About Me

I grew up in Nova Scotia, Canada. Both sets of grandparents were alive when I was a child, so I was fortunate enough to spend time with them. My Dad's mother was an incredible, intuitive musician, having never been trained formally. I loved the great jigs she'd play on the piano and the awesome donuts she made. It was only later, that I was told that she was 'fey' (a Gaelic term for 'psychic) - a fact that was known and accepted in the community. It fascinated me, but I didn't really relate it to myself because I hadn't yet recognized my own abilities. I just knew that I seemed to know much more about a person than other people did upon aquaintance.

In tarot, I found both a tool that allowed me focus my abilities, and a form of spiritual healing. My abilities grew stronger within that medium and continue to grow. I continue to study because I believe learning tarot is like spirituality: you don't just 'get it' then stop. You continue to grow and learn. And I will undoubtedly study Tarot for the rest of my life. When I do a reading you can usually catch a peek at my latest couple of tarot books somewhere on the table!

And when I can, I work on my grandmother's first love - music. I write and perform when opportunities arise, and will be adding musical mantras to this website, hopefully before February '08.. So although I had not planned to, I've followed in my Grandmother's path - both with my psychic abilities, with my passion for music, and (cos my red-haired grandmother was feisty!) - her passion for life. Thanks, Nana!

Activism & Spirituality

I am also an activist. I work with the largest anti-war coalition in Canada, as well for other smaller groups within this community. This subject warrants a more in-depth treatment which I will try to provide once my mantras are up and running. In short, I believe that activism is a crucial part of spirituality. I believe that while meditation/ prayer is the yin (or female) energy of spirituality, activism is the masculine (or yang) half of spirituality. One is not balanced without the other.

The only thing that has ever significantly altered lives on a large scale was persistent pressure on the governing powers by the masses. I believe that meditation and prayer, while powerful and necessary, are not enough without action. If you are standing in the path of an oncoming truck is it good enough to pray that you're safe? No. You enlist every muscle in your body to haul yourself to safety while praying desperately for extra strength to do it in time. If the economy is tanking, is it enough to meditate, or go to a psychic to find out if you're going to be affected? That may help you, yes, but it's not going to stop the problem from deepening. Our Governments are being heavily lobbied by powerful corporations & banks who like this new Corporate Welfare. The only thing that will change it is if we become an equally relentless, powerful force for change. The change we want.

So what do you do? Well, get informed. Start listening to non-corporately funded news such as DemocracyNow!. Then mobilize. Join a group that is agitating for action, or create one, and be a part of movement for change!

Now back to tarot.....

What I Can and Can't Do for You with a Reading

I can give you an idea what could be coming into your life, tell you who could be coming into your life, and describe them and the role they're likely to play. I can tell you how current situations are likely to play out, and suggest a course of action. I can also point out behaviours you may not be aware of that are contributing to the situation, and be a sympathetic listener.

I cannot fix your life, although I can provide caring psychic guidance that could help you fix or at least handle it better. I cannot give you a forty-minute reading in ten minutes. A 10-minute reading is a sketch, not a detailed picture, although I will give you all that I possibly can during that time. I cannot give you exact dates (see Tarot & Time), although I can tell you roughly when an event is likely to occur. I also cannot provide professional medical or psychiatric counseling. And I cannot in good conscience tell you everything's going to be peachy when the cards say otherwise.

Will I Tell You If the Cards Indicate Something 'Bad'?

Yes I will. I will tell you the wonderful, magical stuff too. But if you want someone that's going to tell you ONLY the good stuff, I'm not the right reader for you. The cards CAN often indicate wonderful things coming into your life, but not always. Tarot's power is in not just making you feel better & providing comfort, although it does that beautifully, but in being able to give you a heads up so you're ready for whatever may be coming down the pipe. You can then either take advantage of it if it's good, or take steps to avert it if it isn't. However, please do keep in mind that nothing is written in stone (see {Accuracy & Autonomy} and I'm not always right (no one is!). The cards show a possible future - often the most likely future given the path your life is on. However, your actions, or the decisions of others involved could change things.

I did a reading for a woman once, and what came up was that at around the time of her friend's wedding, the stress of her debt problems could cause her to be in an accident. But this was not written in stone, but rather a possibility if things continued as they were. She had several months to think about how to get her debt problem under control, and if for some reason she couldn't, just to be very careful driving a car around the time of her sister's wedding. So the 'bad' cards were actually a heads up that allowed her to take action to prevent something undesirable from happening!

We all want to hear good news and the cards often do provide it. I've seen some glorious 'outcomes' that have come true! But if things are going to be tough for a bit, it's better to know how and why, so we can prepare for it or avoid it, rather than being caught unaware.

How My Readings Work

I want your energy to shape your reading. If we're doing the reading in person, I’ll ask you to shuffle & cut the deck, then, before pulling each card, choose whether it is to be upright or reversed. So it is YOUR energy, and your subconscious or higher self choosing the cards.

If we're doing it by video, I’ll ask you to tell me when to begin shuffling. When you tell me to stop, I’ll then divide (or cut) the deck into three piles, from left to right, unless, of course, you want a different number.

I'll ask you to pick which pile you want to work from, then pull a quick series of cards, until I have the cards I need. If I want to know more about what a card means for you in this spread, I will point to it, and ask you to focus and pull a 'clarification' card. This process ensures that YOU are the one choosing the cards and increases the likelihood of you getting the cards – and the reading - you were meant to.

In addition to the main deck, I have two small sets of cards (four each) that were culled from my previous deck. These cards can indicate the season when something could take place, and indicate yes/no/maybe/depends-on-future-events. If you have a quick yes/no question, or want to know when something may occur, I'll hold the set of four up and ask you to pick.

What Decks I Use

I started my Tarot journey many years ago when my best friend gave me The Mythic Tarot as a gift. I loved that deck, but eventually felt a need to explore others. I moved on to the Aquarian deck, then The Enchanted Tarot, and then finally, my current deck, the Quest Tarot.

I love this deck for many reasons. As tarot first surfaced in Italy in the 15th century, the 'Court Cards' usually are King, Queen, Knight and Page: Three men and one woman, all white. The Court Cards for the Quest Tarot deck, on the other hand are Mother, Father, Daughter and Son, in a rainbow of shades!

My deck also has unique extras that make it unusually powerful: Each Court Card indicates the individual's hair, skin, and eye color as well as having symbols that indicate yes/no/maybe/depends-on-future-events. The Aces indicate seasons: spring, summer, fall and winter.

The major arcana also have rune symbols on the top right corner of the cards while the minor arcana have I Ching. The Runes are letters of an ancient alphabet used in the British Isles and in Scandinavia that dates back to 150 AD. Runes were often carved in bits of stone or wood, and cast for divination. Similarly, the I Ching is the oldest of the Chinese classic texts and is used as an oracle.

And if that weren't enough, my cards also indicate what the corresponding astrological signs are. So, for example, the Eight of Wands has Mercury in Saggittarius indicated. The Eight of Wands means sudden burst of creative activity, lots of communication, the creative juices suddenly flowing after a drought, and it also indicates a trip (like the Son of Wands, whom we'll discuss in Reversed Cards). Saggittarius is a fire sign and implies impetuousness, creativity, and adventure, while Mercury rules communication. Cool synergy!

So that's why I use the Quest Tarot when I do readings: It's gives me much more information than many decks do, is racially inclusive, and is gender-balanced.

I have a new deck now - the stunningly beautiful, mysterious Quantum Tarot! These cards use quantum physics and stunningly beautiful pictures from the Hubble telescope to shape their interpretation of tarot. I likely will not use these cards for in depth readings yet - I need to familiarized myself the energy of the cards first - but they're beautiful!

What Spreads I Use

There are as many tarot spreads as there are readers. However, the most common are the single card (ask a question, pull a card), the four card spread (past, present, future & outcome), and the Celtic Cross. I enjoy and many spreads, but most often use a specialized version of a Celtic Cross that I developed while working on film sets. I lay out a loose Celtic spread, then point to a card in the spread, and ask you to pick 'clarification' cards for it. Don't think too much, just focus on the card, and pull another card, or more if I ask. It's amazing what will come up!

Sanskrit & Mantras

I always instinctively felt that sound could magically transform energy - healing us, magnetizing our hearts' desires, and transforming our lives. But I felt that the most powerful sounds for this had to be old: very, very old. I wanted to use chants that pre-dated Christ, but needed to find current translations, so I could hear how a chant was supposed to sound. I couldn't find that, and for a while gave up. Then suddenly the Universe blessed me; out of the blue a friend introduced me to his friend, who happened to be a scholar who studies & works with Sanskrit mantras. She introduced me to Thomas Ashley-Farrand's work, and I was off. Thank you, Rob and Pamela!

Mantras are groups of sounds used to transform energy, and originated in the Vedic Tradition in India. Sanskrit is an ancient, sacred Indo-Aryan language and is one of the 22 official languages of India. Although no longer used for conversation, Sanskrit is still used in Buddhist & Hindu ceremonies; much like Latin was in Christian ceremonies. Vedic Sanskrit pre-dates Christ by 1,500 years, and earlier forms of it go back to 4,000 BC! It was perfect for what I wanted.

My main reference book for these mantras was Healing Mantras by Thomas Ashley-Farrand. Thomas Ashley-Farrand, a Christian and a practicing Vedic priest believes 'spirit is created and animated not by light, but by sound'. He believes that God worlds created using sound. We both believe that you do not have to belong to a particular religion to chant these mantras. Although they have their roots in the Vedic tradition, their power lies in the sound & vibration generated, and so chanting these mantras super-charges any prayer, meditation, visualization or healing, irrespective of one's religion.

I also often added 'Seed Mantras' to the mantras to increase their power. According to Thomas Ashley-Farrand, Seed Mantras are "powerful, one-syllable" sounds that are powerful mantras in their own right. Thomas says the Vedic tales are full of characters being catapulted to spiritual and/or material heights as a result of chanting these mini-mantras.

Mantras are traditionally chanted exactly 108 times, as 108 is sacred and magical number in many Eastern religions. Malas (prayer beads) have 108 beads. 108 is even seen in the Christian tradition, for the Catholic rosary is 54 beads - or a half mala.

Although you can chant or listen to Nalani Mantras as often and as long as you wish, it is most powerful when you chant it at least once a day, every day, for forty days. Thomas Ashley-Farrand refers to this as a 'spiritual discipline'. This is an ancient tradition that powerfully energizes the mantra, as 40 is a sacred number: Moses wandered in the desert for 40 years, and Christ for 40 days.

Runes

As far back as 1300 BC, long before the Germanic tribes of Western Europe had a proper alphabet, they carved symbols into stones. Runes were the symbols used by these tribes, particularly the Vikings, for both communication and divination. 'Rune' 'means means mystery or secret, as does the tarot's (major and minor) 'arcana'. I loved the idea of incorporating these ancient powerful & ancient symbols into my mantras - both to increase the mantra's power, and to add a northern-European influence to the predominately Eastern mantras.

So I created a vocal bass-line by repeatedly chanting the names of runes whose energy complimented the main mantra. The Runic bass-line is not meant to be chanted. Rather, it is meant to super-charge the main mantra by adding a layer of ancient power sounds from a vastly different culture, whose messages seeps into the subconscious and supports & facilitates the work of the main mantra.

Nalani Mantras

So what is the structure of Nalani Mantras? My musical mantras are divided into 4 quarters, or quatrains, in which in mantras are chanted 27 times. The total number of times the mantra is chanted is 108, which is a sacred & magical number. The number of the quatrain you're on is indicated at the beginning of each quatrain, so the chanter knows where they are.

There are three vocal lines; The 'main' vocal line is the mantra itself which, like a Gregorian chant, is chanted in a monotone exactly 108 times. Underneath, is a base-line of comprised of the names of powerful runic symbols that are deeply and slowly through-out the latter half of the song. And weaving above and around these is a vocal melody loosely based on the mantra phrases. The melody line is not meant to be chanted to. Rather, it is meant to move the listener & draw them into the mantra.

Sharavana (Good Luck) Mantra

The Sharavana (or good luck) mantra is Om Sharavana Bhavaya Namaha. According to Thomas Ashley-Farrand, it imbues the chanter with "strength, optimism, and auspiciousness", bringing them powerfully positive energy and good luck. To strengthen this already powerful mantra, I've added two "seed (or bija) mantras": Shrim, which attracts abundance, and Klim strengthens one's ability to attract what one desires.

So the complete mantra is: Om Shrim Klim Sharavana Bhavaya Namaha.

The runic bass-line is comprised of four runes: Tiwaz brings strength, protection & victory; Wunjo brings happiness and success; Fehu, a protective rune, attracts propserity and increases one's power; while Gebo promotes harmony and romance.

What Is Tarot?

Tarot is a deck of 78 cards, currently used for divination that originated in Italy's upper class in the 15th century. It is divided into two sections: the Major Arcana ("big secrets") or Trumps, and the Minor Arcana ("small secrets") or Suits. There are 22 Major Arcana and 56 Minor Arcana and the Minor Arcana, is divided into four suits like playing cards. Tarot seems to have been used originally to play a form of bridge, but many years, slowly began to be used to tell the future, much as regular playing cards were. As the cards originated in a Medieval and Christian society during the European Renaissance, the artwork and symbolism for the cards we use today often reflect that: The Hanged Man shows a man 'hanging' by his foot, a twist in the form of execution popular at the time. The Pope (or Hierophant) symbolizes a leader in a structured religion because the Pope was the spiritual leader at the time. Similarly, the "Court Cards" reflect the hierarchy of the ruling class of the period - King, Queen, Knight, Page - and are, of course, all white and predominantly male.

The Major & Minor Arcana

Let's look for a moment at the Major Arcana. They are numbered from 0 (the Fool) to 22 (the World), and can presage a momentous shift in one's life. Major Arcana are: The Fool, the Magician, the High Priestess, the Empress, the Emperor, the Hierophant (or le Pape), the Lovers, the Chariot, Strength, the Hermit, the Wheel of Fortune, Justice, the Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, the Devil, the Tower, the Star, the Moon, the Sun, the World (or the Universe).

The Minor Arcana are very similar to a deck of playing cards: there are four suits, and each suit goes from Ace to King, much like playing cards. However, the suits in the Minor Arcana have an extra Court (or ' face') card, and the no Joker (although one could consider the "Fool" in the Major Arcana to be similar). While playing cards have King, Queen, and Jack, tarot has King, Queen, Knight and Page. In the traditional tarot decks, the Page was a child, usually male. However, some decks substitute Princess for Page, balancing the sexes of the cards. Regardless, the Page implies a youth, or a young, immature energy. Finally, some decks, like mine, forgo royalty altogether, naming their court cards Mother, Father, Son & Daughter.

In astrology, the 12 signs are divided into four areas: earth, water, fire, and air. Similarly, the suits of the Minor Arcana are Pentacles/Stones/Disks/Coins (earth), Wands/Rods/Staves (fire), Swords (air), and Cups/Chalices (water). What the suits are called varies, but the energy is consistent. As with astrology, Stones (earth) deal with practical, earthy things, or with money because money is of this earth. The Wands (fire), deal with sexuality, passion & creativity (not love, which is the realm of cups). The Swords (air) deal with intellect, communication and conflict. Finally, the Cups deal with emotions. So if you have a lot of Stones in your spread, your focus is or issue is likely money, or career. If your spread has lots of Cups, you're likely dealing with a lot of strong emotions - often related to intimacy. If your spread has a lot of Wands, you're likely in an intensely sexual or creative period. And finally, if your spread is weighted with Swords, you're likely going thru a tumultuous time rife with conflict and abrupt change.

Reversed Cards

Some say it was more than 200 years after tarot made it's debut in Italy before readers began interpreting the cards differently if they were pulled from the deck upside down, or reversed. This trend of interpreting a reversed card differently continues today. Some decks, like The Mythic Tarot and The Enchanted Tarot, and some readers choose to interpret the cards the same way regardless of whether they’re upright or reversed. But some readers like me as well as decks like The Quest Tarot, offer a different interpretation of the card if it’s reversed.

I sometimes choose to interpret reversed cards differently because this offers yet another 78 set of interpretations to choose from, in effect doubling the size and interpretive power of the deck. Now, how would this affect your reading?

Well, if, for example, you pulled the Knight (or Son) of Wands this could mean a sudden, exciting business trip or vacation. It could also signify a charming, fun, hot, young guy coming into your life who’ll be there for a good time not a long time. However, the Son of Wands reversed would mean that an anticipated trip wasn’t going to happen, or that it’s not a good time for a trip. It could also signify a young guy who, unlike his cheery upright brother, is narrow-minded and stuck in a rut.

However, just because a card’s reversed, doesn’t always mean it's negative. Eight of Cups upright, for example, often signifies that you can’t do anything more: you’ve just got to grieve and move on. Not an easy card. But the Eight of Cups reversed implies joy and success will be moving into your life. It also implies that you will be in the right place at the right time!

So, what does that mean for you? Don’t over analyze, just go with your gut response. The cards often reflect what a higher power or your subconscious want you to know. So you just trust your instincts and go!

And if you're new to tarot, I would suggest getting to know the cards well upright, before adding reversed cards to the mix.

Accuracy & Autonomy

You’ve read it innumerable times: Psychics claiming to be 90% accurate. Let’s just look at this for a moment…if a psychic can be 90% accurate, they’re being ridiculously vague…”I see a man coming into your life….I see …. food!” OK, yeah, you’re having Easter dinner with your Dad next month, and pizza with your brother this weekend, and oh yeah, nachos with your work buddies next Wednesday, so boy was that psychic accurate! Or they’re being mendacious (big word for liars). Because if they’re 90% accurate in their specific predictions of the future, that means that the future is 90% set; Doesn’t matter what you DO, cos nothing is going to change anyway. The script’s been written and you’re just a puppet being jerked by a cosmic puppet master in the sky.

I don’t believe that. I believe we’re here to learn. To evolve. And to do that, we must have freedom of choice. My analogy (and a perfect one for tarot!) is that life is a card game; you’re dealt a specific hand, and you’ve got to play what you’re dealt. But within that you’ve got the freedom to choose what cards you discard, what you play, how you play them, and how you react to the game as it evolves.

Tarot is like having a guide no one else can see. Someone who can see the some of the cards the other players hold, and who can tell you what the next player’s likely to do. Someonewho can whisper advice on how to play your hand, how you’re likely to do in the next round, and point out when you’re sliding into old patterns that feel safe but always get you into trouble. No one can give you a blueprint for the future, but tarot can be your guide and your compass.

Tarot & Timeline

If you want to know the exact date, and even the hour something is likely to occur, astrology would be better a better choice than Tarot. Although psychic readers may 'intuit' a time, the cards themselves are not really built to give the seeker a specific time for an occurrence. My deck (the Quest Tarot) allows me to tell you what season the event is likely to occur, and to ask if it will be this year, or later. I can also tell you if it’s likely to occur in the next couple of weeks. That's more than most tarot decks, but again, even I can't indicate specific dates.

However, Astrology can give specific dates down to the hour, because according to astrologists, the energy coming into your life is “written in the stars” and was set before you were born. So if you want to know what your life is going to be like in twenty years, astrology or numerology would be your best bet because the energy was shaped by when and where you were born, which remains fixed, so with astrology you can get a blueprint for your life. So why not just go to an astrologist? Why bother with tarot at all? Because while astrology can tell you the energy that will be in your life in 25 years, it doesn’t always reflect the choices you’ve made and what’s coming into your life as a result of that. And tarot does.

My friend, a stay-at-home mom, was advised by an astrologist that during a period the following year, she would be inundated with job offers and would land a wonderful job. My friend snorted, and when the time came and went, she rolled her eyes and said the astrologer was full of - well, you know. So I asked her, ‘Did you look for a job?’ No. ‘Did you send out your resume?’ No. ‘Did you think about the sort of job you wanted?’ No to that too.

The Universe might well have been trying to send her golden job opportunities, but she was too scared and too lethargic to recognize opportunities, let alone take advantage of them.

Had she had a tarot reading, the card that would have likely come up would have been the Four of Cups: Restlessness, boredom, dissatisfaction, and a sense of being let down although the person letting one down was oneself...

And sometimes something that 'should' come into your life takes it's own sweet time. A well-known and gifted astrologist told me several times that something specific and transformative was going to happen in 1996. It's 2007 and it still hasn't happened. It could. She insists it will. But she could either be wrong, or it will come when it's ready - and when I am.

Beginnings & Tarot: Major Arcana

Which cards indicate the beginning of something new in tarot? There are several. However the Major Arcana cards tend to imply the beginning of a whole new phase in one's life whereas those in the Minor Arcana tend to imply the start of something new in a specific area. And, of course, each card has its own nuances. So let's look at them, starting with the Major Arcana:

The Fool, the first card in the tarot deck. It does not imply an idiot, but rather someone who, because she/he is about to take a leap into the unknown, knows nothing and is therefore like a fool or jester, who seems to know nothing about what's going on. But The Fool is not foolish. Like a baby, The Fool is just beginning a new life. And, like Shakespeare's fools, he/she can be wise in her/his courage, optimism and willingness to take risks the more conventional wouldn't.

But I digress, The Fool, is about beginning a new adventure. Often depicted with a knapsack - The Fool implies not just a journey, but a flexibility - a willingness to take a risk and see where the journey takes him/her. As the Fool is travelling light, it indicates that the querant is taking little from their past phase or life. There's a sense of freedom, optimism (whether warranted or not!), occasional naiveté, and excitement as the person begins their journey.

Many of these cards also imply an ending because a cycle must end before the new one begins. None more so than The Wheel of Fortune. The Wheel of Fortune implies an abrupt, life-transforming change in fortune that comes out of the blue. Winning the lottery, being thrust into the limelight (if upright), or being in a car accident (if reversed) would be examples of the Wheel of Fortune. It implies a transformative stroke of luck that catapults the person into a completely new phase of life.

The World, which is the last card in the Major Arcana, also implies a move into a new phase of life, but the transition, although equally as powerful, is gentler than the Wheel of Fortune, and less risky than The Fool. There's a sense of balance and symmetry about the shift into the new cycle as well as a sense that the seeds of the new life were planted and nurtured in the old.

So, let's say a single person is asking about love and gets one of these cards as the short term outcome. The Fool (upright) would suggest that the person is going to transform, lighten up, and discover a whole new way to meet potential lovers (or mates). It will be exciting, adventurous, possibly a bit out of character and will make the person feel alive. For example, a guy who is a bit conservative and keeps to himself could impulsively join a dragon boat team, or a dating service, or start dating online, and find a whole new world of dating opens up for him.

The Wheel of Fortune (upright), would imply that the person is going to meet someone out of the blue - and that this sudden 'chance' meeting completely changes their life's path. So for example, a Canadian woman could go with her girlfriends to Mexico, meet an Aussie man of her dreams there, and impulsively decide to move to Australia with him.

By contrast, The World implies that the transition into love comes more naturally and from a source that's already in the person's life. So a woman could meet the man of her dreams at her friend's party and discover they both have a passion for hiking. They hang out more and more. It feels like they've always known each other - it's just so easy. Their relationship then evolves into love in a balanced way that seems both natural and inevitable.

Now of course, cards are always influenced by the cards around them, but this gives you an idea of differences between the 'new beginnings' cards of the Major Arcana. Stay tuned for Tarot & Beginnings: Minor Arcana.

Beginnings & Tarot: The Aces of the Minor Arcana

As I mentioned in the previous article, there are several cards in the Minor Arcana that suggest the start of something new. However, where Major Arcana cards we discussed propel the seeker into a new cycle, beginnings in the Minor Arcana usually are limited to one area of the person’s life, and are often spread over more than one card. Generally, the Aces indicate a powerful upsurge of energy that propels the seeker into action and towards change, the Twos (Two of Pentacles, Two of Cups, etc.) indicate the arrival of an opportunity (or opportunities) for the seeker to take advantage of, and the Threes indicate an early success, celebrated with a group, that gives the seeker the confidence to continue on the new path.

Let’s start with the first card in each suit: the Ace. The four Aces fuel the new phase, providing a powerful upsurge of energy, often not yet focused on a specific person or project, that propels the seeker into motion. The energy of each Ace is specific to its suit: The Ace of Wands gifts the seeker with a powerful upsurge of creative & sexual energy as well as life force. The Ace of Pentacles graces the seeker with the desire and opportunity to make money, which can manifest as a gift, opportunity, or inheritance that provides the foundation for a lucrative venture. The Ace of Cups blesses the seeker with an ability to be open to emotional intimacy in a way they’ve never been, while the Ace of Swords suggests that the seeker’s worldview will shift dramatically, causing intense conflict before resulting in victory.

So, say a woman has hibernated all winter with her chocolate and trashy romances. That first sunny spring day, when she saunters down the sidewalk feeling alive and sexy for the first time in months, grinning saucily at the hotties, and checking out their butts as they pass by – that is the Ace of Wands. She’s got the urge to merge…and to write, and to start a band, and to dirty dance with the hottie next-door. She’s not done it yet, but the energy to, the desire to, and above all, the belief that it WILL happen, is suddenly there. And she is fiercely alive: creatively and sexually.

A guy who divorced his wife several years ago but never really forgave her, meets someone who heals his heart, and teaches him to trust again. Although that relationship evolves into a friendship, he finds himself not only believing in love again, but ready to truly open himself to intimacy. And that is the Ace of Cups. He may not have met his new lover yet, but his radar’s up, his heart's open, and he’s primed for love!

A woman who’s always been a fan of gas guzzling SUV’s gets dragged by a friend to Al Gore’s ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ and is pole axed by it. She sells her car, starts composting, and joins an environmental group to the dismay & of friends who, threatened by the change, argue, threaten, and finally are forced to either leave or accept her new path. That life-changing revelation that strikes like a bolt of lightening, changing one’s perspective, and potentially one’s life forever, is the Ace of Swords.

An accountant who is competent but miserable working for a big bank, gets an unexpectedly large tax return the same week he runs into an old mate who has this brilliant idea for a new business and is looking for a business partner who can manage the finances. That incredibly exciting, risky, and unexpected opportunity to create a lucrative business, that hasn’t yet coalesced into a specific offer or plan, is the Ace of Pentacles.

Does it mean that a new beginning is inevitable? No. Because the energy of the Aces is unfocused, the person may feel the Ace's power as an itch they don’t quite know how to scratch, and decide not to do anything about it. But their potential is formidable. And in the next article, we’ll explore how the Two’s follow and fill out the foundation laid out by the Aces.