All Things Toxic
Symbolism:
Chains symbolize bondage – captivity
Inverted Pentagram refers to hidden knowledge
Flaming Tails and Grapes – This is the vice that imprisons us
Stark Background: hell – what holds you back
Horns – uncivilized behavior
Bat’s Wings – a nocturnal animal
Taloned Feet – the devil as earth spirit
Triangular Head – alert: negative energy pulling everything down
Goat’s haunches – animal drives and instincts
The Cube – the Unexplored Self
Chains – accepting material bonds
Torch – light in the darkness
The Tails – acknowledge the primordial nature
Adam & Eve – banished with paradise, enslaved and corrupted
Getting to Know the Devil
Beware all things toxic.
The Devil is all things making up your shadow self. He attracts you by offering you everything you covet. He wants to fill the hole in your heart. He tempts you with the addictions you should avoid.
Getting the Devil Card can be scary but there is a good side here. You have the power to free yourself from the negativity. You are stronger than your vices. Seek professional help when you cannot face this issue alone.
You are in a dark place. But, all is not lost. You can walk away.
The Devil Card appears with issues in any struggle you experience: sex, food, substance, and negative thought patterns. You may be living with a domineering or abusive person.
The Devil Card allows you to see the darkest corner of yourself. You are in a dark place, but all is not lost. You can walk away.
Internal Issues: eating disorders, addictions, and illness (mental, physical, emotional, or spiritual).
Career issues: bad financial contracts, unsatisfying careers, domineering bosses, toxic work environment.
Relationship issues: controlling partners, lust-over-love situations, affairs, codependent patterns, financial dependency, ongoing money or property boundaries.
The situation is different for everyone. The Devil exposes everything that is not in your benefit. He focuses on all things taboo.
Whatever issues you identify with, run from materialism, power, self-deception, and controlling people.
Break free from people and situations stealing your time, energy, and love.
Beware your inner devil while you escape from under other people’s expectations.
In short, liberate yourself from anything that traps you.
Important here: Forgive yourself and offer compassion to yourself.
Story
The Devil Card appeared in a gift-certificate reading I gave to a young woman. The minute I saw this card in the spread, I knew why she had been given the reading.
The Devil Card warned her that she’s playing with fire. Addictive behaviors are not sustainable in the long term so what began as an escape ends up as a compulsion. Abusive, obsessive, harmful relationships and addiction to material things chain you to your secrets, disconnecting you from your higher power.
When I asked about her boyfriend, she was surprised at how much the Devil Card revealed about her secret life. She appeared surprised at how unhealthy and destructive her situation really was and needed to let go of the ways she manipulated others to get what she wanted.
The Devil Card in this spread pointed to the potential to be discovered when her most hidden and unexpected activities and parts of her life get exposed to the light of day.
I never learned whether the shock of discovery helped her. But this I can say: Her stuckness was a choice. Poor decisions are an option. She was the only one who could change her life.
The Devil Card spoke clearly: “Get out NOW before you get caught.”
Her situation does not have to become permanent. She can stop this now. She should do this to protect her future. This spread spoke clearly: “Now is the time to control destiny.”
As an aside, the spread considered a love interest, affair, or even a crush. The best advice here is to run in the opposite direction. The most she can hope for is trouble and her destruction is a very real option.
Whatever her situation, the details will come with a heavy price tag.
Life Changing Rituals
Mental self-care includes going outside for your help.
Physically, support your wellness without being obsessive about your diet or weight. Take 10 deep breaths every morning.
Mentally, educate yourself on social issues to understand the world.
Therapists, counselors, support groups, and addiction specialists are a good source.
Meditation
Go to a safe and secluded space. Set up your area for your best meditation comfort and environment.
As you settle into your meditation, close your eyes and focus on your in-and-out breaths.
Inreaths promote relaxation. With each inbreath, allow yourself to become more and more relaxed as you nurture your positive self. You are the one controlling the beast.
Your outbreaths reduce toxins, negativity, and anything you don’t need for your better self. As you inhale and exhale, you relax.
With the continued breathing, your legs relax.
Notice how your feet and legs shift into their most comfortable position – in a direction that frees you.
As your abdomen becomes relaxed, your muscles release unwanted tension and stress.
Your back and shoulders relax – releasing unwanted and unneeded stress and negativity. Your back and neck hold a lot of stress so this relaxation affects your total body so you can remove the chains in your life.
Your relaxing meditation breathing relaxes your arms and hands.
As this relaxation progresses throughout your body you notice that your body is calmer, quieter, more peaceful.
Your head relaxes now. Your face and neck muscles. Gently, quietly, your body feels more relaxed.
Your mind begins to calm. It floats.
You realize you are floating away from your meditation area to an area where you feel good. You feel really good about yourself.
Look around now. Where are you? Are you in a nature place? Are you someplace you visited in the past? Are you in a quiet room? Notice where you are. You are moving in a direction that frees you. Wherever this place, you’ve arrived when you enjoy being where you are.
Feel the warmth of this place. Breathe it all in. Feel the air and how comfortable it is to your skin. Feel this warmth, this space, and the love you realize you feel. You feel filled with love. You feel accepted and forgiven. You can disengage from destructive behavior now.
You see yourself as a perfect person in a perfect place. You are perfect exactly as you are. You enjoy yourself in this moment. You experience the joy of just being you.
Feel the warmth of the space. Breathe in peace and well-being with you. Carry it with you throughout your day.
You are your own liberator. You know you can return to this space whenever you need.
Thanks for reading this article. Please share it with your friends and relatives. Forward it to your preferred social media network.
Thank you for reading this article. Please share it with your friends, relatives, and family. Forward it to your preferred social network.
This book is available as an ebook
Find out more about Thurman at www.thurmangreco.com
This is what liberation looks like.
Symbolism
The Tower – protection
The Explosion – lightning has struck
22 Drops of Gold – destructive firestorm or grace
Lightening – for good or ill
Flames – destruction
Tilted Crown – loss of self-importance
Black Sky – loss of the horizon
Falling Figures – the fallout disaster can bring
Getting to Know the Tower
The Tower is dreaded and often misunderstood. You’ve been stopped on the spot and are now in the midst of huge shift. It’s time to change the way you have been living.
When some kind of upheaval or collapse from an outside source occurs, you have a chance to rebuild your life. This event, while disturbing or even traumatic, is your opportunity to change. While you cannot avoid the event, you have been given a gift to move on to a better place.
Know this: The system, building, or relationship that collapsed wasn’t working very well to begin with.
Look at it this way: The disaster you’re looking at is no longer sustainable. This event was coming. For all the confusion and stress, you are at a moment in time of liberation. Go for it.
Trust this: Your event is happening for a reason. Bring on the resurrection!
Because this is a moment of awakening, take a few days to figure out the best way to move forward.
It’s time to find your new place – either physically or spiritually or both – if progress is a goal.
You may think you’ll never recover – but you will. Think of it this way: You’ve just been liberated. Caution have been thrown to the winds and your boundaries are exploded.
This is your time of personal development, happiness, and spiritual growth.
Accept this powerful event. The benefits are real even though you don’t yet understand them. It’s time to rebuild! Align and stay in the present tense.
Story
About the time Nixon plotted Watergate, my husband Tony found, and married a really cute little nineteen-year-old in a whirlwind romance. When this happened, I was upset.
After a few weeks, I realized I was young and felt my daughters and I would be better off in Texas anyway. I put Jennette, Michele, and myself and the clothes on our backs aboard a green bus carrying people, chickens, and pigs. And, actually, it was pretty easy to leave the cook books, the furniture, and china behind. We headed for San Antonio, Texas, and I never looked back. In Laredo, we switched to an American bus without the farm animals.
While I packed my daughters off to Texas, my Mexican in-laws rejoiced. They had a few parties to celebrate my departure. After all, I just wasn’t the right person for them. I didn’t drink enough and didn’t gamble at all.
And, in my heart of hearts, I never figured a Mexican divorce to be worth the paper it was printed on. Why should I even bother?
Decades later, I look back on this phase of my life and believe I did the right thing. I brought my daughters back to Texas and raised them as Americans. This was important to me and was probably my primary reason for returning home.
Energetic Balance
In the midst of a Tower event, check in with yourself. Ask yourself: How are you doing? This is also a good time to practice some slow, relaxing, rejuvenating yoga. The idea is to keep your muscles calm. Take yourself outside every day, even for a few short breaths.
Meditation
Go to your safe, private meditation place. Sit in a comfortable place where you keep your spine straight, and your shoulders relaxed. Your feet make contact with the earth, and allow the chair to support your body.
Close your eyes. Focus on your breath. Begin to relax as you breathe in and out. Observe your breath as you inhale and exhale.
You inhale and exhale more deeply. As this happens, your breathing becomes deeper, slower.
As you inhale and exhale, move your breath to focus on other body parts. As your breathing moves to different body parts, you find tension. Wherever you find this tension, exhale the stress.
As your attention moves to your arms and hands, you inhale in appreciation for all they do.
Your arms and hands relax.
As you focus your attention on your shoulders and neck, they relax. Breathe in appreciation and breathe out stress.
Take a few in-and-out breaths as you enjoy this relaxation.
Focus now on your chest area. Inhale gratitude for your heart and lungs. Exhale stress, tightness.
Move on to your abdomen. Encourage it to soften. Exhale deeply as this happens.
Notice your buttocks now. Breathe in relaxation. Allow toxins to release. .
Send gratitude to your legs, thighs, knees, lower legs, ankles. Appreciate the work they do today as they carry you where you need to go.
Focus on your feet and toes now. Send gratitude to the many bones and muscles in your feet and toes. Acknowledge the support they give and the work they do.
Encourage your breath to scan your body, removing any tension that remains. Let each breath relax you more and more.
Finally, focus on your mind and emotions. Notice your burdens: your activities, your work, your errands, your cares. As you exhale deeply, allow them to dissipate and disappear.
Send these burdens on their way.
You are in your present moment now. You are in the here and now. You feel lighter, refreshed, relaxed. Your body and mind feel free now.
Take a few inbreaths and outbreaths now. Move gently now. Let your body stir.
Open your eyes now. Look around.
You are now ready to move on in this day.
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Thurman Greco
Embrace What is Coming
Symbolism
The Rising Sun signifies rebirth.
The Dead lying on the ground emphasize renewal and reincarnation.
The Holy Figure symbolizes the sacredness of the death transformation.
The black rider brings a conclusion on the white horse which symbolizes strength and vitality.
The flag announces harvest time.
The king without a crown respects the laws of life and death.
The bishop without a staff announces the coming ending.
Children accept death as normal.
The ship stands for the moment of death.
The gate is the heaven’s gate.
The city is paradise.
The gray sky warns against indifference.
Getting to Know the Death Card
People sometimes get upset when they see Death in a reading. I think every tarot client fears the Death Card.
Every Tarot reader knows this: Something important in your life is about to come to an end to clear the way for a new beginning.
Our opinions, beliefs, and fears about death encourage us to misunderstand this card.
Death is all about transformation for the better. It has a distinct message: Something is going away to make room in your life for something else new.
This card influences us all – regardless of age, station in life, education, beliefs. This is a break with the past – manifesting changes in home, relationships, or career.
However Death plays out, new opportunities are on the horizon. They may surface as an opportunity: relocate, connect, financial changes. This is transformation in action. One thing for sure: transformation cannot happen without an ending.
Transformations are sacred. They work for the greater good.
Embrace what is coming. There are things you can do.
First, remember past transformations, how they affected you, and how you benefitted from them.
You have an opportunity to do things you never thought you could do. You will survive. You will flourish. This is how transformation works!
Move on from what you are leaving behind now. Acknowledge what you lost and appreciate how you moved on in the past. Offer gratitude to your successes.
Is something toxic in your life to release? If so, you can add a new beginning.
What needs to go? What comes next? Embrace the change!
Story
Several years ago, right after Christmas, my oldest daughter, who lived in California, was ready to retire from her teaching job. She searched for a place to retire and begin her new life.
Jennette came to visit us over the holidays and house-hunt.
At the end of her holiday visit, two vehicles in the parking lot at the Albany Airport crushed her. In an instant, her life totally changed forever.
Bang! Her 20+ year teaching career evaporated.
This moment in time was a physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual event not only for her but for the rest of us in the family that afternoon.
Everything was broken.
Thirty-five days in the Albany Medical Center Hospital followed three days in the ICU at Albany Med. A year of visits in various Albany Medical Center clinics in and around Albany came after the ICU and the hospital stay.
None of us gave up – not Jennette, not the physicians, not the therapists and not anyone in the family gave up.
Michele, my younger daughter and hospice nurse, flew in from Phoenix and taught Zoe Darwin, Jennette’s youngest child, how to care for Jennette in the hospital.
After a week, Michele returned to Phoenix and Zoe Darwin stayed in a nearby hotel and helped care for her mother the next two weeks. Then Zoe Darwin moved into her mother’s new home.
I drove Sophia and Zoe into Albany daily. Because Jennette’s visitors were limited, I sat in the Panera across from the hospital for several hours and waited for them to come out and then I got to visit for a few minutes before our time was up and we returned to New Baltimore.
This daily routine continued until she was discharged. When I sat at the Panera in the afternoons, the place was always full. Staff members were kind and sensitive to the reality that everyone there in the afternoons was connected to an ill person in the Albany Medical Center Hospital across the street.
After a couple of weeks, I got discouraged, wrote a healing ceremony for Jennette, and we held it in a quiet corner of the hospital lobby. I wrote prayers to Archangel Michael and called in all the healing beings I could think of.
Zoe Darwin, Sophia, Michele, and I gathered in a quiet corner of the hospital entrance lobby. Jennette’s real estate agent and her husband attended the ceremony. Everyone got a silver angel charm I ordered from Breakell to commemorate the ceremony. I felt better after this ceremony but each day was a challenge. I was acutely aware that I needed the healing ceremony as much as anyone else there that afternoon.
One day, when I went in to see Jennette, she was waiting for a meal to be served to her. With both hands and arms broken, she could not feed her self or anything else. She was getting tired of being fed hospital food.
I took that as a positive sign.
One day I went in to see Jennette and learned that the orthopedic team operated on her left wrist at 1:30 am the night before.
Then, thankfully, one afternoon a discharge nurse came into the room and told us it was time for Jennette to go home! We were grateful but, really, we were shocked! Jennette couldn’t even walk yet.
The next day, a man came to her room, packed up all the things that had collected themselves during the month, and wheeled Jennette out of the hospital and loaded her in the car.
That Prius was stuffed with wheelchairs, walkers, canes, and boxes of smaller items we needed to care for her bandaged and casted arms and legs. Jennette now functioned daily with a brace on her back and medical boots on her feet.
But Jennette’s bones weren’t the only injured body parts. Her liver was damaged and her spleen was not missing in action. She was in a back brace full-time.
We were grateful for our trip home but I was scared too. Jennette couldn’t even walk a step. How was I going to manage?
When we drove up, I called on several hefty neighbors to help us get her in the house.
Jennette camped out on the sofa in the living room for several weeks until she felt adventurous enough to go to her new home in New Baltimore. It was a good thing, too, because she collected scads of support equipment: walkers, crutches, wheel chairs, grabbers, and other things I don’t even remember.
Jennette has a new life now. So do Zoe Darwin and Sophia. So do Barry and I. That afternoon in the parking lot of the Albany airport was definitely the Death Card in action
Energetic Balance Activity
Go all out here: Sort through your things and donate your unwanted things to a shelter. Give up everything old, outgrown, or worn out. Ditch everything you don’t use anymore. Release everything to make way for the new beginning.
Follow this up with a medical checkup appointment.
Finally, do you have a crystal or other stone that you are attracted to? Wear it or carry it as you go into your future.
Meditation
Go to a comfortable, safe, and private place to sit or lie down. Get comfortable. Play some quiet music if it feels right for you at this time. Light a candle if it fits.
Begin slow deep breathing. Feel yourself relaxing. When you inhale, visualize that you are inhaling light. As you exhale, release tensions and worries. Encourage yourself to relax.
As you breathe slow deep breaths, visualize clouds. As they slowly drift by, feel your muscles and nerves relaxing. As you inhale, breathe in calm and positivity. As you exhale, release toxicity and negativity.
When you feel relaxed, pause for a moment to relax. In this moment, you are not searching for something outside yourself. Focus, instead, on reconnecting to your inner strength. This is the inner strength that has always ben with you.
Focus on how you feel in this moment. Notice how your body feels. Observe how the chair you are sitting in supports you. Do you feel connected to your surroundings? How does your inner strength supports you?
Connect to the inner core which supports you every day, even if you’re not aware of it.
Pause for a moment now.
Call up a moment when you discovered a strength you didn’t realize you had.
Perhaps this was a time of challenge or a time of change. What did you learn about yourself in that experience?
What inner resources did you rely on?
Call in that strength now. It is a force that has always been a part of your inner core. Let it rise up within you.
Pause again for a few moments.
Continuing to breathe deeply, consider challenges you might be facing now. Or, think about challenges you may encounter in the future.
See these as opportunities for growth. See how you can manage your way through each one.
Breathe in slowly now. As you inhale, breathe in confidence to manage your way. As you exhale, release any doubts or concerns you may have. Continue to inhale confidence and exhale doubts.
Pause now to reflect.
Continue inhales and exhales. Your breathing now is the breath of capability. Each breath grounds you. Continue to breathe the breath of capability as you become more aware of your inner strength.
You know it is time to return to your day now. You know you can return to this meditation whenever you want.
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Major Transformation
Symbolism
The Halo symbolizes enlightenment and soul involvement.
The tree – The World Tree – connects reality to other realms.
The grey background shows he is pausing in a neutral state.
The greenery hanging above him represents the potential growth he will survive.
The Hanged Man’s Expression – He does not appear to be distressed.
The red leggings symbolize devotion.
The blue shirt stands for spiritual royalty.
The nimbus surrounding the Hanged Man’s head signifies a sanit-like status.
The Hanged Man’s eyes are open so he can learn what he can.
Getting to Know The Hanged Man
The Hanged Man is not afraid to be different. The Hanged Man represents an uncomfortable situation because he sees his situation from different angles and he asks us to see things from his perspective. The Hanged Man speaks to a deeper wisdom, a greater peace, and an expanded sense of self. He breaks free. His wisdom comes from his higher self.
Have you ever needed a time-out? The Hanged Man asks us to step outside our view of reality and see things through a different lens. It is time to consider possibilities. This is an opportunity to learn truths that lay outside the accepted norms of our times.
Embrace change in your consciousness now. Release those things that are no longer necessary. Lean into the intermission.
The Hanged Man experiences major transformations. In doing so, he operates beneath the surface for a long time – maybe decades.
When the transition finally happens, friends, family, fellow workers, and the community can be shocked at the final result: marriage, divorce, getting sober, sex change, quitting church, going to college, growing up, quitting college, adopting children, etc.
Seeking a more spiritual way of life and investing in the future is a major transformation. The whole experience can be a time of hanging in limbo – the place between the past and the future. There are all kinds of things we can do to understand the unseen, internal, unconscious parts of our lives. Words that come to mind are perspective, anger, acceptance, discomfort-comfort, validation.
And, at some point, the word “embrace” is front and center. It goes along with ending shame, and risking rejection. All these words include the recreation of your physical, intellectual, and spiritual self.
Finally, all these changes are authentic. When you experience the Hanged Man, three things come to mind. The first is to wait for the situation to unfold. Focusing on the bigger picture helps make the journey smoother. Finally, it’s important to know what can and cannot be controlled.
Story
Locally famous, semi-famous, and unknown talented people in the arts visited the food pantry regularly. Because Woodstock attracted artists, musicians, poets, and writers, many owned first or second homes in the area. Some of these creative and talented people saw their incomes evaporate when the economy tanked in 2008.
These talented people came to make a place and build their lives. They were happy in their Woodstock and Bearsville homes and times were tough.
A person would have a home in the Woodstock area in addition to a place, someplace else. As the economy tanked and the income dwindled, the person would look around, assess the situation, and try to unload the most expensive place, usually in the someplace else location. They cam to Woodstock to live in the cheaper second home only to find zero opportunity to earn money out of the city environment. Some sublet, others sold, and still others underwent foreclosure. They found themselves stranded because their support system was not what it should have been.
So here they were, down and out in Woodstock in Bearsville. Some even lost their Upstate New York home.
Eventually, some established new lifelines. A few ended up homeless. It was gut-wrenching to see the effect of foreclosures on them. It was difficult for them to leave Woodstock. For some, foreclosure impacted their physical, spiritual, emotional health.
A famous poet was the hub of the group in the food pantry line each week. He made himself a place in the pantry. Fellow creatives gathered around him. Intelligent, well-educated people, all. They made the best of it. What else could they do?
A published poet, his positive attitude and smile offered strength. Described by many as a Tantric Buddhist-Hindu yogi, he lives what he studied. Each moment is a spiritual experience for him. He describes himself as an artist, photographer, and poet.
Personally, I always felt his attitude toward life made him the grounding leader of the group. He never got caught up in material possessions so he had little to lose. His lifestyle and attitude set a spiritual example for us all.
He was one of the first people I met when I moved to Woodstock. About two weeks after moving in, I abandoned the unopened boxes in my new home and walked over to the Colony Cafe for an evening poetry reading.
The room was crowded with about 30 writers and poets. Actually, I was the only bona fide audience member in the room. Virtually everyone else was in the writer/poet category.
When he entered the Colony Cafe, everyone greeted him with friendship and respect.
Years later, I was happy to see him standing in the hallway. If it was okay for him to be in the pantry line, then it was okay for the rest of us who shopped and worked in the pantry, too. His positive attitude and smile strengthened others in the line and dignified everyone in the building and the parking lot.
It seemed he knew everyone. He had been coming to Woodstock since he was a young man and was accepted as part of the community.
His attitude was that life should be about compassion for all beings, helping others, and maintaining a positive mental and spiritual attitude. His core beliefs supported the line for the other creatives.
Somehow, I felt these talented people deserve better than a one-hour wait in a line to shop for food. Most people never imagined they would be in a food line.
He uplifted us all – whether we shopped or volunteered.
Energetic Balance
Embrace change: Try out new recipes! Enjoy fun new food. Take a different route to work. Study something you don’t know anything about.
Meditation
Go to a private, safe location. Get comfortable in a seated or reclining position. Begin deep, cleansing breathing. With each inbreath, your body softens. Release tension. Outbreaths release toxins and negativity. Within each inbreath and outbreath, you sink deeper into relaxation.
Gently become aware of your body now. Acknowledge whatever you feel.
Pause now for a few moments.
Now, notice your thoughts. Allow them to be whatever they are. Accept your feelings and thoughts as they come.
Recognize the challenges, and successes you have experienced in your life.
Pause again for a few moments.
Now, acknowledge a time when you were critical of yourself. See these moments with caring and compassion.
Pause for a few moments.
Now, remember yourself as a child. Speak to yourself as you embrace your strengths and imperfections. Accept yourself as a child.
When you inhale, feel acceptance.
When you exhale, release negativity and toxicity.
Positive feelings feel your mind, your body, your soul.
Accept yourself now. Trust yourself. You know that you are enough.
You return to your day now. You know that you can return whenever you need.
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The Woodstock Show! Let us know how you like the shows.
Restore Balance
Symbolism
The Scales signify the need to weigh all the factors. They focus on the balance of the past and the future.
The Sword indicates clear and absolute outcomes.
The Crown of Gold represents leadership.
The Jewel in the Crown represents the third eye. This stands for higher intuition.
The Sword and Scales are the symbols of the Justice. Decisions can be heavy. Opposing forces influence the situation.
The Robes and Backdrop are the same color referring to the impersonality of the outcome reaffirm her power.
The grey pillars and the floor represent neutrality.
Getting to Know Justice.
Justice is strong. She wears no blindfold and stares straight ahead at us. She challenges us to look at ourselves and our lives honestly. Because Justice is the complete truth. Justice at the intersection of judge and jury.
Trust your judgement now. Focus on moderation in all things.
Justice and equality are essential. Align yourself with truth and what is good for everyone concerned. This is a time to proceed as your best self. The timing is right.
Seek balance between yourself and those around you, especially when you relate to others. This applies to both your personal and professional affairs.
Where is the balance between your past and your future? Where is the truth? You will find spiritual justice in the answer to these questions.
With justice, you walk the ethical path now so you can weigh your options carefully. Make it your goal is to do the right thing.
When you are making a significant decision, see the situation from a different point of view. Learn from the past as you seek to change the future.
Calm your emotions so you can see the facts objectively. Better yet, remove the emotions.
Finally, use your intuition to overcome fear. This will allow you to learn the basic law of cause and effect which teaches that when you know the basics, you can trust what you see.
Now, pitch your ego. This may be a good time to take responsibility for mistakes.
Is a third party involved? Choose someone who can be fair, rational, and reasonable.
Honesty, truth, and acceptance are called for here. With these three attributes, you can see the situation for what it is, Let truth be your guide.
If you need an attorney, choose someone who can reason, think things through, and deliberate the situation. Rely on reason and thought here.
For a settlement, add mercy into the mix. Your inner compass will guide you here. Eliminate your personal bias and go for fair. Do you have a choice here? Make it informed because you need to know the fallout for both yourself and the other parties.
Finally, never forget the ethical component.
Story
My maternal grandmother, Lily Dale Thurman Cox, had a close relationship with a lady named Justice who reeded of strength of values. My grandmother knew Lady Justice kept score on what was right and what was wrong.
She didn’t play cards and never mentioned the Tarot, but she definitely knew about this strong woman who stared straight ahead and wore no blindfold.
Lily Dale Thurman Cox didn’t care a whit about football but she could go on endlessly about politics. My grandmother felt strongly that when the Russians came, neither guns nor ammunition would be used. “They’ll defeat us without ever firing a shot” she loved to say when anyone discussed politics with her. Her feeling was that the Russians would take over our country economically.
I remember my grandmother speaking often, in conversations with friends and family, about the fact that Justice traveled slowly and carefully and was never wrong.
Energetic Balance
Finding balance can be anything from visiting an art exhibit to scheduling time with a therapist.
Meditation
Go to your safe and private place. Select the best posture for your meditation. This may be either seated or resting face up on a cushion.
If this seems appropriate now, select music for this meditation. A Gregorian chant may be good for this meditation but the best choice will be any music which relaxes you.
Focus on your breathing. Your inhales bring balance and relaxation. Your exhales release toxins and stress.
This meditation is a safety zone for you, where you get in touch with yourself and the world, where you can feel positive and relaxed. This space, with the breathing and the music, leads you to your inner sanctuary. Take a moment to receive this sense of security and strength.
Create a space of your own now. How does it smell? What are the sounds? What shapes, colors, and textures are now in this place of special feelings?
This space is your creation. What does this space look like?
Focus on the floor. Is there a rug? Is the floor wood or tile?
Now pay attention to the walls and other objects in this space.
Which of these objects or images represent safety – security – tranquility – beauty – peace.
You are in a place of refuge and relaxation.
Explore the touch, smell, sight, and sounds of this sanctuary.
As you enjoy the comfort, protection, and beauty of this space, you leave your worries, stresses, concerns, and judgements behind. You feel relaxed and content.
It is time to return to return to your present day. Enjoy this moment knowing that you can return to this place anytime you want.
Continuing with relaxation, you notice your breathing. You slowly move your arms and legs now.
When you open your eyes, you bring the peace and power of your sanctuary to your day.
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Find out more at www.Thurmangreco.com
This book is available as an ebook on thurmangreco.com.
My latest book is “The Spirituaity of The Tarot” will be published by the end of the year!
I read tarot in the Mowers Meadow Flea Market in Woodstock, NY during the summer.
Winter readings are by appointment. Contact me at thurmangreco@gmail.com
We All Need Luck
SYMBOLISM
The Winged Figures in the corners of the Wheel of Fortune refer to the four apostles who wrote the gospels.
The sphinx is the guardian of the mystical secrets.
Angel represents autumn consciousness.
The Angel of the Lord is a messenger.
The Bull symbolizes winter.
The Lion represents spring and strength.
The Eagle embodies summer…
The Wheel is a mirror of the cycle of life.
The clouds in the blue sky symbolize hope, clarity, and a breakthrough on a spiritual path.
The Wheel in Motion is Destiny at Work: Divine Law rules.
GETTING TO KNOW THE WHEEL OF FORTUNE
You have a fresh start! Will you make this experience positive or negative? One thing is sure: Change is inevitable. The Wheel of Fortune offers you a chance to go with fate. You are the designer.
Accept the cycles of life with a positive outlook. Outside forces move you forward toward an unknown future. Chance, luck, and random events contribute their share. Fate intervenes in your behalf with a favorable outlook.
You don’t have total control over the circumstances of your life but you choose options, no matter what comes your way. Those choices create your future.
New chapters bring inevitable changes. Your past moves you forward toward the good, the bad and everything else.
New ideas and beliefs will transform how you live as you move to your future. Some major life changes will require inner healing. Your future is inevitable. Appreciate the good times.
Wisdom lies in knowing what you can and cannot change. The external world is always changing. One thing you can control is how you react to these changes. Therein lies your personal power.
The important thing is to always seek the best outcome because the change never stops. Remember, you are part of the bigger plan. Create your opportunities.
When the Wheel of Fortune appears in a spread, take a moment to decipher its t direction. Where does it lead you? .
STORY
On a sunny Texas day in April, 1962, I enjoyed a midday break between classes when I learned six American soldiers had been killed in Vietnam. I knew in my gut we’d crossed a line.
Life changed for us all that day. It wasn’t long before fellow students were drafted. Some did everything they could think of to avoid what they feared was inevitable.
Harry Edwards married my friend Marcy and they got pregnant. It worked for them. Baby Rachael kept Harry out of the Army.
Harry’s younger brother, Tom, got drafted but refused to carry a weapon. He wound up being a medic in Vietnam. I’m not sure he got much of a deal on that one. He didn’t carry a weapon but mental, emotional, and spiritual scars stayed with him through life.
Belmer Wright, Rick, and Rick’s girl Cathy went off the grid and ran dope up from Mexico. They made a good living until they got caught and ended up in the slam. Belmer put in three years in a Texas prison outside Dallas. Rick ended up in a Mexico City Jail for over 20 years. Cathy spent the next two decades visiting him. Although she never admitted it, I think she ran dope the whole time but just never advertised her career choice. The last time I saw her, she was still loose.
Tony Delong, Gino Garibaldi, Ernie Eggers, Bob Stevens, Larry Duncan, Jamie Dunlap, and Jimmy Swayze went on a weeklong drunk and sobered up on a government bus headed for National Guard Boot Camp.
One student, Ewe Irwin protested He headed for California and took candid photos of everyone on the FBI Ten Most Wanted Fugitives List. He sought the fugitives in public places, got his shots, assembled them in a book, and published it.
I saw his book once and the photos were professional. The paper, printing, and cover were good quality. In short, the book was a document to be proud of.
I searched and searched to find a copy of the book but could not remember the title. I’m still holding out hope but the chances of finding a copy of this book aren’t good.
Recently, Daria Peoples wrote a book about Angela Davis. “Be the Light. How She Became Angela Davis.” I loved reading it!
FOCUS IN
Journal your future. Write out the goal you want. What are you willing to do to make your future happen?
MEDITATION
Go to a quiet, private, safe space and get comfortable. Close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Encourage your body to relax. You want to be at ease and comfortable.
Your breathing allows you to gently and easily become quiet and still. Continue breathing for a few moments to get comfortable as you enter a deeply relaxed space.
You are in a quiet, private park. You are sitting in a comfortable garden chair.
When you are ready, your self will allow you to make the changes happen that will benefit you most.
You are in a quiet, private space which will allow and encourage you to express the insight you have in your situation. Take a few moments to ground your thoughts.
As you think about your situation, explore some ways that can help you move toward your future.
Examine your ideas now. Which one is the most practical? Which is the easiest?
Is one option more attractive than the others? Which option seems to be the most promising?
Spend a couple of minutes now as you affirm your choice. Consider some specific things you can do to make a practical plan to carry out your choice.
Take a couple of deep breaths now and relax. Get comfortable where you are. Allow your mind to become quiet and still.
Imagine your plan as it might work successfully. Take the time you need as you envision it as a successful project.
You are working on your future here.
You notice now that it is time to return to your day.
You are happy to do this because you know that you can return to this place and this project any time you want.. You know that return visits to this place will help you construct positive change. They will support your project at a pace which is comfortable for you.
Thank you for reading this article. Please share it with your friends, relatives, and neighbors. Forward it to your favorite social media network.
Find out more about Thurman Greco at www.Thurmangreco.com
Purchase ebooks at www.thurmangreco.com
The Inner Light Comes Forth
SYMBOLISM
The Hermit’s gaze is directed both inward and outward.
The lantern focuses on vigilance in the dark.
The six-pointed star represents the light within us.
The golden stave is the individual light and strength of The Hermit,
The Hermit wears gray to warn us against uncertainty.
The green-gray sky represents withdrawal from outside distraction.
The Hermit’s white beard is a disguise.
The snow represents a new beginning.
Getting to Know the Hermit
The Hermit appears in a Tarot spread because he has a message. His message: Look within for wisdom.
We find peace and contentment within ourselves.
The Hermit appears in a spread in several situations: You need to be alone and, as the querant, just can’t get the time. Or, you may be afraid of being alone. Finally, you can’t escape being alone.
Whatever the situation, The Hermit waits for you to turn to him for advice. You don’t always need a Tarot spread to work with The Hermit.
Were you ever in a situation where soul-searching helped you reach an authentic decision? Do you keep a mental/spiritual space just to quietly explore your inner thoughts? Have you ever thought, on some level, that truth waits for you?
The Hermit enters your life because you need time to process thoughts, things, and events introspectively. You leave the either/or world behind when you find truth somewhere in the middle.
Your discretion and privacy are essential so you can process what you’ve learned and what is happening to you. This gives you a chance to be at peace.
When you are grounded and centered, you can return to the crowd again.
A Story
The Hermit visited me often when I managed a food pantry in Woodstock between 2008 and 2013. The Hermit helped me find – and keep – my own-authentic light. I used it as I walked along my path.
I saw his face in the trans person who wore a fringed leather jacket, completely worn-out western boots, and sparkly apricot nail polish.
I saw his face in the old man who drove a worn-out pickup and had no money to replace it. Any repairs happening on that rig were his handiwork.
I saw his face in the expressions of the older couple who shopped weekly and shared a coat in the winter.
These people were the real deal, not just something made up, like the autographed photographs of Jesus Christ that the Christian radio station in Monterrey, Mexico, sold on the air when I was a young girl growing up in Texas.
No one could convince me of anything otherwise. Not even the woman who came up to me quietly and privately after the local writer’s group meeting in Stoneridge. She spoke her truth to me: “You wouldn’t know the face of God if He showed up wearing a sign on his chest.”
She had a right to her own opinion. After all, chances were good she read a whole lot more about God than I. No doubt she paid more attention to many more sermons than I had ever thought about listening to.
What did I know? I hadn’t been in a church in over 30 years when I walked into that Episcopal Church in Woodstock in 2005. Truth be told, I never set foot in the place on Sundays because I couldn’t take my beloved papillon, Pork Chop, with me.
And, for sure, I don’t think this lady (whose name I’ve forgotten) would ever have seen God in the faces of any of these people. Bible stories I read tell us we see God in the burning bushes (Exodus 3:2-4), in the desert (Exodus 16:10), in a manger (Luke 2:16), or in a prison cell (Acts 12:7-11). But not in a food pantry hallway.
God meets us anywhere and speaks to us in ways we understand.
People entering the food pantry brought their hearts, minds, souls, and feelings with them. I saw volumes written on their faces in the church basement: broken dreams, loss, damaged relationships, memories, apologies, new hopes, goals, starting over.
And, finally, forgiveness.
Forgiveness was God in action and faith in the food pantry. Hungry people prayed, questioned, and sought forgiveness.
I finally decided that I, too, could own up to the anxiety we all experienced. It was no longer a we/they situation. Everyone experienced the threat of hunger and lived with a primal fear created by this threat.
My constant threat? the pantry deniers closing the pantry.
Under The Hermit’s direction, I learned not to sweat the haters.
Giving up was a luxury none of us had. We worked on self-confidence, self-awareness, and our futures. One unspoken question hung in the air every pantry day.
“How am I going to get out of this mess I’m in?”
Focus In
When your life calls for a time-out to sort things out, use it. Think. Rest. Read. Meditate. Pray. Focus on the larger issues.
Sometimes you can get away. Sometimes the getaway is a mental time out in your living room.
Remember: Your light is your light. Your path is your path. After you’ve worked out things on your own, notice how much calmer and clearer things are when its over.
Withdrawing from your everyday life give you a new perspective.
Meditation
Go to your private and safe place. Settle in to your most comfortable chair or mat; whatever is the best place and position for you. Turn on some healing music. Light a candle or turn on your Himalayan salt lamp.
When you are ready to begin this meditation, remember a busy day in your life. Think of the busy-ness, the hassles, the deadlines of the day.
Now, leave all that behind you. For this short time, release your frustrations and stress.
Focus your attention on your breathing. Allow your inhales and exhales to become rhythmic and calm. Breathe in calm and positive feelings. Release toxins and negativity when you breathe out.
As you pay attention to your surroundings, notice that you are experiencing a quiet, still evening. You carry a lantern. You focus this meditation on a question that you have been trying to answer for some time now.
As you look around, you move your lantern around to familiarize yourself with your surroundings. You see a quiet area in front of you. There is a small bench waiting for you. Quietly, you walk over to the bench and seat yourself comfortably.
Somehow, you know this is a learning moment for you. You realize this learning experience a different kind of learning. You know you are going to learn –
without words
without pictures
without anything you can describe or analyze
In the silence of the moment, you receive insight which you will use. .
You sit with this moment. As you do this, you absorb the needed wisdom.
You sit quietly for a few moments and then realize it is time to return to your day.
You know you can return to this time and place anytime you want.
Thank you for reading this blog post. Please share it with your friends and relatives and neighbors. Forward it to your preferred social media network.
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Interested in Woodstock? This show has been showcasing Woodstock, its residents, and its activities for almost 20 years:
The Courage of Your Convictions
SYMBOLISM
The bright yellow background stands for vitality and acting with conscious awareness.
The woman with the lion wears white to signify her purity and kindness.
The lemniscate (infinity symbol) above the woman’s head symbolizes her ability to call upon her higher self. This is the energy of the universe. Has she experienced this before in a prior lifetime?
The green landscape indicates her success.
The blue mountains in the background indicate a peak experience.
The position of the woman’s hands demonstrates hands-on healing.
The woman and the lion show the ability of the meek to overcome the mighty.
The red lion stands for power and fire.
GETTING TO KNOW STRENGTH.
Are you making your way through a risky situation? Are you overcoming fear?
For me, the Strength Card is a feminine card showing that intuition and gentle responses are more effective than sledgehammer tactics. Negotiation and balanced calm win over a seemingly impossible challenge. Call on focus, patience, and stillness when you tune into your intuition to really understand the situation.
With the Strength Card, your inner strength and courage guide you to stand firm because you are grounded. When you are steady and calm, you can win. This is better than running, hiding, or denying the situation.
Important! The Strength Card tackles anything and everything operating destructively in your life – from within or without. This includes anger, anxiety, despair, laziness, lust, and loneliness.
Patience and courage are important. With determination you live up to your potential. Self-control and faith in yourself strengthen your intuition.
Strength is an inner spiritual trait, overcoming ignorance and oppression as it solves your problems. With the Strength Card in control, tact and diplomacy work better than aggression and confrontation.
Even in the thick of things, you can stand up for yourself. The change you fight for is worth the effort.
In the end, it all comes down to forgiveness.
A STORY
One October afternoon, in 1976, I called on the Strength Card for help. I married Barry, my second husband only weeks before. Barry, myself, my two children, and a Keeshond puppy ived in an apartment near the Air Force base where Barry was stationed.
With only two days’ notice, I learned my new in-laws were coming to visit. They arrived with a list of rules and conditions. One, my new mother-in-law was a chain smoker and they were trying to wean her off cigarettes. So, “Please, no smoking.” Two, they were staying a couple of weeks. And, on and on and on. The smoking prohibition impacted us strongly because both Barry and I were smokers. What were we going to do?
We gave up the tobacco.
It wasn’t easy but, when they left, I was no longer a smoker. During their visit, I gave up a habit of a decade. And, it stuck with me for life.
With the Strength Card in my life, I overcame obstacles. I had the courage and resolve to cope with the challenges.
The Strength Card responds to loneliness, grief, anger, depression, and anxiety. Channeling the inner beast and unruly passions positively is effective. This is a time to reconcile with the negativity in your life to win the battle. In fact, negativity teaches you how strong you are.
When the weapon of choice is Strength, the potential is infinite.
FOCUS IN
Heal your own mental, physical, emotional, spiritual, and mythical wellbeing. Enrich your relationship with yourself. This is definitely a time to call in Reiki.
Include complementary medicine healthcare with your self-care. Lifestyle adjustments will support your improvement. This applies to things like fatigue, feeling down, or not coping.
Throughout my life and career as a healer, I’ve seen healthcare and self-care turn people’s lives around. Miracles can happen when you care for yourself and include the Strength Card. For starters, your hair, skin, and nails improve. With sufficient sleep, yo wake up skills you didn’t even know you have.
Never forget how forgiveness fits into the picture.
MEDITATION
Go to a private, safe meditation place. Get in your most comfortable position – either on a chair or a mat.
Gently close your eyes as you begin your deep breathing pattern. Take several deep sighs of relief and relaxation. You may even have an urge to yawn.
Begin your inbreaths as you relax. Each inbreath increases your relaxation level. Each outbreath releases toxins and negativity. As you breathe, and bring more relaxation, move into your calm posture of a warm golden sun and sky. You feel a gentle breeze as it rustles white clothing.
Pay attention to the luscious green lawn beneath your feet. You see bountiful trees and shrubs in the distant meadow. You notice trees, flowers, grass. Birds, butterflies, and other insects seem to be abundantly happy.
You are in a special place.
Settling in your safe and secret space, you look down a path toward challenges and experiences. You see that you are at a place in life where you will know what is best for your future. It’s time to learn about yourself.
Find the place of greatest comfort and forgiveness.
Use your strength to feel safe now. Open your heart – both for yourself and the other. You are ready to take responsibility for your actions. You are ready to accept and forgive imperfections.
It’s time to return to your day now. You know that you can return whenever you are ready.
You are forgiven, for now and forever.
Thanks for reading this article! Please share it with your friends, neighbors, relatives.
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-If you enjoyed this article, you may also like my interviews on YOUTUBE. I’ve been hosting a regular TV show about Woodstock for years. Many of the segments are now available.
ENJOY!
My books are all available as ebooks. If you have any questions, please contact me at thurmangreco@gmail.com
Press On!
SYMBOLISM
The Charioteer carries a wand which he does not raise above hi head to heaven. Power, creativity, and initiative are important here as he moves on.
His hands do not hold the reins. His character controls life’s forces and his mental energy directs his passions.
The Charioteer’s belt is decorated with symbols of the planets.
His skirt has magical symbols.
The shape of the Chariot represents the material world.
The Chariot wheels are in the water while the Chariot itself sits on the water. The Charioteer gets his energy from the water (the unconscious) and from the land.
The black and white sphinxes are guardians of mystical secrets. The sphinxes stand for life’s mysteries. The black sphinx represents the night, femininity and the unconscious mind. The white sphinx stands for masculinity, conscious thought, and the sun.
The Armor show us The Charioteer is ready, and prepared for the next event.
The Crown symbolize authority and is worn on the head with a laurel wreath symbolizes victory.
The Canopy of Stars represents liberty and independence.
The Winged Sun accompanies the Charioteer on life’s journey.
GETTING TO KNOW THE CHARIOT
The Chariot shows up for graduation, new apartments, new jobs, driver’s licenses.
Energy triumphs over obstacles. You have the skills to succeed. This works especially for things like taking a test or running a race, but it’s also about your understanding your motivations.
It’s also about control and willpower.
But, there’s another thing: This all goes better with intention.
With the Chariot, you move in a new direction. That’s where the intention comes in, know where you are going. This means you set your goal and make your plans. It’s all about knowing where you’re planning to go and how you’re going to get there.
STORY
The Chariot showed up years ago when I studied Spanish. Before thi time, I used what Spanish I knew to buy groceries, chat with neighbors, protect my family’s health at the local medical clinic, and keep myself on the positive side of the law with the Federales while living in Venezuela and Mexico…
But, time passed and I was in a totally new place: a new country, a new spouse, a new job, and a completely different lifestyle.
I used Spanish in my new job but things weren’t what they could be. In my heart, I knew I was stuck and stagnant. I wasn’t learning any new words.
The situation required a goal-oriented focus and courage without heavy-handed tactics. I knew I must, finally, learn the language – not just play like it.
When I enrolled in a Spanish class at a local college, the willpower of the Chariot carried me through. I used the strength of the Chariot for the confidence and belief in myself to learn Spanish.
I knew this was going to be a time of overwork but the outcome would make the effort worthwhile. There were conflicting demands on my time and resources but i felt things would work out well in the end because I was in the driver’s seat.
I also knew that grit and determination were the things most needed to see this project through.
The Chariot helped me make this major life decision. It was time to on my life’s journey. The Chariot was an important pathway for me.
Ambition and determination helped me overcome the obstacles I found along the way and the Chariot helped me cope, develop skills and use my abilities to succeed.
Ambition and determination helped me overcome th obstacles I found along the way and the Chariot helped me cope, develop skills, and use my abilities to succeed.
I finished the classes with A’s. Even all these years later, I can still speak to people in their language. The strength of the Chariot gave me the energy to not only set goals but carry them through to success.
There are also situations where The Chariot can help you control competing forces and inner conflicts. A politician or business employee sometimes needs to settle into the situation and take the middle road and go with the flow. When this happens, follow the road where it takes you to success.
I’ve seen this work well on the local government level. Several years ago, in my community, a few buildings needed modernizing and upgrading. One building, the Highway Department Garage was a teardown and rebuilt project. Our Town Supervisor certainly had the building contractor skills. He knew how to manage the budget. One noisy faction of the community was critical. He knew how to call in The Chariot
Before it was over, Woodstock had new and improved buildings. They included a Highway Garage, Town Hall, Community Center, and the Comeau Property with the Town Clark’s Office and Supervisor’s Cottage.
The goals you achieve are important. But, don’t stop here. Other accomplishments are waiting for you in the future.
Then it’s time to ask “What’s next?”
DO THIS
Are you planning a project? Set your goal. Chart your map. Make a list.
MEDITATION
Find a safe and private location where you can get comfortable. Settle in a comfortable chair or on a flat surface.
Turn your attention to your breath. Close your eyes and focus on your inbreaths and outbreaths. As you inhale and exhale become more and more relaxed. Let your breath settle in to a calming and cleansing pattern.
You open your eyes now and see that the sun shines brightly and is high in the sky. The sun illuminates the sky in a positive yellow. This is your reliable consciousness focusing on your goal.
A star-covered canopy shelters you from the heat of the sky above.
You look around and see a path that you feel was created just for you. You know, in some way, that this path is for you to reach your goal. Your job is to stay on this path.
You see a Chariot waiting for you right underneath the canopy. Two sphinxes are stationed at the front of The Chariot. You know they represent the mysteries you experience as you travel to your goals.
The Chariot is your space and time on this project and in your life. This vehicle has a connection to your karma. As you realize this, you do not fear it. Instead, you feel empowered to work with it to your benefit.
You see the winged sun adorning the front of The Chariot. You feel that this sun will join you on your new project.
You know that this Chariot and these symbols are part of your journey as you stay on your path. They further your progress to your goal.
You realize now that the path is its own journey as you steer your course toward your success.
The landscape around The Chariot is positive and fruitful. The lawn is a lush green grass. Your path leads you along the banks of a beautiful stream.
Farther down the path, across the stream and through the park, is a city with gorgeous buildings capped with red roofs.
The path leads you to success!
You sit with this scene for a few moments while you enjoy and absort your future which is waiting for you. Get comfortable with your success and how it feels.
You know it is time to return to your day. You continue to focus on your breath while you slowly and carefully move your hands and arms, feet and legs.
You move consciously into the now of the day.
Thank you for reading this article This post is a series of seed chapters for an upcoming book I’m writing about The Tarot:
This third book “The Spirituality of the Tarot” will be available soon.
My two Tarot books, “A Healer’s Tarot Memoir” and “The Minor Arcana and the Court Cards” are available in ebook form .
You can order them at www.thurmangreco.com.
While they last…The Minor Arcana and the Court Cards
are being given with a tarot reading.
A few copies of “But for Gabriel” are available. You can order them at www.thurmangreco.com
ENJOY!
This blogged book has gone out to 14 countries. This interesting true story tells the truth about hunger in America.
And, you can read it for free!
www.hungerisnotadisease.com
Taking Responsibility
GETTING TO KNOW THE EMPEROR
The Emperor doesn’t quibble around with what is right and what is wrong. An authority figure, he knows what is worth having. He is his own person. He is also an important father figure. And, the Emperor may be a person of authority, such as a boss. He is balanced. He brings security and conventional values.
He does these things through rules, systems, discipline, and boundaries. He develops the rules. He fosters disciplines. He creates boundaries and he honors values.
He is not afraid of conflict.
Boundaries have meaning for the Emperor. He knows when to create them and how to maintain them. He does this because he understands and respects the rules of society.
The Emperor lives authority and power. And, he likes controlling it all. He knows how to use things like structure, rules, logic, and reason.
The Emperor is thought of as a man but can also be a woman. Women are the Emperor when they structure their careers and their lives according to the rules. Women who know how to use the Emperor’ skills can find the experience to be a powerful experience.
People think of The Emperor as a warrior but, really, he is a ruler. His job description requires that he defend the boundaries and values he lives. The Emperor believes that if something is worth having, it is worth fighting for.
Whatever environment the Emperor connected with, whether it be business, government, partners, parent, he can take charge as he works with honor and tradition.
STORY
My father was the Emperor in my life. Although he was depicted as a warrior, he was a beneficient ruler.
In the Rider Waite Deck, the Emperor wore robes over a full set of armor. My father wore armor daily. His armor was a bullet proof vest and a side arm which he hid under his arm in a leather holster. When he was in public, I never saw my father without a suit coat over his armor. He even wore his armor at the breakfast table.
My father, a small-town Texas attorney, was good enough at what he did to plead a case in the Supreme Court of the United States of America in Washington, D.C. I never knew the particulars or even the names of the plaintiffs or the defendants.
What I knew was that my mother took him clothes shopping in Austin and bought a special blue serge suit and a white shirt with just the right collar and even more special, somber tie just for the occasion. And, on or about May 15, 1954, he packed himself, my mother, and myself into his late model, dark green Oldsmobile 88 and drove to Washington, D.C. to plead the case.
While we were there, he drove us around Washington, D.C. so I could see the Capitol, the White House, the Washington Monument, and the George Washington University camput.
We didn’t get out of the car to walk around the city or even stay the night in Washington, D.C.
My father, who always carried a concealed weapon, knew the martial arts of the day, served in the FBI under J. Edgar Hoover, and was in the OSS during World War II, did not call attention to himself.
He didn’t want to be noticed by anyone because he was constantly on the lookout for trouble. And, for him, crowds meant trouble. He saw things and people and could pick a person out of a crowd and recognize him/her as “trouble”. This was an attitude I grew up with.
After riding around Washington, D.C. all day, we ate dinner at a fish restaurant, O’Donnell’s. Fish was not readily available in my hometown so my father loved the meal. I don’t remember what fish dish he ordered, but I do remember that when he ordered for us, he asked the waitress: “Do you have jalapenos?”
They were served at every meal in our home. Mother drove across the bridge into Villa Acuna and bought large, #10 cans of them in a bodega there.
After dinner, he drove us to Salisbury, Maryland, and we stayed in the Wicomico Hotel.
The next morning, he put on his fancy new suit, shirt, tie, shoes, and drove back to Washington, D.C. to plead his case before Justices Robert Jackson, Harold Burton, Fred M. Vinson, Hugo Black, Tom C. Clark, Sherman Minton, Stanley Forman Reed, Felix Frankfurther, and William O. Douglas, the Supreme Court Justices of the day.
Then he returned to the hotel in Salisbury, paid the bill, picked us up, and drove home to Texas. He drove nonstop taking the short route through Arkansas.
He returned home to his practice which was primarily civil but included criminal cases because he provided whatever services his small town Texas clients needed.
At a time when women in Texas had few rights, my father was known area-wide for doing much for his clients. In divorce cases, he had a reputation for taking everything for his female clients, especially if there were children involved. The first thing he did was clean out the checking account leaving fifteen cents for the divorcing husband. The washing machine went where the children went.
I recall that every day he used the word “ethical” somehow.
FOCUS IN
What is your relationship to responsibility? Journal about this masculine energy.
MEDITATION
**This meditation is most effective when practiced in the morning. The goal is a meditation that is tranquil and quiet.**
Find a quit and safe place which will be distraction-free.
The goal here is to find a supportive and stable place where you can sit comfortably on the floor or recline on a cushioned chair.
You want to be both relaxed and alert so you can go about your activities with a positive, focused attitude.
Once you are seated, encourage your body to feel at ease while remaining aware. Take a slow, deep breath in through your nose. Hold this breath in and breathe out, feel the support and comfort where you are resting.
Connect to this place. Allow your breathing continue to connect you to this place and this day.
These in-an-out breaths clear away mental stress and clutter. They steady you for the coming events, both scheduled and unscheduled.
Take a moment to settle your intention for the day. Prepare yourself to continue through your coming schedule with clarity and positive intent.
Close your eyes and take calming in and out breaths for a few moments. Take a centering outbreath now to center yourself. Continue with your attitude of calm and positivity.
Take a deep inbreath now and appreciate your readiness for your schedule today.
Bring to mind a powerful attitude reflecting how you will move through the coming hours. Let this attitude resonate with your inner self.
You know it is time for you to move forward with your schedule today. Know that you can return to this meditation whenever you want. Meanwhile,
Take a deep breath to release any negativity. Wiggle your fingers. Open your eyes and proceed with your day.
Thanks for reading this article. It is a seed chapter of an upcoming book.
Meanwhile, please share this article with your friends, neighbors, and family.
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