy anxiety about getting something published--I'm so stressed that I stress out the entire household and I keep saying, I'll either give it UP or I have to get a contract, etc.--SC)
In practically all renditions of the Tower card, disaster is striking or has just struck. The demons of madness and despair are released from ancient hiding places, and nature conspires with human failings to destabilize a society. The upheaval is collective and impersonal. Let us remember these images were created for the educated nobles and clergy -- reminding them that they have the most to lose if the hierarchy is toppled.
Lightning is a fitting karmic payback for the guilt of those whose fortunes come from the exploitation or abuse of others. A modern subtitle might be "Revolution," indicating that through drastic social change oppressed people can find renewed hope of better times. The Tower experience comes like a flash of lightning to topple the hierarchy of the old order, after which everyone can have a fresh start on a more equal footing.
The card in the Long-term Potential position reveals probabilities and possible long-term results of the path you are going down. Because this card reflects the far future, you have time to consider if this is really the outcome you want to cultivate.
(This may mean that if I don't handle success properly, it could be a disaster. Also could mean that I need to change this stress thing or there's disaster ahead. It's not as scary as tower in most positions.--SC)
(However, it's scary.)
Higher Power: The Empress
Let yourself be inspired by the nurturing feminine.
The card in the Higher Power position reflects the broader perspective and influence of your conscience, Guardian Angel, inner wisdom.
The Empress symbolizes an ideal or cause that comes from the compassionate universal mother. Whether it's Kuan Yin or Isis, the great archetypes of the ancients, she represents a nurturing feminine, dispensing love, wisdom and abundance. Let the light shine within you.
The Empress requires that we surrender to her. Let her guide you through chaotic circumstances. You can relax in her embrace and trust her. She is doing what is best for all, and you are one of her own.
I've had other readings where the Star shows up (in the "what you want" position), and the Empress and High Priestess keep showing up, and the (ack ack ack) Tower shows up. I really don't need lightning to strike or tear up the house, and if you look at the Tower, people are falling out of it as it crumbles or gets struck. It's really kind of unnerving. However, my friend explained that it's a harbinger of change that you should grasp on to. It's true that if I suddenly had a book contract on one of the new novels, it would be a change. And if I had a success, that'd be a change, all right! So who can say?
Still, maybe the forces behind the cards (which may or may not be indifferent, impartial, friendly or unfriendly, or have their own agenda to mislead--this is one reason it's a little iffy as a pursuit) are trying to scare my butt. That part worked. *grin*
Now you see why I put the long-winded and (some might say) sinful part of the entry here, at the end of the entry behind an LJ cut.
The general drift seems to suggest that I'm going to have some sort of career breakthrough. What I'm supposed to give up is some of the clutter and mess in the house and some of my lazy-self free time, I surmise. However, it makes me nervous to hear that "change is good." I'm mainly a slug, myself.
I think I'm even a little afraid of success. I blew my first "real" out-of-college job because there were such high and great expectations (SMU had told the hiring people that I was Really Wonderful and they were Really Impressed by that, for some reason), and success suddenly seemed out of reach for the first time ever. That job was in software engineering, not in creative writing, and so it wasn't my life's intended work in the first place. It was still a disappointment and made my family REALLY upset, though.
We'll see. (As Mama always said when she meant "No way, even though they're ice-skating in Hell.")
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-11-07 02:51 pm (UTC)I know what you mean. That's the way I felt when I was sending Booking Hawaii Five-0 around to publishers. Success, after all, is a stranger to us for the most part. Failure, on the other hand, is an old friend, and not as scary! (grin)
Good luck! The tarot part was interesting; I don't think it's sinful. It's just another means of expression.
(However, I also think it's a bit of hogwash, but that's just me.)