MEANING: On many cards, we see a cluster of buildings off in the distance. In the Ten of Pentacles, we finally arrive in that village. The family is carrying on the affairs of everyday life. The Ten of Pentacles stands for the ultimate in worldly and material success. This is the card you want to see if you are wondering how your latest enterprise will turn out. Wealth and affluence are yours. When we achieve material success, we naturally want it to last.  This is the conservative, Establishment side of the Ten of Pentacles. Why rock the boat when life is fine just the way it is? In readings, this card often stands for convention – following established guidelines and maintaining the status quo. Sometimes it is important to trust the known ways, but only when change is inadvisable. The Ten of Pentacles is also concerned with permanence. Change is an unavoidable part of life, but constant change is uncomfortable. We need stability and the chance to work for a secure foundation in life. In readings, this card may be telling you to concentrate on the long-term. Work toward a lasting solution. Now may be the time to settle down and make the arrangements that will work for you far into the future.

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I love when someone tells me I gave them an entire new vocabulary for how they see their world, reframing past events as necessary steps in light of karmic implication, and having them seek in everyday moments the sacred and magical.  From the outside, she says, it may look to everyone else that she’s living her old life.  From the inside, however, it’s a huge world of wonder, filled with synchronicity, with everything falling into place, everything lining up, the past resolving itself, the future looking bright.  A friend said to me once “How blessed I was to find you.  Who so effortlessly showed me who I was and made me see through the lies I’d been told and began to believe myself.  Thank you.” It is my honor and privilege. Life is so much more hugely wonderful than we’ve ever been led to imagine.  Sometimes it just takes a sister looking at it from a new perspective to begin your own journey into unfolding your newly enchanted life.  Pssst!  This is also when you step onto your Path, start finding your  niche, learning what you came here to do and finding meaningful and fun ways to be in the world.  You can have it all. The story you tell yourself about your life directs how your life will go.  If you keep telling the old story, you’ll keep reliving the old life.

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In 2009, a Facebook friend had her wallet stolen and posted: “To the dirtbag who lifted my wallet tonight and drove around the corner to purchase $700+ of merchandise at Walmart: That funky picture in the back of my wallet is a picture of a sacred, chaotic, magical money ritual. When I did it I brought absolute fury to anyone that steals a single dime from my family. …  Too bad for you, sucker. In this Matrix all around us, I’m a samurai.”  My first thought (judgment) was: If she’s such a flippin’ ninja, why did it happen in the first place?

The Samurai: I’m wishing “chaos” on the sucker mentioned in my post. Chaos fury. Pure chaos magic. Wishing Chaos on someone is wishing exacting magic, and if you knew the reality of this system, you’d both I wasn’t wishing them ill. I was wishing them exacting power. Exacting power has neutrality. Period.

Jan C: Wow. and here I thought chaos was chaos… as in confusion, disruption and disorganization… Didn’t know about “exacting power/neutrality.” So what about the term, “sucker?” Where does that fit in the neutrality aspect? Just curious…

Brock S: The nature of her original post sounded like a scary wish with the words sucker and chaos fury! Just sayin!?!?

Michelle L:  After nearly 40 years of studying “magic” themes I KNOW (!!!!!) KNOW KNOW that ANYTHING you send out in any form has to be held by and in YOU first.  You can’t ‘toss’ a ball you are not holding can you??  LOL So, beware of what you ask for to happen to anyone…  As Andrea says, don’t send what you wouldn’t want to live in your own life!!

No wonder we artists are so narcissistic… It can be so exhausting.  “Look at me.  Listen to me.  Here’s our new CD.  Look at our new photos. Listen to the song I wrote. (that one always cracks me up because nobody/everybody writes everything). How do you like our voices. Come to our shows. I hope they like us. I hope we get invited back. I hope we sold enough to cover our expenses.”  This whole thing breeds insecurity and thus narcissism. We just finished a CD project and I was observing myself doing all of this stuff, much of which is a necessary part of the career. I used to be so righteous about writing “original music” (oxymoron) because I wanted it to be about “me, me me”.  The latest CD has only 25% songs we penned and 75% new arrangements to songs people already love.  I am finding it more and more appealing to share music of other people.  I have always admired folks that write with other writers but never really had much desire to do it myself.  Not enough “me” in that I guess. We have found ourselves avoiding large gatherings of artists for the past few years partially because the narcissicm is just too overwhelming.  (too much competition. lol)  Anyway, as I observe this phenomenon in myself, I am finding it easier to accept and understand it in others.  I don’t know how much this will affect how I relate to everyone but I do know I am much more aware of the dark side of this industry and why the people in it act the way we do.
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Andrea’s note: Knowing Armand for 20 years, I’ve witnessed evolution and know him to be an outstanding example of taking the risk to be transparent, say what he feels needs to be said and to be as authentic and conscious as he can be in each moment, to move himself forward when he needs course correction, to share his lessons and to never deny his past. His reward for honesty and transparency? Inner peace and – icing on the cake – Angelina.  Visit ArmandandAngelina.com

You’re preparing for sweet relief and finally a sense of closure.
Introduction: Despite what Hollywood shows you, the tarot’s Death card is NOT a BAD or SCARY card and does NOT predict physical death. The “Death” card is about change, the shaking up of the status quo to reveal a welcome change, new beginnings, the end of a dark night of the soul. Every situation, every relationship is a series of deaths and rebirths. This can refer to people, jobs, habits, addictions, whatever it is you’ve been asking the Universe for clarification on and relief from. When Death appears, it tells you that you’re going thru a process of renewal, gaining stability, strength and new awareness arising out of necessary upheaval or change.   Continue reading →

I was watering outside last night. I have a lot of cuttings from my turk’s cap and jasmine so I’ve begun a new hedge for privacy from the street.  A line of loquat saplings I’d transplanted last year are loving the rain, and the bamboo is growing like crazy. I’ve been giving all the plants a lot of water, and everything was in bloom, some for the first time in a year.  The scent of jasmine and honeysuckle is intoxicating. Last year, I pruned down my leggy flowering plants so they would grow more dense this year.  That left me with a few seasons of them looking bare, but the reward was so worth it as they began to bloom again, fuller than before.  I think how often I do that in my life: be willing to prune something now, to do without now in order to have a more expanded experience later. Sometimes it backfires and I can find myself waiting for something that never comes to pass.  Even that is a blessing, as it lets me reflect on the hidden blessing of what others might call wasted time and effort.  Time and effort is never wasted.  Mine was a powerful investment in soul work that I could not have done alone.  I honor and thank my soul partner, in that I am forever grateful. You are not always fed in return by the hand you feed, and no one owes us anything.  Our rewards can come from anyone, anywhere. There are always more opportunities if you believe there are.  I believe there are.  I find them and I water them well and they will be delighted to bloom for me.

Next weekend: The Paralounge Drum Gathering helps bring a community of people together to interact and educate each other. Music is intellectual stimulation. Spontaneous creation of music, drum circle, is a process of community intellect. It’s time to get back to the circles, I’ve been too long away. Details and links below.  Paralounge Drum Gathering May 10-12, 2013 at Camp Kiwanis, 19300 SE 3rd St, Silver Springs, Florida 34488-5750.  The next Paralounge Drum Gathering is packed with some really great workshops and performances. This is your chance to spend the weekend with hundreds of drum circle enthusiast from around the world. Bring your entire family to enjoy a unique experience that promotes cultural awareness and community interaction.  Continue reading →

This afternoon for the first time in months I turned on the tv in time to catch part of an episode of The Real Housewives of Orange County.  Everyone was still fighting over stupid misunderstandings about what this one said or did. The past year, I watched those shows on a regular basis and, although they could be aggravating, a few minutes of muting fixed that. It wasn’t all that bothersome and it didn’t stick with me. Today, I couldn’t bear to watch even a few moments of the bickering and immediately turned it off. I went outside to sit in the garden and watch the jays at the birdbath. I realized, watching the birds all jockey for position and compete among themselves, what it was: why I could stand to watch it on a regular basis before and not for a moment now.   Back then, I was living in a daily vibe that felt natural to, a vibe where that was the norm, the status quo.  Now I am not.  Evolution.

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When a group is ready to break up, the members give off subtle signs. They display a restlessness. They arrive late, communicate less, are distracted. At some level the participants know it is time to move on, but they need a while to work up to that final step.  This process applies in many situations where an ending is approaching. Nothing is permanent in life. Sooner or later, everything slips away… or we slip away from it. The Eight of Cups stands for those moments when we realize, once and for all, that the past is gone. What was true is no longer true. The signs of change are in our face, and we must accept them. It is time to move on.    Moving on can mean a physical change such as leaving a job, location or relationship. It can also mean an inner change – releasing old patterns that have dominated our thoughts and emotions. On the Eight of Cups, we see a man leaving on a journey. He has turned away from his old feelings (cups/river) to strike out on a new path. Sometimes moving on can mean searching for a deeper truth or reality. One day we wake up and realize that we have been asleep in our own lives – living a dream that no longer satisfies.  Some changes can be wearying. Endings are not always easy. One of the signs of a readiness to leave is lack of energy. When you feel tired and dispirited, you know that something is wrong, and it’s time for a new direction. Reexamine your life and your priorities. You will find where in your life you need to move on.

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THE MOON:  If you look around the room, you will see people and objects that are comforting in their familiarity. Everything is exactly as you expect it to be. You know that if you closed your eyes and opened them, the room would be the same. But have you ever lost the familiar to find, in its place, a world so extraordinary you can’t even grasp it? This is the experience of the Moon. Most often we live in a tiny pocket of normality. We turn our backs on the mysterious universe that waits outside.  From time to time we may sneak a peak with our imagination, or venture out through fantasy or expanded awareness. We can be thrust out there unprepared through drugs, madness or intense experiences such as battle.  The Moon is the light of this realm – the world of shadow and night. In the right circumstances, the Moon inspires and enchants. It holds out the promise that all you imagine can be yours. The Moon guides you to the unknown so you can allow the unusual into your life.  In readings, this card often stands for fears and anxieties that come in the darkest part of the night. Card 18 also stands for illusions. It is easy to lose our way in the moonlight. Be careful not to let deceptions and false ideas lead you astray. Sometimes the Moon is a signal that you are lost and wandering aimlessly. You must find your way back to the path and your clarity of purpose.

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