End of 2012, Beginning of 2013

Volume 4, Number 10 Looking Back, Looking Ahead... I can't believe so many months have slipped by since I last mailed a new WINGS to you. I have had you on my mind, though, with tons of updates and good news I've wanted to share. Except before I quite had the time to write it all down for you, the next wave of changes would sweep them all into irrelevance. Have you also been having the same feeling of - HEY! Stop a minute so I can catch up!!! I think it's because time really is speeding up on some profound level, as shamanic astrologer Lauren Jubelirer explained to our Winter Solstice gathering. Maybe the trick is to, as Thoreau instructed, "Simplify, simplify." As you may know, in 2012, I celebrated my 40th anniversary of being a Tarot reader. In 2013, I turn 60. So I am looking back with great gratitude on a colorful life tapestry of learning (often the hard way!), service, and magic, while looking ahead to new horizons that are beckoning as I follow my calling. As I mentioned last time, I am dramatically reducing my hours for one-on-one readings, so that I can focus on my teaching and writing projects. These days, I am passionate about my new classes, like my Tarot Boutique, which you'll see more about below.  I am dedicated to empowering as many people as possible with the tools of ancient wisdom, and going deeper into my calling as a mystic, Priestess, and intermediary between the worlds. I am committed to manifesting the dream I have long held about the books I carry within my heart, especially after the stunning vision about them that my friend Robert Austin had for me in one of our healing sessions together. Less blog time, more time for physical book authoring. Serious cutting back on social media goofing off, more energy focused on leading, creating, and connecting heart-to-heart. The month of January, as you may know, is named for Janus, the Roman God of transitions and new beginnings. His image usually has two faces, one looking backwards at the past, and one gazing upon the future unfolding. I know exactly how He feels, don't you? May this magical doorway of goodbye and welcome swing wide open with beauty, peace, and joy. Blessings, Welcome New Subscribers.. And More! Sending a big hello and thank you to our 106 (zoinks!!!)  new subscribers who are getting your first current issue of WINGS.   Thank you to everyone who's been patiently waiting nearly forever for me to get this off to you. And (waving wildly!) hello to all the new folks who have just now jumped in to see what the buzz is about, thanks to The Tarot Lady (Theresa Reed) once again naming WINGS as The Best Tarot Newsletter of the Year. WOO HOO! Thank you, Theresa!!! I am thrilled to have y'all here! WINGS is a labor of love, and I hope you'll love it back! Maybe you'll even be inspired to invite your friends, or forward a copy to them, if you wish!  Please do (there's a link at the bottom to make it easy).  The more, the merrier!  The Coming Year in Tarot ... The Tarot Year of the Lovers As most folks who've been around me for awhile know, one of my favorite aspects of the Tarot is how, based upon your birth date, the cards reveal certain personality traits and help you understand more about the patterns of your life’s lessons. I call this your Tarot Profile. In a similar way, every year has a “personality” that corresponds to the Tarot’s Major Arcana (the trumps).  Of course, there are many cultures who number their years differently, but for our purposes, we will stick with the generally accepted Western dates. You may recall reading here that 2012 was the second in a two-year cycle that focused on creating and wielding power. It was the Year of The Hierophant — an archetype whose identity is about tradition, spiritual laws, institutions, orthodoxy, and formal educational systems. Get ready, because the focus on autocracy and who has the power now gives way to relating to others, as well as making big changes and choices. Welcome to 2013, which reduces to the number six, which in the Major Arcana is The Lovers. In personal readings, The Lovers card is often exactly what you would assume – relationships, sexual attraction, and creating union with someone. But there are deeper energies when The Lovers comes up, energies about how we make the choices that define our relationships in the first place. And, typically, those choices hinge on how we perceive ourselves and our place in the bigger scheme of things. The Lovers card teaches that the people we associate with, to whom we give our love, attention, and devotion are a direct reflection of our own self-image. When we are needy, immature, or selfish, we draw people into our lives that feed those attitudes. When we are in balance with our highest, most courageous and loving path, we attract and appreciate others whose lights also shine brightly. In other words, the healthier and happier we are, the healthier and happier those with whom we choose to be intimate. So on a global level, The Lovers year will be about making choices that directly reflect our common values, and how we, as a people, see ourselves. The last time we went through a Lovers Year was in 2004, and unfortunately, many of the global choices made then were not based on our highest vision, but our deepest dissonance and fears. They are haunting us still. But already, the biggest stories for 2013 are shaping up to be how people, groups, and nations will be making choices and forming (or destroying) alliances. In a Lovers Year, there are typically profound yes/no, life-affirming/life-distorting issues that make themselves starkly clear.  As was the case in 2004, pivotal choices come up that will set our destiny for many years to come. The Lovers indicates a moral or ethical crossroads – a decision point where you must choose between the high road or the low road. This is an opportunity for enormous good or sorrow. May Love, not fear, be our guide for choosing wisely. Green Living: Post Holiday Tidying Up When it's time to undeck the halls, doing so in a planet-friendly way will definitely boost your karmic brownie points and help keep you off the "naughty" list for next year! Here are some easy tips that are gentle for Mama Earth after the holidays: If you decorated a cut Yule/Christmas tree, does your city offer a limited time curbside pickup?  Double check to see what happens to it afterwards. We might assume that it will be recycled, but in some municipalities, that is not the case.  Even though trees are technically biodegradable, it takes a long, long time before an evergreen completely breaks down. Don't toss your holiday lights just because they don't work anymore (or because you've upgraded to more efficient LEDs).  Most places nowadays offer a recycling program where you can drop off string lights and extension cords.  A quick Google for "holiday lights recycling" in your area will get you going! Most of us end up with a bumper crop of new cardboard boxes on our hands after the holidays. This can be tricky because a some landfills don't automatically accept cardboard. Double-check with your local recycling center, or if you can, save them to reuse next year. Many holiday greeting cards can be recycled, of course. If any part of the card is going to be non-recyclable, it will be the artwork on it. That's why I had fun with a DIY project this year of cutting out the art from cards we'd received in the past, and making gift tags from them. Did you know that batteries are some of the most destructive household waste products? Battery toxins just keep on going and going and going. That's why many towns forbid them to go in the regular trash (but the trash police seldom find out). PLEASE make the extra effort to dispose of them properly. Not only do most municipal waste sites offer a special bin for them, places like WalMart and Radio Shack do, too. In fact, they sell them back to companies in need of the materials - a win, win situation! It's not hard to take just a few extra minutes to separate the materials left over from your celebrations into recyclables and reusables.  Take the time, and help make 2013 a cleaner, greener beginning! Remember --Every little bit makes a world of difference. Coming April 12-13, 2013: In a Rare Visit to the U.S. ~ Dr. Ronald Hutton Esteemed British Scholar and Author, Dr. Ronald Hutton is coming to the University of South Carolina!  Professor of History in the University of Bristol, a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries, a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales, and formerly a Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford, he may be best known in the U.S. as the author of the acclaimed Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft. ("Spirited, amusing and immensely informative history of paganism in 19th- and 20th-century Britain," raves Publishers Weekly). His appearance is being sponsored by Cherry Hill Seminary, the leading provider of education and practical training in leadership, ministry, and personal growth in Pagan and Nature-Based spiritualities. Hutton's visit is a part of a Sacred Lands and Spiritual Landscapes Symposium that will include a day and a half of presentations, paper panels, discussions, and social time, such as drumming and dinners. Along with the Academic Dean of Cherry Hill Seminary and Professor Emerita from California State University, Long Beach, Dr. Wendy Griffin, as well as the head of the S.C. Office of the State Archaeologist, Dr. Jonathan Leader, the Symposium will focus on: How and where Pagans can find their sacred places.  How should we protect and maintain these sites?  In colonized worlds, how do we avoid the appropriation of these lands?  If Goddess is immanent in nature, what makes some places more sacred than others?  How is our spirituality shaped by the land and our relationship with the land shaped by our spirituality?  Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see Dr. Hutton here in the U.S. and to personally meet and talk with Hutton, Leader, and Griffin.  Find out more here! And Speaking of Cherry Hill Seminary... Spring registration ends on January 7! This semester's line-up is as fantastic as I have ever seen in Cherry Hill's history! At the certification and Master's level, there are some blockbuster courses, which are desperately needed for professional leaders in the Earth-based traditions:  "Soul Work," "Pagan Apologetics I," "Religion and the Law, Post 9/11," "Earth Advocacy," "Group Theory and Dynamics," "Paganism and the Body," and "Practical Chaplaincy."  If you are looking for lighter (and less lengthy) fare, the Foundations Classes are terrific. For instance, these delicious classes are now open for enrollment: Effective Web Site Development for Pagan Organizations,  Mondays 8 pm ET - Scott Mohnkern Toward an Engaged Pagan Spirituality,  Wednesdays 2 pm ET - Hayden Reynolds Eastern European Pagan Traditions, Wednesdays 7 pm ET -  Miroslav Sarac Pagan Elders and Ancestors: Starhawk, no set class meeting time - Sarah Whedon Teaching Pagan Traditions no set class meeting - Christine Kraemer Kids, Gods, & Guardians: Spiritual Guidance for Pagan Family Ministry Thursdays 9:00 pm ET - Michelle Mueller. Remember that since all courses are online, they're available wherever you are! Check out the credentials of our instructors and the details of the currculum here on our website. Late breaking news: Congratulations to CHS for being one of the top stories on The Wild Hunt for 2012! Let’s stay in touch! I specialize in helping visionaries, healers, artists, and innovators thrive in changing times. If you seek inspiration, practical wisdom, and solid tools for living an extraordinary life, my classes, workshops, and personal sessions are here to help you predict your future by creating it. As mentioned above, this year, I am devoting more time to my writing and teaching, and my one-on-one time will be at a premium. However, limited personal appointments are available. You can check my schedule for a phone appointment by dropping by here and then "locking in" the time with your PayPal payment. I am sorry to say that local appointments at my home are suspended for now, due to the illness of a family member (our sweet cat, Sierra). However, I am at Dancing Moon Books twice a month, and you can book up to three months in advance by calling them at (919) 833-8081. And don't forget to stop by my award-winning blog for magical lore, Tarot updates, and inspirational gifts, just for you. I update it several times a week. Live in balance * Focus your creativity * Manifest your vision.  My Upcoming Schedule Tarot Readings at Dancing Moon Books, 1840 N. Wake Forest Rd., Raleigh Twice each month: Friday, January 4, 2013 Saturday, January 19 Note:  Despite my update about reducing my availability for readings, I love my visits to Dancing Moon and do not plan to change my availability there. Hour or half-hour appointments begin at 11:30 am, and end at 6 pm. I try to accommodate walk-ins, but I tend to get booked up. So I suggest you schedule in advance by calling (919) 833-8081. NOW OPEN ~ Customized Lavishments for Your Exquisite Tarot Tastes . . .  The Beth Owl's Daughter Tarot Boutique bou·tique (bo͞oˈtēk), noun. 1. A small store selling fashionable clothes or accessories. 2. A business that serves a sophisticated or specialized clientele. 3. Unique, exclusive workshops for the discerning Tarot connoisseur. If you are looking for MORE Tarot…. Tarot beyond the introductory basics.... More focus on specialized topics…. A more intimate setting with more personal attention… Come to the Tarot Boutique On the last Saturday of each month, starting January 26, 2013, I am offering intimate, tailor-made workshops at my home in Durham.  These are for people who want MORE Tarot, in exclusive, specialty morsels that stand alone, or can combine to offer you new sparkle and depth in your Tarot practice. Registration is now open for January through March. And all of the first six months' classes are detailed here. Only 10 seats can be offered, so if you are interested, don't delay! After the Shift: What Next? A Forecast for 2013 What will the world be like, now that December 21, 2012, has come and gone? I am greatly honored to share the podium with my friend and colleague, John Wessels, on Thursday Jan. 3, as we offer our views of the coming year for the Spiritual Frontiers Fellowship's annual New Year's discussion. John will begin the evening with his astrological forecast. There are two key transits—Uranus’ and Pluto’s cardinal square transit and Neptune’s transit in Pisces ushering in the momentous end of one epoch in human history and the birthing of a new one. This shift coincides with the termination of the Mayan Long Count Calendar, the precession of the equinoxes, and the end of a 25,700-year cycle to begin a new one. John will talk about how we can best position ourselves for the unfolding ascension process; the transits as they relate to the United States, based on our founding chart; salient events that may unfold in the US and globally; the unconscious shadow side of coming transition; and 2013’s Mercury retrograde periods. Then, I will be discussing in more detail the impact of The Lovers Tarot Year (as I outlined in my main article here). What wisdom does the energy signature of The Lovers offer? And how might it affect us in our everyday lives?  To help us know how to be of service as we give birth to our vision for a more creative, collaborative, balanced future, I will lead some brief exercises to help you perceive and integrate the power of The Lovers card. Finally, I will pull clarifying cards to help us work with this energy in the coming year. Please join us for a lively and engaging evening of illumination and inspiration. Admission is $10; $8 for seniors and students. Time: 7:15-9:30pm Where: Triangle Center for Spiritual Living 4900 Waters Edge Drive, Raleigh 27606 Local and Long Distance! Beginners and Seasoned pros! Everybody is welcome! Looking for a good vibe Tarot tribe? Our Triangle Tarot and Friends Meetup group is both a local gathering once a month, and also host to hundreds of Tarot friends online, from all around the world. When we get together in January, we come to one of the last chapters in our study of Mary K. Greer's 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card. Our brilliant Christina will be presenting  the subtle but vitally important energy signatures that weave through the Tarot in the form of Myth and Archetype. If you're new or haven't come for a while, it's easy to get caught up and we'll be glad to help.   Be sure to bring your decks, past study notes,  show & tell items, announcements, and a friendly smile. Note: Space is LIMITED, so RSVPs are observed! For time and location details, please sign up (free!) by going here. Join us for learning, laughter and discovery! Astrological Tidbits A Retrospective and Looking Ahead I think this article says everything about where we've been and where we may be going in 2013, from an astrological perspective. And she says it so beautifully, I am going to simply share it here in its entirety. Thank you, Ralfee Finn for your brilliance and clarity. This is exactly what we need to know, as we enter the New Year. The Aquarium Age: Transformational Astrology - Ralfee Finn It’s hard to know what to say at the end of this extraordinarily long year that seems to have gone by in the blink of an eye; a year that started with a painstaking, frustrating, and in certain instances, excruciating Mars Retrograde and ended with a painful, disturbing, and devastating Uranus Direct. All year long emotional bodies have run the gamut between anxiety and ecstasy, wild expectation and dashing disappointment, and now, finally at the finish line, far too many of us are suffering from physical as well as psychic exhaustion. Of course, we can always blame our travails on the stars: 2012 saw the first of seven Uranus/Pluto squares that will extend to March 2015. While those of us interested in astrological cycles understood going into 2012 that Uranus/Pluto contacts are infamous signatures for social change, no one could have predicted the particulars of the turmoil and tumult of the year, nor the depth of resistance to change that seems to ride the surface of our collective skin. And we are still only at the beginning of this crisis of change. But it wouldn’t be accurate to say that upset and upheaval started this year; if you assess what’s taking place from an evolutionary or cyclical perspective, the process we’re currently experiencing started much earlier. Without going too far back in history, we could start with Pluto’s move into Capricorn in 2008. Pluto signifies change at the molecular core. Capricorn symbolizes authority, whether that’s personal power, or the power of governments, institutions, or corporations. Certainly, we’re in the midst of foundational shifts in all those areas – this doesn’t mean we’re all in agreement; we’re simply growing increasingly conscious of, and uncomfortable with, structures that no longer serve. Pluto’s entry into Capricorn isn’t the only contributor to our current crisis. From the fall of 2008 until the fall of 2010, Saturn, the planetary ruler of Capricorn, opposed Uranus, the planetary ruler of Aquarius, and a planet I like to think of as the Che Guevara of the astrological system. Saturn/Uranus combinations signal the dissolution of the status quo, and they are often found in the charts of stock market upsets and the ensuing financial upheaval. But that’s not all. When Uranus completed its entry into Aries on March 11, 2011, the earth actually moved, and the earthquake in Japan so profoundly symbolized what was to come – at least to those of us paying attention – that it felt too big to digest, let alone metabolize and assimilate into our nervous systems and consciousness, personal or collective. And yet, that is exactly what’s most needed for the next phase in our current crisis of change; for it’s no longer a matter of how much the “earth” has to move to accommodate personal and planetary healing. What we need now is conscious concentration on how to shift the systems we already recognize as toxic to our personal and collective well being. It’s not just the physical violence that needs mediation; it’s also the psychic, emotional, and spiritual violence we participate in every day – violence to ourselves and to each other – that continues to poison our world. My wish for the coming year is that kindness will infiltrate our wounds and compassion will penetrate our hearts, turning revolution into evolution. * * * * * * * I couldn't agree more, and I bet it's your wish as well. Let us join together and make it so. Until next time... May the stars shine brightly for you. As we say goodbye to a roller coaster, often cantankerous, very intense 2012, it's time for us to embrace a fresh start.  Let's ring in the new year, you and I. Together let us welcome a new beginning that is rooted in harmony, beauty, and balance. May all life forms be honored. May all peoples discover their common good together. May you and all your beloveds enjoy a peaceful, beautiful, and most happy New Year. Blessings, Special offer deleted: Only available to subscribers