Writing or creativity of any kind is a mysterious process, a journey into deep and unchartered waters. What you need is a compass… the Tarot.
Brigit is one of the oldest known Irish or Celtic goddesses, worshipped as a triple goddess, i.e. maiden/mother/crone. As goddess of the forge or smithy, Brigit is the patroness of metalworking and other crafts. Her element is fire, the fire of passion and inspiration, and her celebration, February 2nd, includes
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse, 2/3/2014 Theme, Faith. This week, be aware of when you have faith in your creative work and when you don’t. The Muse asks you to have faith in her, in your creativity and in yourself. So remind yourself this week to have faith. Focus,
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse, 1/27/2014 Theme, Temperance. Like the Goddess Brigid who is the goddess of the forge, creativity, the well, the poet, Temperance asks you this week to combine passion and will with love and desire in your creative work. Moving back and forth between the fire
Habit is necessary; it is the habit of having habits, of turning a trail into a rut that must be incessantly fought against if one is to remain alive. ~ Edith Wharton Making breakfast this past Sunday morning made me think about the importance of habits and routines. Six months
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse, 1/20/2014 Theme, Judgement. A Major Arcana card, number 20, this card tells you to stay awake and aware this week to the calling of your creative work or vision. It asks you to pay attention to power and purpose behind the work that you
Abdicate: to give up or renounce (throne, duty, etc.) The dreamer is the final authority on her dream. It is a rule I always stress when I teach dream work. Too often, I see people, whether they are sharing dreams with friends, with members of a dream circle, or on
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 1/13/2014 Theme, 4 of Wands. Wands is the element of fire, of passion, will, spirit, and creativity. This week, look for where your current creative work or project requires a commitment from you in order to keep growing, as if
Doesn’t starting a New Year feel like opening a new book? The pages are crisp and have that new book smell. There is the anticipation of the new story waiting to unfold before you as you turn page after page. On New Year’s Day, we had a New Moon in
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse, 1/6/2014 Theme, 7 of Coins. Coins is the element of Earth, of the material realm, anything physical. The theme for the first full week of the New Year is to pay attention to the practical, final finishing details of your current projects. Now’s not
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse, 12/23/2013 Theme, The Devil. This major arcana card says that it is time to stop confining your creativity with the rules and bonds that you or others have placed on you about what you can and can’t or shouldn’t do in your work. Those
“Sleigh bells ring, are you listening?” Actually, how can we avoid listening? During the holiday season there is a barrage of sound– the voices of too many people in a crowded mall, the honking horns of tired, short-tempered shoppers who just want to get home, and the piped music in
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse,12/16/2013 Theme, 5 of Cups. See this poor woman with her back against the wall, protecting her cups? Is that you? Cups is the suit of water, heart, feelings emotions, dreams, creativity. And 5 is the number of change and challenge. Pay attention this week
“Are you content now?” said the Caterpillar. “Well, I should like to be a little larger, sir, if you wouldn’t mind,” said Alice: “three inches is such a wretched height to be.” Remember when, after Alice in Wonderland falls down the rabbit hole she discovers a doorway that opens into
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse, 12/9/2013 Theme, 8 of Cups. Cups is the suit of water, heart, feelings,dreams, intuitions, creativity. Whatever creative projects you were emotionally invested in, they are no longer doing it for you. Time to let go. Finish or drop. New possibilities await you this week,
This week’s post is by guest contributor, Beth Barany. I just got back from a writer’s conference. I love going to them. I love speaking there and helping other authors. But I’m tired. I’m an introvert. As I wade through all the post-conference activities of following up with all the
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 12/2/2013 Theme, Death. Death is a process of letting go. So this week, it is time to let go of old, out-dated projects, dusty dreams, papers, files, books, materials that clutter up your work space and your creative energy. In
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse, 11/25/2013 Theme, 8 of Wands. Wands is the element of fire, spirit, creativity, career, work. 8 is a number that is almost there. Time to give that final push to projects, to prepare for lift-off for that next phase in your creative work. Focus,
Recently, we had a Taurus Full Moon while the Sun was in the sign of Scorpio. Scorpio challenges us to face what we fear, to let go of attachments, and to surrender to a spiritual transformation. Taurus, on the other hand, is about the physical realm. What do we value?
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 11/18/2013 Theme, 5 of Wands. 5 in this suit of fire and creativity is a number of change and challenge. Here, it seems, creative roles and projects battle each other for your time and energy. This week, look at establishing
Whenever I do a tarot reading for a client and the 10 of Swords shows up, everyone cringes. With swords representing the mind and the thoughts, attitudes, beliefs and communications of the mind, this card in a reading can imply ruin, despair, or a mental overwhelm that keeps one pinned
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for 11/11/2013 Theme, 9 of Swords. The suit of Swords represents the element of air, mind, thoughts, attitudes and beliefs. Here this woman seems to be lying awake at night because of thoughts and messages that hang over her. Perhaps they are worries about
That inner voice has both gentleness and clarity. So to get to authenticity, you really keep going down to the bone, to the honesty, and the inevitability of something. Meredith Monk During a recent Akashic records reading from colleague, Tomar Levine, I was advised to pull back and roll up
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse, 11/4/2013 Theme, Justice. See the two women in their dark and light gowns? One carries scrolls, the other holds a sword. The theme for the week is balance, balance between the inner world and the outer one, balance between thought and action especially as
Happy talk, keep talking happy talk, / Talk about things you’d like to do… “South Pacific” According to the IRS, a business is something you engage in with the intent to make a profit. For creatives that means you intend to make a profit from your products or performances or
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse, 10/28/13 Theme, 5 of Cups. Cups is the element of water, heart, feelings, dreams, intuition, creativity. 5 is a number of change, a tipping point. This woman sits with her back against the wall protecting the two creative dreams she still has because the
Masquerade!/ Run and hide–/but a face will/ still pursue you! from Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber Masks are not just for Halloween. Over the centuries, they have served a variety of purposes. Entertainment. Since the time of ancient Greece, mask have been used for theater performances (noh
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 10/21/2013 Theme, The Lovers. So romantic, that kiss or almost kiss. Together the male and female figure make a whole heart. A heart that is the vehicle for the movement of idea or inspiration into reality. Creation doesn’t happen without
October 18th, we have a lunar eclipse in the signs of Aries (the Moon) and Libra (the Sun). Aries, expressed positively, is self-sufficient, straight-forward, and adventurous, but expressed negatively is self-centered, thrill-seeking and aggressive. Libra is very sociable, cooperative, and considerate or indecisive, pretentious and co-dependent, going along to get
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 10/14/2013 Theme, Ace of Coins. The Aces are the beginning, the seed, holding all potential, all possibility. Coins are the element of Earth, money, home, health, anything you can touch, taste or feel. This week, keep in mind the importance
Emergencies have always been necessary to progress. It was darkness which produced the lamp. It was fog that produced the compass. ~ Victor Hugo I woke the other morning, and saw that the rich gold of autumn leaves was dimmed by a thin layer of fog, a not unusual occurrence
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 10/7/2013 Theme, 3 of Cups. Cups is the element of water representing the heart and all its emotions, and creativity. This week look at the element of celebration, especially shared celebration, around your creativity. Look for opportunities to celebrate creative
Autumn…makes a double demand. It asks that we prepare for the future—that we be wise in the ways of garnering and keeping. But it also asks we learn to let go… Bonaro W. Overstreet in Meditations for Women. I love autumn in the Northeast because of the intensity of color
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 9/30/2013 Theme, 2 of Coins. Coins is the element of Earth, of home, health, wealth. Anything you can touch, taste or feel. Two is often about balance or choice. In the 2 of Coins, it’s about keeping your focus on
Every time one of our three sons approached his mid-teens—you know, that time when they want to learn to drive, attend late-night parties, and start experimenting with alcohol and other things you don’t want to even imagine—I yearned to install a very tall tower in our backyard and stick that
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 9/23/2013 Theme, Knight of Wands. To be of service, the Knight goes through a period of training, developing skills and acquiring the tools, equipment and resources he needs to do his job. Wands is the element of fire, spirit, creativity,
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 9/16/2013 Theme, Wheel of Fortune. Being creative and doing your creative work can feel a lot like riding the Wheel of Fortune, ups and downs are the nature of things. One way to avoid feeling the extremes is to move
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 9/9/2013 Theme, 10 of Wands. Surely you don’t want to spend this week on your belly crawling through the brush with a pile of projects on your back? Wands is the element of fire, spirit, creativity, career, work. Time to
Several weeks ago, as Bob, Jason and I walked around Carmel photographing the many sports cars temporarily at curbside rest before auctions, races, and the Concours D’Elegance, I realized how quickly I was able to determine, if not the year, at least the make and style of varying sports cars,
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 9/2/2013 Theme, 8 of Cups. Cups is the suit of water, of heart, feelings, dreams, intuitions, creativity. What creative attachments or projects have you been holding onto? Look deeply because these attachments are not obvious. This week, be aware of
“Would that I had a child as white as snow, as red as blood, and as black as the wood of the window frame.” The Queen from Snow White As with all creativity, first there is the wish, the dream, the idea. The Queen spells out the picture of her
Monday Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 8/26/2013. Theme, 10 of Cups. Cups is the suit of the heart and all that resides therein, emotions, dreams, intuitions, creativity. As the dog and cat put aside their fighting to lie peacefully before the roaring fire, this week, experience
Monday Tarot Message from the Muse, 8/19/2013 Theme, King of Cups. The King has the power, gets the big picture, makes the plan. To get the big picture on your creative work this week, give yourself some emotional distance on your creative work. Focus, 8 of Cups. Cups is the
Monday Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of August 12, 2013 Theme, 10 of Coins. Abundance. An abundance of creative ideas, of creative resources, of creative opportunities. And through your work, others experience abundance as well…an abundance of beauty in real material form. Think “abundance” this week. Focus,
Monday Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 8/5/2013 Theme, 8 of Coins. The more your creative work progresses and develops the more you need to pay attention to the practical details of resources, energy, time and money. What plan do you have? Look at your goals and
In the Disneyfied version of the popular fairytale, Cinderella,our heroine is more acted upon (i.e.victim) than acting. Her mother has died and her father has remarried the equivalent of the Wicked Witch of the West, with her two equally mean daughters. What’s a good girl to do? Well, definitely not
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 7/29/2013 Theme, Temperance. The theme this week is one of elevating yourself enough to see clearly and be able to balance your creative passions and desires with your emotions. Creativity requires desire and will to manifest in physical form so
One Christmas, when I was a young girl, my mother’s older sister gave us a collection of fairytales in a large-format book with beautiful German watercolor illustrations. The book had tales from different cultures, more than the popular Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Beauty and the Beast. Within its pages,
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 7/22/2013. Theme, 7 of Coins. If you want to reap a harvest for those creative seeds/projects you planted, then you have to follow-through on it, with water and food and attention. Whatever projects have been languishing through lack of attention,
Monday Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of July 15, 2013 Theme, Page of Wands. The Page is the messenger of the court, carrying messages throughout the court with quickness and energy. Wands is the suit of fire, spirit, creativity career, work. This week, communicate about your creativity
I don’t remember the first time I heard the story of Sleeping Beauty. Some fairytales enter your lexicon and mind before you’re aware of it, and feel like they’ve always been there. I do remember, though, when the fairytale pulled me in to let me see its deeper aspects and
Monday Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 7/8/2013. Theme, King of Coins. Get the big picture this week around your resources, i.e. materials and money, related to your creative work. How is income keeping up with outgo? What’s your plan? And what is the creative project that
After almost four years of writing articles for this newsletter, sometimes I’m not sure what to write that won’t seem redundant or unimportant. So this time, I consulted the oracles in the form of Ciro Marchetti’s Legacy of the Divine Tarot. I pulled the first card to represent the subject
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 7/1/2013. Theme, King of Wands. Think of the King as the CEO, the one who has ultimate decision-making power, who controls and manages resources, and who must also keep the big picture of his/her realm so that decisions and resources
I know I’ve emphasized many times here how important making time to get away is for your life and especially for your creativity. But sometimes time, money, family and health prevent traveling to idyllic locales such as the one here in the Catskills where I am holding my retreat. So,
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for week of June 24, 2013. Theme, Ace of Coins. Coins is the element of earth and the Ace is all potential, all possibility. With the Summer Solstice just passed, think of this Ace as a seed waiting to be planted this week. What
This past Sunday was Father’s Day here in the US. But I called my dad on Saturday because I didn’t want to deal with busy phone lines or trying to catch Dad when he was home and not at church or on the phone with one of my other three
Monday Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 6/17/2013. Theme, 3 of Coins. Three is the number of growth, change and creativity. So the theme for this week is to make time for focusing on your current creative project, especially in ways that will manifest that project physically,
A Story has emotional power: it brings meaning, hope, and vision together; it connects body and soul. It can be as simple as a saying or as complex as a biography; it can come from a conversation, a newspaper clipping, a movie, or a myth. A Story can bring the
Monday Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 6/10/2013. Theme, The High Priestess. This week, be aware of your ability to share your knowledge and wisdom about your creative work. So often, when clients purchase work or services, they also want to have part of the creator. So
I gave birth to three sons who ranged in weight from 7 lbs. 14 oz. to 9 lbs. 3 oz. My three favorite creative projects, I birthed them without medication, so I was very aware of the stages and the process. If you’ve given birth or attended someone who has,
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 6/3/2013. Theme, The Empress. Here is the image of life and creativity in abundance. This week, remember that within you is a wellspring of creative ideas. Allow them to emerge, and even though you may not be ready to work
On a recent vacation, Bob, his friend, Bill, and Bill’s wife, Patty and I walked into an old building in a run-down area of Indianapolis. It was an antique shop called Audrey’s Place. Walking through the back door where stuff was pile high for loading or unloading, a guy who
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 5/27/2013. Theme, Page of Swords. See that fresh, young face? See the two small swords or daggers on the pillow? Swords have to do with thoughts, attitudes, ideas, beliefs, communication. So this week, choose two ways that you can communicate
Whether it’s the image of starving artist in the garret, or the wildly successful artist who lives in a world of constant creation and work, the one thing both of these images have in common is the artist alone. Creatives do need frequent doses of silence and solitude in order
Monday Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 5/20/2013. Theme, 4 of Cups. This week, it’s time to finish up those projects you’ve been working on that are near completion so you have room in your schedule and your energy for the new project that is rising up
“Oh dear, oh dear, I shall be too late!” When I work with clients or lead workshops on creativity or writing, I often here the complaint of not having time. So early in the coaching process, I have clients explore establishing a regular time to work on their creative projects,
Monday Tarot Message from the Muse, 5/13/2013. Theme, Queen of Wands. Don’t you love the look of fierce will on her face? This fierce and passionate desire is your theme for the week. Bring that to your creative work, and to how you nurture and help others with your work.
Creative friends and clients often complain that getting connected to their Muses and staying connected is an ongoing challenge, especially when in the middle of a book or project. But once in a while, a client has a Muse who is a Chatty Cathy. Chatty Cathy, a doll that was
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 5/6/2013. Theme, the High Priestess. The High Priestess represents spiritual knowledge (the pomegranate she holds in her hand) and wisdom (the owl and the scroll). She is the gatekeeper between the known and the unknown, the conscious and the unconscious.
The Tarot is divided into two parts, the Major Arcana (Secrets) and the Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana has 22 cards that are numbered from 0 to 21. Zero, in the Major Arcana, is the Fool. It is the Fool that travels from the number one card, The Magician, to
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 4/29/2013. Theme, The Empress. Now that we are in the sign of Taurus ruled by Venus, we may feel this week that we are filled, pregnant with creative ideas and possibilities. Experience what it means to be the channel for
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for 4/22/2013. Theme, The World. A phase or part of your creative journey has been completed successfully. Time to look at where you are and what you need to do to move your career or your work up into that next level of development
When I teach of group of people how to work with their dreams, I ask each of them to remember a recent sleep dream to practice the process on. “What if I don’t remember my dreams?” is a question that always comes up. Every time. “Think of a recent waking
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse, 4/15/2013. Theme, 9 of Swords. These Swords (thoughts, attitudes, beliefs, communication) are waking you up at night…are they worries or dreams? For this week, prepare yourself for sleep in a way that supports your creative night life. Cleanse your space and your mind. Do
This week is a magical week for me. And I don’t even have to wave a magical wand. Instead, I am waving my purple pen, the color of ink I use when I am writing my book. See, I am on a writer’s retreat in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for Week of 4/8/2013. Theme, The Magician. For this week, be aware of the magic you hold within, the magic that can take an idea and turn it into physical form. How, for you, thoughts definitely become things. Focus, Page of Cups. With that
In my dream, I am away from home, sleeping in a strange bed. During the night, I was frightened, like a child, by the sense of something under the bed. In the light of day, I decide to brave up. I get down on the floor, reclining on my right
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 4/1/2013. Theme, The Fool. Since April 1st is April Fool’s Day here in the US, I decided to pull that card from the deck and make it the theme for the week. So this week, be the Fool for your
Andrew, my grandson, was here for a visit with his parents last week so that we could celebrate his first birthday. We invited some close family friends over to share in the celebration and cake, and they brought Andrew three Mylar balloons. I now have a cherished memory of watching
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the Week of 3/25/2013. Theme, 7 of Swords. This week, it’s time to pay attention to how others’ thoughts, attitudes, and ideas might sabotage your creative work. Are you spending too much time worrying about what they think, how they are using your
Anticipation, anticipation/ Is makin’ me late/Is keepin’ me waitin’ ~ Carly Simon Do you remember being a child excitedly counting down the days until Christmas or some other special holiday? Do you remember the fluttery feeling in your tummy the first time you went out on a date with a
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse, 3/18/2013. Theme, Queen of Coins. Coins is the element of earth, resources in the physical realm. This Queen has the ability to take the resources around her, create something beautiful from them and then use them to nurture others. This is your role for
I get it. I really do. Time is short and passes quickly. You are busy with a hundred and one things. And in today’s world of technology where information sharing and business occurs at the speed of nanoseconds, the oft-times snail-like process of creativity can become extremely frustrating. So we
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the Week of March 11, 2013. Theme, 5 of Coins. Poor woman needs help…and all she has to do is get up, turn around and look at what is available to her behind her. Stop waiting for help for your creative work. Get
I am so delighted to have Jill Badonsky on my blog this week as part of her blog tour to promote her magical book,”The Muse is In: An Owner’s Manual for Your Creativity.” I loved having the opportunity to ask her some questions about creativity. If you’d like to hear
No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main…” ~John Donne Did you watch the Oscars? Or the Grammys? If you did, you know that winners of those statuettes often get up on stage and thank everyone from
Monday Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 3/4/2013. Theme, King of Cups. Cups are the element of water, of the heart, of dreams and intuition, of creativity. Creative desires come from the heart and can sometimes overwhelm us, but if you remember to take a few steps
In the dream, I am in my house (not mine in waking reality), a Cape Cod-style in a suburban neighborhood. Dinosaurs threaten the area and homeowners have secured their homes. I am sleeping until suddenly, I wake to the sound of something pounding on the front door. Throwing on a
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for 2/25/2013. Theme, Queen of Wands. Even though the Sun just moved into the sign of watery Pisces, this not the week to go with the flow and be directed by others needs and wants. Instead, this week, be the fiercely confident and creatively
You know the story of Persephone, daughter of Demeter, who is kidnapped by Hades, god of the Underworld. Mad with grief, Demeter, goddess of harvest and crops, causes a famine until her daughter is returned to her. However, since Persephone has eaten a pomegranate seed while in the Underworld she
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse, 2/18/2013. Theme, Temperance. This week be aware of the desire to look at your creative work from a new vantage point. Maybe you need some time away, or maybe you can mentally and emotionally step up and back. See from that new perspective, new
I’m not that tough; I’m not that smart. I need life telling me who I am, showing me my mind constantly. I wouldn’t see it in a cave. Richard Gere Caves are a wonderful thing… If you are a bear…If it is winter… A cave provides solitude and silence, shelter
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the Week of 2/11/2013. Theme, Page of Swords. This week, keep looking for two ways you can communicate to your community, tribe, audience about your creative work. Maybe the two ways are ones you’ve only dabbled in before but might pay off if
One of the games that my 10-month old grandson loves to play is when I hold him in front of the mirror, pointing first to me and saying, “Grandma” and then to him, saying, “Andrew.” Then I wave at him. “Hi, Andrew!” Big grin. Looks at me, looks at the
Monday Message from the Muse for the week of 2/4/2013. Theme, Ace of Wands. Are you feeling a restless kind of energy? Perhaps a new creative project is waiting to emerge. Time to bring it into the light and get started on it. It’s one that has a lot of
This week I watched one of those videos that gets passed around on FaceBook because of its emotional impact. It’s about a young man with autism who loved basketball and attended a high school in upstate New York. He joined his high school basketball team, not as a player, but
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse, 1/28/2013. Theme, 4 of Swords. Sometimes the mind just won’t stop…ideas, worries, plans keep running through our brains. But to receive the message from the Muse, those divine insights and inspirations, we have to make space to receive. Think about how you can take
“Every sun casts a shadow, and genius’s shadow is Resistance. As powerful as is our soul’s call to realization, so potent are the forces of Resistance arrayed against it.” ~ Steven Pressfield I have a confession… Several agents are interested in my current work-in-progress, a somewhat dark fantasy romance. You’d
Monday’s Tarot Message from the Muse for the week of 1/21/2013. Theme for the week, King of Wands. Tending the fires of your creative work takes energy and commitment. As with a king ruling his kingdom, it helps if you have the big picture. This week, what is the big
Snow falls softly but steadily, piles up in drifts and deep carpets, changing the landscape. Our small pine tree that Bob draped with white bee lights before the holidays looks magical with the lights gleaming through the pine’s cloak of snow. Because we live in the country and have a