Mother's Wisdom Deck Review

Star Trek Tarot Spread

Tonight I felt inspired to try something new. I have been studying tarot for years, but I have never crafted my own original spread. So I am going to give it a shot. I felt inspired to create a spread based on my love of Star Trek: The Original Series. I have always been fascinated by the archetypes represented by the characters Kirk, Spock, and Bones. I came across an excellent blog post when I was researching images for my spread. Check it out here: http://tarky7.com/2010/11/

The Star Trek Archetype Tarot Spread

Spock
1. In what area of my life should I be more logical and objective?
2. How can I bring more logic to the situation?
Bones
3. In what area of my life should I express more passion?
4.How can I best express my passion and emotion?
Kirk
5. What area of my life needs more balance?
6. How can I bring more balance to that part of my life?
7. How can I be the more charismatic leader of my own star ship (life)?

 I doesn't really matter how you actually spread the cards out. You could put cards 1 and 2 vertically next to 3 and 4 and then 5, 6 and 7. I might actually shape the spread to look like the emblem on their shirts :) !

Try it out and let me know how it works!

All my best,

Amy

DIY Tarot Journal/Scrapbook

Calling All Super Readers

"Calling all super readers!"

If you got the above reference, then you have a preschool aged child and you watch to much PBS! But seriously, last night I decided to do a "Moving Spread" from Sasha Graham's awesome book 365 Tarot Spreads, nothing out of the ordinary there. But the problem was, I decided for the first time in my tarot career to use reversals. No clue why. I've never done it before, but felt like giving it a try. Of course, I end up with seven reversals in the ten card spread! But I used my Chrysalis Tarot, so I had fun trying!


Here goes...

1. Is changing my location a good idea? Eight of Mirrors Reversed
2. Why is moving a good idea? 8 of Scrolls Reversed
3. Should I make this move? The Muse/ Queen of Spirals
4. Can I afford to move? The Lovers Reversed
5. Will I be happy there? Elpi/ The Star
6. Will this be the fresh start I am looking for? Ace of Spirals Reversed
7. How can I make the move without stress? Herne the Hunter/ The Chariot
8. What problems will I leave behind? 10 of Stones Reversed
9. What new adventure will I embark upon? Nine of Spirals Reversed
10. What do I need to know that I don't see yet? Gaia/ The Empress Reversed

Ok, so I know that the Eight of Mirrors has to do with walking away from a situation with lessons learned, so that I can ultimately move forward, grow, and be happy. However, because this card is reversed, I think it is showing our fear and confusion about possibly moving. Even though there is a lot of benefits to moving to the beach, there are also a few possible negatives and quite a few fears about being able to sell our house in three years after paying off all other debts. We currently owe more than our home is worth and mu husband fears selling at a loss down the road. So I feel like this card in this position is like the magic 8 ball saying "try again" or "unclear."

The 8 of scrolls shows a woman over a crystal ball with her eyes in the air. It gives me the sense that she is trying to know the unknowable - the future (although I guess psychics know the future, but I'm just a regular gal relying on wisdom and intuition). To me, the 8 of swords (which is what the scrolls relate to) have to do with feeling stuck or trapped, so in this case I feel like this woman in stuck in her own thoughts (since she is looking up at the scrolls). Because this card is reversed in the position, I actually feel this is a positive card. It suggests that moving would be good because over the years I have learned through experience and intuition what I really want in a community. My current town doesn't really have that. Don't get me wrong, it has a library (but I guess every town has that), a decent school, and it is centrally located), but in six years I have only met one neighbor (until I found out my yoga instructors lives down the street). We haven't met any other small families, so despite the central location to our jobs, I feel isolated, lonely, and pretty bored. In fact, it's not that centrally located to any activities that make my soul sing. I need to take a train to Boston, drive 30 minutes to another place I like, or drive 45 minutes to the beach location I love. So long story short, this move would release me from what I am not loving about my current location and would put me in a community with young families and a beach!

With the Muse/Queen of Spirals card upright, this one is pretty obvious. It screams yes. Why? Because the beach IS my muse. I have my best ideas there and not just my writing ideas either. Sometimes when we sit on the beach, my husband and I come up with great ideas for the future with greater clarity. I swear the ocean works just as well as a piece of clear quartz, except it much more soothing and relaxing to me. So I envision myself writing, journaling and creating art on the beach. But more importantly, I feel this card also benefits myself. I think this place will inspire us all creatively and bring us closer together. My sons already adore the beach and we always have a great time there.

With the Lovers reversed, I feel this card is suggesting that at this time, no we can't afford to move for the reasons previously statement. However, I also feel that this card is warning us about needing to make a commitment. If we really want to move, we both have to be committed to making changes and sticking to our revised (strict) budget. So I see this as a reminder that if we want to afford this house, we both have to work together and commit to the long haul....but I guess that's what marriage is anyway :)

Will I be happy there? Again, an obvious yes. The image of Elpi holding the star in the sky says it all to me. This is the card of hope and healing. I really do believe this particular location would do wonders for my soul. I think it will bring out more of my creativity, give me more of the community vibe I am seeking, and did I mention that my friend does new moon drumming circles on the beach every month? How many have I been to because I live where I live? None. How many would I go to if I moved? All of them. I am literally smiling just visualizing this.

So the Ace of Spirals in the reversed position here is giving me a bit of trouble. If it were upright, I would say yes because this Ace represents new ideas, new passion, new life, as well as transformation. But it's reversed so I am thinking no it's going to give me a fresh start, but I don't feel this is because it's the wrong location. Let me try to explain this. There was a sign I used to love at Splash Mountain in Disney that said, "Can't run away from trouble, ain't no place that far." And what the means to me, like this card in this position, is that changing locations won't change anything, if I don't change myself. Here's what I mean: regardless of location I have a lot of trouble following through with projects that I start. Creative ones. When it comes to work and money, I am a pentacles girl all the way - super responsible and always finishing what I start - and it comes so easy! But creatively, um....I get hooked on a new cool idea and then it quickly fizzles out. So right now my craft closet is filled with scrapbooking supplies and I don't I've ever finished one scrapbook. I have a ton of yarn left over from the one time I taught myself to crochet a blanket. I have a ton of mixed media art supplies from the time I signed up for a year long art class and only did two months of the classes (but don't worry, I downloaded all the lessons so I can access them for the rest of my life and do them whenever I feel like, so I didn't waste money). I am also in the middle of my paranormal romance novella and haven't written anything in a week. Oh, and I wrote a novel in 2011 and never edited or revised it. Sooooo, changing location will not change my lack of ability to see through creative projects (which by the way I am itching to make a dream catcher next) so I need to really dig deep and see where my resistance lies or figure out why I need to try and dabble in everything and then go from there. But this applies to anything and everything - the Ace of Spirals reversed warns that whatever is a problem for us here internally, will be a problem for us when we leave.

Herne the Hunter is an awesome card to have in this position. See that sword in his hand? He looks ready to cut away any BS. So if we want to move stress free, we need to just get it down and not procrastinate. We need to be clear on our expectations, we need to clear out the clutter of our current house and not take any of it with us to the new house, and we need to be brave and direct when making decisions.

So despite saying earlier that you can't run away from trouble, in certain instances you can. I don't want to get too personal here, because this card reversed is more than just about us leaving behind a house that no longer fits all of our junk. In fact, moving would give us a mega reason to downsize all of our material possessions. But I actually feel this has more to do with the way we interact as a family - the financial decisions we make (or don't make), our current routine, the way we relate to one another... I feel this move would give us a chance to see more clearly (and all that quartz in the card certainly helps) what our true values are. We already know our values and what we want for our family, but we aren't really living them. By choosing this location and forcing ourselves to live on less, I actually see this as a blessing, as a way to bring us closer together when a lot of our gadgets and routines keep us further a part.

The Nine of Spirals reversed is also giving me trouble. I see this card as representing a spiritual journey and I do feel a move to this community would be a nice step on my path, but because it's reversed I'm not really sure. When I looked up Nine of Spirals on the Chrysalis Tarot website, I got goosebumps because the post was talking about medicine wheels, birds, air, and Spirit. Today is the day I will be completing my Reiki 1 certification. I chose this teacher because she is a shaman and she is teaching me Reiki with a shamanic component and I LOVE it! She is the one who does the new moon drumming circles, etc. I feel like I have so much to learn from her and would love for her to be a mentor on my path. So maybe this card reversed means that if I move here, I will no longer be seeking outward, but instead will be seeking inward and in my own community? Not sure. I'll have to come back to this one.

And finally, the most challenging part of this spread: Gaia reversed in the position of what I need to know, but don't yet see. Intuitively, I get a sense that this is about really reflecting on what this move will mean for my children. My husband and I are obviously excited about this move and the baby is too young to care, but our three year old has some difficulties, so we need to really make sure moving would be in his best interest. But in my heart, I feel he would really love it there. I feel this card is about something deeper though, but I'm not sure what. Is it that we need to consider what life is like in a beach community that is really far from everyone else we love? Is it that we really need to think through the logistics of what it will mean to move away from my parents who help to watch our kids after school? Could be all of the above.

So please feel free to let me know if you think there's something I missed.

Do you read reversals? If so, how do you read them? Feel free to share!

All my best,

Amy

Weekly Oracle Reading for July 7, 2014

Living Consciously with the Tarot: The Lovers

My Thoughts on Mana Cards

A Rose by Any Other Name...

How many of you readers out there use a special name that you go by? And if so, how did you come about that name?

I am writing my paranormal romance under a pen name, and I started thinking about creating a special tarot reader name for myself when I came across these amazing journals by Seven Stars.

So I decided to use my Chrysalis Tarot deck to help me come up with a name.

When I looked at these cards, I understood that they were revealing my inner qualities as a tarot reader and as a person.
The Three of Spirals represents my contemplative nature. I often meditate before making any large decisions. In fact, I often use the cards for guidance whenever making big decisions. It also states in the guidebook that "the Three of Spirals is about maintaining an open mind and entertaining the helpful counsel of others" (35). This also describes my approach to life. I try my best to view all things with an open mind and often seek out the wisdom of people I trust. I also try to teach others to be more open minded as well as to offer my counsel when it's asked for.
I was thrilled to see Morgan Le Fay show up in this reading. She represents the High Priestess - magic and mysticism. I am a seeker who is into all things occult. I am a believer that there is more to this world than we can see with the visible eye. I look for signs of synchronicity daily and I am always looking to boost my intuition and psychic abilities. I find that the cards offer their own signs of synchronicity which is another reason I am so fond of them. The ravens represent my curiosity and my desire to weave magic into the mundane.
Last but not least, the Six of Stones, a card that comes up for me again and again in my personal readings. This card actually holds the most meaning for me. I am drawn to the beauty and wisdom of trees. The Celtic knots, weaving from deep roots all the way up the trunk and out into the branches, are just so enchanting and mystical to me. The Tree of Life has always been a meaningful symbol in my life. It represents growth and development as well as, in my opinion, having connections to the Wheel of the Fortune - in it's ability to stand strong in the earth, while still changing with the seasons. The guidebook states that this card is about "giving and receiving" as well as "caritas -charity of love for others and charity of love for self" (24). This is exactly why I love to give readings to others - I want to offer guidance in a loving and kind way that helps to empower the person I am reading for and to teach them that they have everything they need inside of them to get through whatever situation they are facing.

So now for the tough part: creating a name from this information. Do I go literal by focusing on the images in the cards - the trees, the raven, the gem stones? Or do I go figurative and try to find a way to create a name out of words that mean contemplation, mysticism, charity?

I'm open to any suggestions. Thank you.

All my best,

Amy

Weekly tarot reading for the week of June 23, 2014

Living Consciously with the Tarot: Breaking Habits

My Thoughts on the Gothic Tarot

Weekly Tarot Reading for the Week of June 16- June 20

Living Consciously with the Tarot: Video 1 (The Fool)

My Journey with Manifestation

Weekly Tarot Reading for June 8 - June 12

Intro to Living Consciously with Tarot Series

A New Direction

Hi everyone,

I hope you are all doing well. I did some deep reflection last week, especially at the start of the New Moon. I asked my angels and guides to heighten my intuition and creativity. The next day, I felt lethargic and heavy as I received messages explaining why I have been having trouble tapping into my creative well and not reaching the level of intuition that I would like. This was profound, but also troubling because I was given information that explained my current circumstances, but received no answers as to how to proceed forward. But the following day, the Universe followed up with the answers I needed and now I am very clear on what path I need to forge for myself.

Without going into too much depth, I wanted to share with you that this blog will not be going on hiatus. In fact, we are just getting started. Instead, my novel writing plans are going on hiatus, possibly permanently, but who knows. Never say never :)

I love reading and writing; but ultimately, helping people via tarot and oracle cards is my biggest passion. I love using the cards, discussing the cards, reading about the cards, watching and making videos about the cards. You get the picture. So I am going to move in the direction of my true passion!

Spirit has guided me to start a new video series called Living Consciously with the Tarot. Rather than choosing a card at random and discussing it, I will consciously choose a card that explains a situation or solves a problem. As an educator, I believe that modeling is a very valuable teaching tool, so that is the technique I will be using in this series. I will be modeling how to use tarot consciously by applying it to my own life and situations. I hope that viewers will watch what I do and apply it to their own lives. I am really interested in seeing the benefits of using the tarot to live more consciously!

I will be working on the first video this week. This video will explain the concept of consciously living with the Tarot in more depth. I'll keep which card I will be discussing as a secret for now, but I don't think it will be much of a surprise when you see it.

In terms of my personal path, I will be taking workshops and participating in more events that will provide me with even more opportunities to grow with the tarot in terms of reading professionally for clients. I am very excited for this new direction and I hope you will all come along with me! Thank you for being such loyal readers. I really appreciate it!

All my best,

Amy

Weekly Tarot Reading for the Week of June 2, 2014

The World Spread for Teachers

What should I be celebrating right now? 8 of Cups
What is my biggest accomplishment when it comes to teaching? 2 of Wands

What I should be celebrating right now is my ability to walk away and move on from stressful situations that can not be dealt with reasonably. Last week I had to deal with a highly charged situation regarding a student's behavior. That situation quickly escalated to the point where the student was threatening physical violence and an administrator had to intervene. Even though I am disappointed with the behavior of that student, I am proud that as an adult I have the ability to reason and not just make decisions based on emotions. Like the figure in the card, I have the ability to lead through example and not through lecturing. I have since let the situation drop and am continuing on from where we left off. I am not holding grudges or treating the student any differently. I am hoping that she will learn from my example on how to let go of things that don't serve her highest good.

I could have held on to that situation and let it ruin the remaining few weeks of the term, but instead I am choosing to celebrate that the situation was handled quickly and to my proper satisfaction. I can celebrate my positive traits: patience, rationality, clarity, and objectivity. Those are traits you really need to have if you are working with middle school students. If you are a highly emotionally charged person who takes everything personally, it will make for possible explosive situations.

My biggest accomplishment when it comes to teaching is my ability to plan long term. I use backwards design for planning my units and I find this incredibly helpful. I know what my goals and objectives are for my students and I am able to design lessons that will help them reach those goals and standards. This card also ties into my 8 of cups because I am celebrating that after next year I will be leaving 8th grade behind and moving on to teaching juniors and possibly AP. So I am already starting to begin my planning and preparation for the 2015-2016 school year. I need to start planning now to some extent because jumping up to teaching 11th grade after 7 years of teaching 8th grade will be a huge leap. I am used to teaching the basics. After next year, I will be teaching students to think more critically and more creatively. So I have a lot to celebrate and look forward to as the end of the school year approaches.

What are you celebrating?

All my best,

Amy

P.S. I have a new video series in the making and I am EXTREMELY excited about it!

Whimsical Wednesday: 9 of Swords/ Rapunzel

The World - Let's Celebrate

We have finally reached the World card and this card is all about celebrations, completions, and accomplishments! This totally fits with the end of May as many of our seniors are graduating and will be moving on to college in the fall. But the World card also reflects the end of a school year for all students and teachers as well. We have completed a journey and can now celebrate  all that we have learned. This is different from the Judgment card because instead of assessing what we have done, we are simply celebrating it instead.

The beauty of the World card is that it represents integration. It is not simply celebrating the completion of a project or a school year or celebrating our accomplishments, but rather being in the moment and celebrating where we are in this very moment. The World is inviting us to celebrate, without judgment, that where we are right now in our lives is exactly where we are meant to be.

This has been a tough year for me so far. It was hard coming back to work from maternity leave in the middle of the year when my students were already established with a teacher they liked. It was hard balancing work, a new baby, a marriage, an exercise routine, and finding out about my son's illness. At the same time, this has been a beautiful year. This blog is the first creative project that I have ever started and actually saw through to completion. I have had the pleasure of working closely with an author and being a part of her latest project. I have met some wonderful people online who have supported me on my journey. My team and I were also able to raise $2,500 for the MDA and it was a great feeling to reach our goal.

The World card is a reminder to stop periodically and celebrate the ups and downs in life. You may just surprise yourself about how many more wonderful things there are to celebrate than your sorrows. You should celebrate your gifts and talents and your ability to overcome the obstacles that come your way. As a teacher, you should celebrate your hard work and dedication to your students and your craft because this isn't a job for someone weak of spirit! So please, celebrate yourself this week. You deserve it!

I just want to share with you some pictures that represent the energy of the world card to me. These pictures show exactly what it means to be in the moment no matter what internal or external problems a person is facing - there is still so much beauty to appreciate during this journey called life.

Thank you so much for sharing this journey with me. What I have learned the most from this journey with the Major Arcana is that there is no end destination. There is only the journey. Enjoy that journey - the joys and the sorrows, the beauty and the hideous - because they all bring valuable lessons for your soul's growth. I wish you the best as you continue on your life's journey as well as your journey as a teacher.

All my best,

Amy

P.S. We will be celebrating our accomplishments in our next spread.
P.S.S. I will be taking a break from the blog after this week, but I will be coming back in September with plenty of new content. I hope you have an amazing summer vacation and that you will come back and visit the site again in the fall. I will still be posting videos on my youtube channel.

Thanks again! <3

100 Subscribers Free Reading Contest

Weekly Tarot Reading for the Week of May 24

VR Monthly Deck Challenge Week 4: Archangel Oracle Cards

The Judgment Spread for Teachers

What is my calling when it comes to teaching: Ace of Wands
What is my life's purpose: Compassion (Archangel Oracle Cards)

So when it comes to my calling as a teacher, the first thing I notice is the wand in the hand. Since wands correspond with the element of fire this makes me think of the expression "passing the torch." I feel my calling as a teacher is to pass on my love of learning and my love of literature to my students. The green leaves on the wand make me think of creativity and new ideas. So I also think my calling as a teacher is to teach my students to think creatively and to support their new ideas. I also have a gift for coming up with new, creative ideas for keeping my lessons fresh, so I think that is part of it as well.

When it comes to my life's purpose, I instantly noticed the ball of light between the angel's hands and  thought "healer." This card really validates my decision to go for my Reiki 1 certification this summer. I really feel drawn to do energy work and healing work. I also feel it is my life's purpose to support others and offer them my compassion and help when they go through difficult times.

What is your life's purpose? I'd love for you to share!

All my best,

Amy

Whimsical Wednesday: Judgment/Jiminy Cricket

Judgment - Reflection and Rising Up

It feels right that as we wind down our journey with the Major Arcana that it coincides with the home stretch of the school year. Judgment is all about taking some time out for some self reflection. Now this does not mean you should be tallying up scores about things you have done right or wrong. This isn't not about judging yourself in a critical or harsh way. Instead, it is truly about listening to the inner voice inside of you that is trying to awaken you to reaching your full potential and following your true passion and calling.

Throughout our journey with teaching and with the Major Arcana, we have experienced highs and lows. It is easy to get caught up in the day to day drama or to become complacent. But as a teacher and as a human being, it is important to not allow yourself to become stagnant or complacent. Rather, you should allow yourself to opportunity to evolve and live life in a way that truly resonates with your true desires and core values.

Look closely at the card. I am always drawn to the image of the dead rising from their coffins. It reminds me of how sometimes we can become like the living dead - no, not the cool zombies of the apocalypse who are into cannibalism - but just living, breathing people who go about our lives day in and day out feeling numbed out or disconnected. We know there should be more, but something feels missing. We know we could be happier, but we aren't sure how. We question if we are truly fulfilling our life purpose, but we don't try to figure out what that means.

The judgment card is about awakening and fulling engaging with life. Are you doing that?

Even if you are sure that teaching is your life purpose, are you becoming complacent? Are you recycling the same old lesson plans year in and year out without reflecting on what has been successful or not, just because it's easier? When was the last time you took a class or workshop? When was the last time you tried something new?

The judgment card is asking you to take some time to reflect on what you truly enjoy about teaching and to figure out more ways to infuse your passions and interests into your teaching. For example, I am obsessed with studying archetypes, mythology, and the hero's journey. This really resonates on a deep level for me. My school is very supportive of reading with a lens and teaching higher order thinking skills. So this allows me to infuse my love of archetypes into my teaching. We have been studying archetypes this term and applying them to ourselves and to the characters in the novel we are reading. We are also incorporating archetypes into our own short stories. This really energizes me. And when I feel energized and passionate about my subject, my students become more energized and passionate about what they are learning.

Veering away from teaching for a moment, this card is also important in our personal lives. In light of the Tower experience I have had recently, I have been thinking a lot about the Judgment card and what lessons it has for me. I have been deeply evaluating my life - the person I want to be, the direction I want to go in. I feel like I am taking a painful situation and using it to evolve spiritually and emotionally. It has awakened me to how I want to help others who are suffering. Before all of this, I lived in a bubble. Sure, I knew other people suffered, but it was so abstract. I was more caught up in the petty problems and silly stresses of every day life. But now I know what real suffering is and that some people have it even worse. It makes me want to reach out and truly help others. I feel called to learn reiki and other healing modalities. I feel this is part of my life purpose and I am taking steps to follow it. I have also been awakened to past mistakes I've made - times when I took the low road in situations with other people and caused them pain. I am now working to make amends and to truly become a more compassionate and living person.

What do you feel called to do either professionally or personally? Please feel free to share.

All my best,

Amy

Weekly Oracle Reading for the Week of May 19, 2014

Some Random Thoughts

Hi everyone,

I just felt like doing a freely written kind of post today on some of my thoughts. I may tend to ramble, but I hope you'll stay with me.

So first of all, we are two cards away from being finished with the Major Arcana. So now I have been thinking about the direction I want to take this blog if I decide to keep it going at all. I have really enjoyed looking at the Major Arcana from the perspective of a teacher, but sometimes I wonder how helpful these posts really are for others. Also, I am just beginning a new journey with my process of manifestation. I plan on doing a post about this sometime next week. I have been reading about manifestation and the law of attraction for quite a while now and I have started keeping a manifestation/synchronicities journal. This is where my focus seems to be these days.

I do plan on going internet/social media free this summer. I really want to spend my summer outside in nature and with my sons as well as working on some other creative projects like my novel and my mixed media art. That said, I will be taking a hiatus from this blog in the sense that I will not be writing any new posts after the World card until September. However, I do plan on posting weekly videos from my youtube channel onto this blog. I really enjoy making the videos and they aren't terribly time consuming for me.

If I do decide to pick up writing blog posts again in September, I'm not sure if my direction will be totally on Tarot anymore. I may choose to discuss other spiritual topics like meditation, yoga, writing, manifestation - things that I feel will also offer teachers benefits in terms of relaxation and spirit feeding. Of course, I will always talk about Tarot from time to time since that is the title of the blog after all.

I also just wanted to mention a couple things that I experienced this week. Yesterday I was really sad thinking about my son and feeling like I haven't been receiving a lot of emotional support from my friends. I cried during my lunch break. I was going to have the two classes I saw after MCAS testing read Lord of the Flies and work on their dialectical journals, but instead - I said, "Ef it." But not literally and not aloud. I simply scrapped those plans, pushed desks to the corners of the room, and had everyone sit in a circle on the floor. We used this free time to play games from my childhood: trapper, pattern changer, musical chairs, and 7 Up. It was awesome. It was great to see smiling faces and to see the kids actually interacting with one another and being social. So often they lose those opportunities because they are glued to their electronic devices. We definitely need a fun break after a few days of testing and I have no regrets.

The other thing I wanted to mention is that my homemade zen rock garden has been a huge success. And not just for myself. I have noticed students coming over to my desk to simply rake the sand and ask me about it. But more importantly, I had to have an intense conversation with a student because his dad is concerned about him. This is not a child who easily opens up. Yet he was able to tell me so much as he raked the sand of my zen garden. It really warmed my soul to see the relaxation power of the zen garden allow him to be able to have this conversation with me. I feel confident that this zen garden will have this effect on other students as well. So I just wanted to share that with all of you.

So I highly recommend getting a zen garden for your classroom or finding other relaxation tools that will allow students to be able to open up and share their feelings with you.

If you already have something like this in place, please feel free to share in the comments below. Thanks!

All my best,

Amy

Whimsical Wednesday: 5 of Pentacles/ The Ugly Duckling

The Sun - Finding the Joy in Teaching

How do you know when you are experiencing the energy of the Sun card? When you feel joy, bliss, enthralled, positive, and absolutely in love with what you are doing. This sums up for me what it means to be "in the flow." Sun days just fly by. All of a sudden, the class period ends and you're like, "Where did the time go?" Everything just seems to come together - the kids are learning and you are going home with a smile on your face.

Obviously teaching doesn't feel like this every day. But imagine if it could? I'm trying to think of ways that I can have more Sun energy throughout the school year. Number one, I need to stop thinking about all of the negative things that are outside of my control. Number two, I need to find ways to create more positive energy in my classroom.

For example, I currently have two shells on my desk (to connect with Lord of the Flies) as well as a new miniature zen garden I received for a Mother's Day gift. Making your classroom have a more relaxing or positive atmosphere can really help.

But what about the learning? This term I decided to get experimental and it is going REALLY well. We are reading Lord of the Flies and looking at it through an archetypal lens. So to correlate with this, I decided to have them do some creative writing. So as we read the story and analyze the characters, conflicts, archetypes, and symbolism, we will also be incorporating those things into our own short stories! I gave each student a random archetype card. So far they have created internal and external conflicts as well as back stories for their characters. It's pretty awesome because they are learning so much more about the elements of literature by applying what they learn to their own creations. I would love to do this every term, but my school puts more emphasis on nonfiction/essay writing.

But the students are really enjoying the process and I am enjoying teaching the process. They are more engaged and I am thrilled to see them actively participating in class. This is exactly what the Sun card feels like to me.

I would love to know what you do in your classroom that reflects the energy of the Sun. Please feel free to share!

All my best,

Amy

VR Monthly Deck Challenge Week 3: Goddesses and Sirens

My post on the Sun card will be ready tomorrow!

Weekly Oracle Reading for the Week of May 12, 2014

VR Monthly Deck Challenge Week 2: Conscious Spirit

The Moon Spread for Teachers

What area of my teaching needs light shed upon it: 10 of Wands
How should I handle this situation: The Hermit

10 of Wands: This card is not really a shocker to me. This card is all about feeling totally burdened by responsibilities. I am fully aware that there is a lot going on in my life right now both professionally and personally. I think what needs to be illuminated is how I can delegate those responsibilities. Or I just need to figure out what I need to let go of.

The Hermit: I really need to take a step back from the outside world for a while. I am in a period of major transition. It's funny because last week I decided that this summer I will go internet/social media free. I think this card is acknowledging that that is a good path to take. I need some time away to really evaluate my path. I know I will stick with teaching, but I need to evaluate the company I have been keeping, the way I want to live, and how I want to raise my family. My recent experiences have really opened my eyes about the world around me and I'm not really thrilled with what I have been seeing. But deep inside of me, I know the change needs to begin within. I want to live with more peace, joy, and love in my heart. I need to figure out what that looks like for me and begin to really manifest. This may very well mean severing my ties with certain people and certain lifestyle choices. We are currently in the process of going green. I have been making a list of ways to incorporate a more green lifestyle in our household and have been taking steps to move in that direction. I am moving away from the mainstream and I actually feel happier and freer about those choices. So the Hermit is validating for me that I need to go this part of my journey alone to really discover my true purpose and my true desires.

I apologize that this post has little to do with teaching. To be honest, my focus on my career has really taken a major back seat to what has been going on with my family. I am still working at capacity and have a pretty good unit going on with the novel we are reading, but I am not thinking about work at all once I go home for the day. I think that's the way it needs to be right now.

All my best,

Amy

Whimsical Wednesday: The Tower

The Moon - Navigating Through Uncertainty

There are many associations for the Moon card: illusion, deception, uncertainty, intuition, unconsciousness, etc. When I look at this card, I think of trying to navigate in the dark with limited light. In times when I have had to walk in darkness with just a flashlight, I felt anxious yet excited because I really had to rely on all of my senses including my intuition, so I wouldn't get hurt. That's not to say I didn't stumble from time to time, but overall I was able to navigate. Just not as easily as in daylight, obviously.

When it comes to teaching, the same analogy applies. This card represents needing to rely on all of your senses in order to navigate through the uncertainty of teaching. Yes, we can make a plan and be super organized and write lessons and design assessments, but you will still never feel 100% certain about what you are doing. Sometimes it will still feel like you are feeling your way in the darkness.

This card comes up when we do not have all the facts. We can do our best to teach based on what we learned in school and based on our teaching experience, but every year we have different kids with different needs and there will always be different mandates to meet. So ultimately, you need to rely on your intuition if you want to be successful. You know what just "feels" right.

For example, last week I planned a lesson for the beginning of my Lord of the Flies unit. It was intended to increase student interest in starting the book as well to get them thinking about how societies are formed. I had them choose which would be their top priority if they were stranded on an island: building shelter, hunting for food, or starting a signal fire (all three things discussed in the book). After they chose, I put them in groups based on their choices. Then I gave them two instructions: choose a leader and come up with rules for their society. As they did this, I circulated the room and took observational notes. Then we came together as a class to discuss the process. They talked about what went well and what challenges they faced. It went fine, but I felt like something was missing...

So for the next class, I started the same way but this time I had one group at a time do the activity in the middle of the classroom, while the other students sat in a circle around them taking observational notes with me. This worked out a lot better, because they all had the opportunity to observe the process of other students and to analyze that process. Sometimes it is easier to analyze another group because you feel more subjective when talking about your own process. I was worried that if they watched each other that it would get boring or repetitive. It didn't. The groups were so different - some were large, some were small, some had mostly boys, others mostly girls. It all made a difference and we were all able to discuss how those differences affected their ability to create their societies.

I feel the Moon card is a great card to think about when it comes to changing your lessons on the fly. You can plan all you want, but sometimes after you see it in practice you come up with an even better idea.

If this has ever happened to you, I would love to hear it!

All my best,

Amy

Weekly Oracle reading for the week of May 6, 2014

VR Monthly Deck Challenge: Week 1 Gateway Oracle Cards

The Star Spread for Teachers

How can I heal how I feel about my work situation? Heart Chakra
How can I find more inspiration for my teaching? Win or Lose (5 of Swords)

The Heart Chakra card makes a lot of sense in terms of how I can heal my work situation. Having a balanced Heart Chakra allows a person to be open to both receiving and giving unconditional love, compassion, and harmony. So if I want to heal my work situation and feel less burned out, I need to balance my Heart Chakra. I can do this through meditation, of course. But I can also do this by expression daily gratitude and by being mindful of my emotions and the emotions of others. The truth is, we all have a story. Everyone is going through something, even if it may look like someone has a perfect life. We don't know what they are going through. My students don't know what I am going through in terms of my son's health and I don't know what their individual stories are either. I don't know their struggles or suffering. When we are in the classroom, we are connecting over the literature we read. So it's important for me to remember that everyone needs love and compassion, especially the ones who are acting out. They are usually the ones who need it the most.

The Win or Lose card was unexpected for me in terms of how I can find more inspiration for my teaching. But then I sat with it and thought about how I phrased the question. The 5 of swords represents mental conflicts. When we read novels in English class, we are often drawn to the conflicts in the books - both internal and external. We can learn a lot about ourselves and how we handle conflicts when we read about the conflicts of others. Right now we are beginning Lord of the Flies and there are plenty of conflicts in that book. But I also think I need to be inspired to reassess how I handle conflict with my students. If a students is pushing my buttons or getting out of hand, it is best for me to be mindful of my breathing and to detach myself emotionally from the conflict. This way I can keep perspective and stay objective. It is easy to become emotional or take things personally when someone is acting hostile towards you or speaking to you disrespectfully, but as the adult and authority, it is best to stay in control and model proper behavior.

Enjoy the rest of the week.

All my best,

Amy

Whimsical Wednesday: 6 of Pentacles

The Star - Renewed Inspiration

Now that we have looked at what causes feelings of burn out and what we can do to ease those feelings, we are moving on to the next part of our journey. The Star card is all about healing, renewal, hope, inspiration, and transformation. This is a truly beautiful and spiritual card.

Although I hate to use cliches, this card always reminds me of the rainbow after the storm. We have been through so much on our journeys as educators. We have experienced joys and sorrows, hopes and fears. The Tower card left us feeling shaken and maybe worn out, but the Star card is here to help us learn and grow for the better. This card is a beautiful reminder that we don't suffer in vain. There are valuable lessons to be learned from our suffering. The message is to take those lessons and apply them to our lives, both in and out of the classroom.

As I prepare to head back to work tomorrow, I am feeling a sense of hope, excitement, creativity and inspiration. However, this is not the same as how I felt at the beginning of my journey as represented by the Fool card. The Fool was before I knew better. But now I have real experience under my belt. I now know what works and what doesn't. I can make better decisions based on what has happened. I know what I need to do to take care of myself to avoid burn out, while still working to my highest capacity for the interests of my students.

I have been experiencing some other Tower moments lately, especially my son's recent diagnosis of Muscular Dystrophy. Sometimes there are things that happen to us and our loved ones that make us want to break down and we feel as though we can never truly be happy again. This is why the Star card is so important. It's a gentle reminder that we need to acknowledge our feelings and hurts as represented by the element of water and we need to heal those feelings and hurts. We need to find little ways to be happy even when we are facing huge obstacles. This is why I try to spend as much time out in nature as possible with my family and why I schedule reiki/massage treatments for myself every two months. The human experience is not always kind and pleasant, so it is up to us to treat ourselves with love and kindness.

I know this had veered off the topic of teaching, but the same does apply. Teaching is a tough job. We all know this. We will face difficult challenges again and again. But it is important to remember that we are doing the best that we can, that we learn and grow from each experience, and that we do our best to be gentle with ourselves as we continue on our path.

Here are some suggestions for how to create more Star energy in your life:

Spruce up your classroom desk: Plants, crystals, pictures of loved ones, meaningful knick knacks are always great ways to lift your mood if you are feeling stressed.

Take a time out. Try meditating for ten minutes during your prep period.

Make sure you are getting enough sleep, eating right, spending time with people you love, and making time for outside passions and hobbies.

Allow yourself to feel what you feel. Write it all down in a journal. Use your tarot/oracle cards for guidance and support.

Write down a list of your accomplishments. Sometimes we get so caught up worrying about where we are lacking, we don't spend enough time looking at all that we've done and celebrating those accomplishments.

I'm sure you've heard these tips again and again, but they are so important. I honestly can't repeat them enough. And I guess my biggest message with this card would be to do your best to nurture yourself, love yourself, and heal yourself. We all experience Tower moments, but we can't let our lives be ruled by them. We need to have more Star moments. We need to live each day trying to notice the beauty of our flawed, human existence.

All my best,

Amy

Oracle Card Reading for the Week of April 27, 2014

Please Support My Team as We Walk for a Cure for Muscular Dystrophy

I just wanted to make you all aware that my family will be participating in the Muscle Walk in Ipswich, MA on June 7th to help raise money for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. My son is 3 years old and we recently found out that he has muscular dystrophy. Very soon he will be having a muscle biopsy to determine if he has Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy or Becker Muscular Dystrophy. This is a very difficult time for our family, but we are determined to face it by being positive and proactive. This walk will not only help us raise money for a cause that affects us, but will also allow us the opportunity to meet and help other families who are affected by this life changing illness. If you feel called to do so, please click the badge on the side of this blog post and donate. My team is called Evan's Entourage and we are trying to raise $500. Your donation would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your love and support.

All my best,

Amy

Expect Miracles this Weekend

Hi everyone,

I apologize for the lack of videos this week, but I've been using the week off to spend quality time with my family and to recharge my energetic batteries to head back to work bigger and better than ever! It's funny to me the way the cards have worked out by looking at one a week since the start of January. It makes sense that the Tower card would show up during April vacation when many of us are feeling spent and needing a vacation or just some time away. Then starting up this week we will be looking at the Star card - the card of healing and renewal. I've been noticing some Star energy already just by observing all of the flowers that are finally popping up in my state of Massachusetts! So I am definitely looking forward to more Star energy! I think we all could use some!

So I decided to focus this post on another weekend draw, this time from the Gateway Oracle Cards by Denise Linn. I recently posted a video draw using these cards. I have been working with this oracle deck all week because I am currently doing a monthly deck challenge that was inspired by OwlMoon513's youtube channel. She recently did a video series explaining her deck challenge for getting to know your cards better and just yesterday she posted a video of extra tips for using your cards during the deck challenge. So I recommend checking out her videos and trying out the monthly deck challenge if you have multiple decks in your collection. You can do this deck challenge with tarot or oracle cards.

The card for this weekend is Expecting Miracles. I am getting two messages from this card. The first message is that if you have been going through a challenging time, your prayers are about to be answered. The pair of hands on the card are open and in the receiving position, so things that you have asked for will be making their way to you. That being said, it is important to keep your heart open. Miracles do not always show up in big, grandiose ways. Sometimes they come in small, simple packages. So you need to be open to receiving miracles in whatever form they show themselves. The second message that is that this is a perfect time to grow something in your own life. Looking at the pair of hands again, I see a flower and leaves flowing from the hands. This is a perfect time to let your creativity flow through you in some way - like gardening, writing, making art, cooking, or whatever your favorite form of creation is. Every time you create something, you are giving birth to your own little miracle. You brought something to life whether in your garden, on the page, or wherever that wasn't there before!  This message is made even more clear by the image of the sphere in the center. This sphere reminds me of an egg. so this card is all about fertility, maybe not in the literal sense, although of course it could be! But regardless, you can expect miracles this weekend - miracles that you receive and miracles you help create. Have a beautiful weekend, everyone. I hope you all go back to work on Monday feeling rejuvenated and ready to finish out the remaining school year.

All my best,

Amy

The Tower Spread for Teachers

What is contributing to my feeling burned out? 5 of Pentacles (Feeling Alone)
What is one thing I can do to help myself? The Emperor (Lead)

This was a very cool reading. As I was shuffling the cards, I was repeating the questions again and again in my mind. Each time I asked a question, the card for that question literally flew out of the deck. I love when that happens. It's like the cards are screaming, "Pick me! Pick me!"

As soon as I looked at the cards, I just nodded my head in agreement. They absolutely make so much sense for me.

When I look at the image on this card. The woman walking in darkness with nothing more than the moon and a small lantern to light her way is what stands out to me the most. This is exactly how I feel about teaching. I feel completely alone and that even after nine years, I still don't have a clue about what I am doing. The mountains, the dark forest, and the marshland make me think of all of the obstacles I face every day at work. I see the small cottage as a place of solace and peace, but don't know how to get there. As many of you know, teaching can be a very isolating experience. I meet with my team twice a week, but we all teach different subjects. I am lucky if I meet with my department once a month. I feel completely alone, searching for answers for how to reach my students. I feel very isolated from my students because I can't seem to break their walls or break their cycles of apathy and anger. When I feel isolated, I feel like a victim. When I feel like a victim left out in the cold, I feel burned out.

But the Emperor card is trying to encourage me. He is trying to empower me. When I feel like giving up, this is exactly the time to reclaim my kingdom - well, my classroom. I have to step up and take control of my situation. Students need a strong leader - someone they can trust and believe in. If I don't believe in myself, then why should they? I imagine the scroll in his hand as a blueprint for success, a map that he refers to when it's time to come up with a strategy for war. This doesn't mean I should view my students as my enemies, but sometimes it certainly feels that way. Therefore, I need to reclaim my power in the classroom and assert my will. Not through force, but by reinforcing my rules and procedures. I do plan on using the new social responsibility whole-school rubric when I return as  way to hold students more accountable for their behavior in class. I also need to find a way to inspire them and make them want to comply. I have to reconnect with the energy of the Emperor so that I can feel empowered rather than imprisoned.

If you feel called, please feel free to share what makes you feel burned out and how you handle those times. I hope you are enjoying April break!

All my best,

Amy

Whimsical Wednesday: The Lovers

The Tower - The Burn Out Card

Now most sources discuss the Tower as a sudden change that brings upheaval into one's life. I suppose that makes sense. Some examples would be a sudden break up, a sudden job loss, an unexpected and negative health diagnosis. This can be true of teaching as well - a student can become ill, hospitalized, and miss two months of school or a student can be pulled out of school expectantly by his or her parents for a variety of reasons. Those example are actually some things I have experienced this year.

However, I don't necessarily feel that the Tower needs to represent a sudden change. When I look at the imagery of the Tower, I think about all of the things that can test our foundations. Looking at the card closely, you see lightning striking and a fire spreading, but you also see a very sound structure standing upon a mountaintop. To me, this is so important. As teachers, we face many stressful situations. We can have stressful interactions with students, parents, colleagues, and administrators. We can feel stressed by lesson planning, grading, uploading artifacts into the new evaluation system, trying to comply with new demands and deadlines. The list could go on and on. But I feel that this card is trying to tell us that we need to view these things as tests to find out how strong we are. When this card shows up, we need to reevaluate our core beliefs and values when it comes to teaching and when it comes to our lives. Which of these things that cause us stress are out of our control or within our control? Which of these things have to do with our personalities and shadows and the way that we perceive certain situations?

I feel that the Tower can also represent feeling out of control and feeling like everything is falling apart. When that happens, it is really time to take a big step back. In fact, take a day off if you need to and use that day to assess your current situation. For me, this card represents burn out. Sometimes I feel so overwhelmed by my duties, by my responsibilities, by the weight of high stakes testing, by the awful situations that some of my students are facing, so on and so forth. When this occurs, it is a signal that I need to take some time out to meditate, relax, and get clear on what is really bothering me. Is it teaching or is it some other factor?

We all feel burned out from time to time. Here are some suggestions for what you can do when you feel burned out and think you may want to reconsider another school or another career field altogether:

• Get grounded and meditate. I can't stress this enough. Even if you hate the thought of sitting still for more than 1 minute, I highly recommend giving it a try. Doing this can really help bring clarity to a situation.
• Do something fun. I usually feel burned out when I feel like my work/life balance is out of control. This is especially true if I am feeling stressed out at work AND at home. So it's important to do something nice for yourself. 
• Write down your reasons for feeling burned out. Then go through your list and cross out the things you have no control over and put a check mark next to the things you do have some control over. Then write some possible things that you can do to change the things you do have control over so that you can be happier or less stressed.
• Spend time out in nature. I find hiking a trail or walking along the beach to be very relaxing.
• Exercise, get enough sleep, and eat healthy. You have to take care of your basic root chakra needs if you want to be successful in any other task in your life!
• Slow down. It's great that you want to do so much to be the best teacher you can be, but don't bite off more than you can chew. Take baby steps instead of trying to rush in and do everything all at once.
• Write a list of your core values and beliefs. Write down why you wanted to be a teacher in the first place.
• If you REALLY feel like you want to quit, write a pro and con list for the reasons why you should stay or leave the profession.

Don't get down on yourself if you are feeling burned out. It happens to the best of us. Remember, the Tower card is a reminder that our foundation, our true core center, is unshakeable. No matter what life throws at you, you are strong, capable, and able to overcome anything!

All my best,

Amy

Oracle Card Reading for the Week of April 20, 2014

The Weekend

Hi everyone,

I don't have a special post for this day like I do on most Fridays. I am going to be spending the day off with my boys. However, I decided to do a daily draw for all of us for the weekend using the Conscious Spirit Oracle Deck by Kim Dreyer and here it is....

It's "The Present" card. It says, "I fully experience every moment of my life by living in the present." What a powerful message! This is a beautiful reminder to stay present this weekend. Don't think about work, don't think about what happened last week, and don't worry about the future. Stay in the now. This will bring us the peace and contentment that we need. So enjoy your weekend and if you catch yourself stepping out of the moment, just close your eyes, do some deep breathing, and connect with your five senses. This will help reconnect you to the present moment.

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone.

All my best,

Amy

The Devil Spread for Teachers

What fears, habits, or negative thought patterns are preventing me from being the teacher I want to be? Trust (The Fool)
What do I need to do to overcome this problem? Awaiting Results (7 of Pentacles)


One of the major things that prevents me from being the teacher I want to be is my unwillingness to trust myself and to have faith in my abilities. I am not a risk taker and often stay in bad situations because I am so afraid of the unknown. But this is holding me back in many ways. I have been teaching for nine years and seven of those years have been spent teaching 8th grade. I have been offered the opportunity to teach 11th or 12th graders, but I fear being unsuccessful with upper class men because teaching middle school students is all I know. On top of that, I have also had other big ideas that I have wanted to try in my 8th grade classes, but I fear the repercussions of those potential actions. I would love to have crystals in my classroom and I would love to do 5 minute yoga/meditation activities with my students to either calm them or energize them depending on the situation. I don't know why I fear trying new things in my classroom, but I definitely need to get over it.

The 7 of Pentacles is a reminder that I should trust myself because I do have a clear vision for what I want for my students.The 7 of pentacles represents my ability to see the bigger picture and the fact that I have been planting seeds for many years that I need to allow to bloom. Over the years I have developed a curriculum map, essential questions, objectives, and authentic assessments to have my classes run effectively and efficiently. I use backwards design when planning my units and every year I take professional development courses to keep my teaching fresh. I have to start giving myself credit for the hard work that I have put in these past nine years and understand that results can take a long time to show up. The 7 of Pentacles is a metaphor of all the work I have been doing up to this point. I have planted the seeds, watered them, and nurtured them and now I just need to wait patiently for the results to blossom. But in the meantime, I need to start taking some risks and trying some new things along the way.

I hope you find this spread helpful.

All my best,

Amy

Whimsical Wednesday: 5 of Cups/ Captain Hook

The Devil - When the Classroom Becomes a Prison

We have now reached the Devil card on our journey. This card is the complete opposite of Temperance. While Temperance is all about balance, harmony and patience, the Devil is all about oppression, addiction, obsessions, and fears. I feel this card is a great representation of the dark side of teaching. If we don't face our shadows, it can and will lead to burn out.

It is usually around this time of the year that I begin questioning whether or not I should stay in teaching. If I am perfectly honest, even after nine years I still don't feel I am cut out for this. It was my childhood dream to become a teacher because I loved being a student. But things look and feel a lot different behind the other side of the desk. When I went to college and did my student teaching, I felt somewhere deep inside that this job was not for me. But I loved reading and writing, so I hoped that would be enough. After all, with student loans looming over me and not wanting to face parental disappointment since they had also shelled out a lot of money to help me go to school, what other option did I have than to stick with the course I had mapped out for myself?

Although I have learned to make peace with my decision to stick with teaching, it hasn't been an easy one. It is one that I continue to question again and again, year after year. But as I approach my tenth year of teaching, I am starting to realize that my problem isn't with teaching. My problem is the emotional crap that this job stirs up for me.

The Devil card represents a situation in which a person feels stuck or imprisoned. Teaching brings up a lot of feelings of oppression and bondage for me. My core desire feeling is freedom. I am a true free spirit who doesn't like to feel tied down to anyone or anything. I have only discovered this recently about myself through shadow work and working with Danielle LaPorte's brilliant workbook called The Desire Map. Being a teacher makes me feel the opposite of free. Let's face it - there's hours of grading and planning, there's boring after school meetings, there's following up with emails from parents and students - it's a lot of freaking work! And I am not a lazy person by any means. On the contrary, I am quite ambitious, hard working and competitive. But at my core being, I want to feel free.

I also feel oppressed when I feel my time and energy are being disrespected. It really angers me when students talk while I am talking or when I catch them texting, sleeping, or trying to do another teacher's homework in my class. I hate when they roll their eyes, suck their teeth, and swear under their breath about what a bitch I am. I hate when I put a lot of time into my instruction, provide models, go over rubrics - only to find that my students have not paid attention, not taken notes, left my rubric on the floor and then turn in a low quality piece of work and are absolutely indignant when they receive a low score. I hate when parents email me to complain about their child's grades and imply that I am either too unreasonable, too difficult, or too incompetent and that their little cherub deserves an A just for turning in something, even if it is a piece of garbage that was scribbled five minutes before it was due!

But if I am going to survive this profession and stay with it until retirement, then I have to face my shadows. It it imperative that I stop taking things personally, that I stop obsessing over every infraction, that I get over feeling like a failure. I need to apply what I learn through yoga and meditation to become a more Zen teacher.

The Devil card is a reminder that we are not truly trapped by anyone or anything other than our own perceptions about a situation. The fact that the naked figures in the card are not truly chained and are free to go at any time suggests that we too can be free, but only if we are willing to face our fears and our shadows.

What bad habits, negative thought patterns, or fears are holding you back from being the teacher you want to be? This week's spread will help us identify these issues and look for ways to overcome them.

All my best,

Amy

Weekly Tarot Reading for the Week of April 14th

Tarot by Numbers: The 7's

Whimsical Wednesday: The Star/The Blue Fairy

Temperance Spread for Teachers

What will help me create more life/work balance in my life: Love Abounds (Ace of Cups)

This card comes up a lot for me in personal draws and it makes sense given my circumstances at this time.  I am currently going through a stressful time both professionally and personally. The stress is taking a major toll on my body and I have an upcoming doctor's appointment to address these issues. The Ace of Cups reminds me that I need to get in touch with what I LOVE. I need to really look within my heart and and focus on what I really love - my family, spending time outdoors in nature, writing, creating art, yoga, meditation, kickboxing - and make sure that I am making as much time for those things as possible. The Ace of Cups is also a reminder to balance my heart chakra. I need to let love in. I need to practice forgiveness - of myself and of others. I need to let go of anger and resentment. Love is the ultimate thing I need to focus on in order to achieve a healthy work/life balance. Love is what I need to live a healthy life period.

What do you need to do to achieve a better work/life balance in your life?

All my best,

Amy

What Tarot Can Teach You About Yourself

I know I normally only post about Tarot as it relates to teaching, but tonight I feel really compelled to write about my personal relationship with the cards.

Tonight I picked up my Housewives Tarot deck (which I haven't picked up in quite a few months) and randomly started shuffling. I didn't even have a question in mind. I just felt drawn to pick up that deck and it felt great in my hands. As I continued shuffling, five of the cards fell down on the floor. I picked them up and started really looking at them and I realized that they were all reflections of my Self.

I believe in synchronicity. So when cards fall out like that, I know they are meant for me to really contemplate. Usually only one or two cards fall out like that for me, so I knew this was an important message for five to have fallen.

I have been feeling really stuck lately. There have been a lot of things that haven't felt right lately and I have been questioning who I am and what I really want out of life. I have been feeling fragmented and pretty down on myself. But when I looked at those five cards, I felt they were the beautiful pieces that make up exactly who I am.

The High Priestess - I am spiritual, intuitive, and deeply in touch with my inner wisdom. It is this inner knowing that alerts me when I am out of alignment with my true nature. The beauty of feeling raw negative emotions is that it is my inner self reaching out to me and letting me know what isn't working so that I can find a new path and realign myself with what truly makes me happy.

The 9 of Wands - I am a highly ambitious, motivated woman. I am creative and not afraid of hard work to achieve my goals.

The 4 of Wands - But I am also a woman who likes to relax and enjoy the simple things. Sometimes I don't want to be running on all cylinders. Sometimes I want to just kick back, relax, and just be.

I had been feeling very conflicted lately because I desire to do so much - write a successful blog, edit my novel, write a new novel, so on and so forth. But I also desire to just hang out in bed and read or just spend the day playing with my children or just snuggle with my husband. But the 9 of Wands and the 4 of Wands tell me not to feel conflicted at all. They are both pieces of me. They balance each other out.

The Page of Wands - When I look at the image of the boy with his mischievous grin riding on his wooden toy horse, I see my inner child and my divine spark. I am imaginative and playful. These are the things that make me a fun mom and a true artist. This card reminds me that my soul is timeless, that I am full of creative ideas, and that I should always allow myself time to play.

The Page of Cups - As a Page, I may not be as mature as a Queen or a King, but that's OK! The image of the child watering his plants reminds me that even though I may not always have the best control over my emotions, I am still a very loving and nurturing person. I may not always feel like a good mom or a good teacher, but my desire to nurture my kids and my students is what gives me the strength to keep on going even when everything feels so difficult.

Pages also represent students and I have been and will always be a lifelong learner above all else.

I challenge you to pick up your deck today and either see what falls out or select a few cards. What do they reveal about you?

All my best,

Amy

Temperance - Work/Life Balance

At this point in your journey, whether a first year teacher or a seasoned veteran, you may be feeling out of sync in terms of your work/life balance. This happens to all of us from time to time. But Temperance reminds us that everything must be done in moderation and that in order to create harmony in our lives, we must find a way to balance our professional lives and our personal lives appropriately.

I am just as guilty as anyone for letting work take over my life. Teaching is a very time consuming and energy zapping job. But when I let my work life take over and let my personal life suffer, this often leads to feelings of anger and resentment. This obviously keeps me from experiencing what we are all meant to feel - love and happiness. On top of that, it can also lead to health problems. Speaking for myself, I have suffered from digestive problems and chest pain when I don't have a handle on my work stress and focus all of my time and energy on work. When I look at the road leading to a golden crown in this card, it reminds me that in order to be healthy and experience joy, I need to find a proper balance in my life. If not, it will only lead to burn out (which we will discuss when we get to the Tower card).

The two cups with water flowing between them represent mixing two opposing forces to make something new or to heal us in some way. For teaching, I see this as mixing knowledge with fun. In order to create a harmonious classroom, we must find a way to balance content knowledge with fun. If there is no fun, the vibe in the classroom will be angry and hostile. If there is only fun, the vibe will be one of chaos and havoc. There needs to be a true balance of both to find success.

I really enjoy the symbolism of the Temperance card from my Housewives Tarot deck. It shows a standing mixer and ingredients such as joy, sorrow, anger, and justice. This reminds us that we must take the good with the bad and that life is a combination of positive and negative emotions. If we never felt anger or sorrow, we would never be motivated to make positive changes and better choices.

So I hope you think about what you need to do to balance your work/life situation as well as to assess how things are going in your classroom. This week's spread will focus on what we need to do to create more balance in our lives. I hope you find ways to infuse some fun into your professional and personal lives this week.

All my best,

Amy

Weekly Tarot Reading for the Week of April 7, 2014

Tarot by Numbers: The 6's

The Death Card Spread for Teachers

What needs to die in order for my teaching to improve: 2 of Wands (Spread Your Wings)
How will be teaching improve as a result of this death: The Magician (Manifest)

I love how the Magician keeps showing up in my readings, especially since becoming the Magician in my classroom is one of my key goals. Now at first glance, it may be challenging to see how something that looks so positive (the 2 of wands) needs to die in order for my teaching to improve.

The two of wands is all about long term planning. It's about taking an idea and trying to devise a plan to make a dream a reality. Long term planning is something that all teachers do. We create curriculum maps for the entire school year and then we create units for our terms. So what could possibly be the harm in being a planner? The problem for me personally is that I always seem to have one foot in the current school year and one foot in the next school year. So while I am teaching and trying to focus on the students I have at the present moment, during my team meetings, department meetings, and individual meetings with my department head, I am always working on the next year's goals. The danger in this is that usually by this time of year, between being burned out by my current students and feeling overwhelmed by what's not working, I tend to just start immersing myself fully in planning for the upcoming year. So pretty much I feel like spreading my wings and flying away from my current students so that I can start focusing on my future students. In my imagination, those students will be more focused, more organized, less apathetic, and less rude. Of course, eventually reality will replace the fantasy and I will be right back where I started. I take full responsibility for this problematic cycle. The part of the cycle that isn't my fault is that I am always being asked by administrators to create and pilot new programs. I think I need to start saying no to some of these projects so I can spend more time in the present with the students I currently have and focus on solving the current problems instead of hoping to solve them with my next set of students.

If I can do this, I will be a true Magician. True magic is about taking what isn't working and fixing the problems in real time instead of simply wishing them away. It's all fine and dandy to reflect on things that have gone wrong and trying to plan and change things for the future, but the real magic of a teacher comes from facing current problems head on. So I really need to stop spending so much time in future planning and start spending more time looking at what isn't working currently and making changes right away. If I want to manifest a successful classroom, I need to start experimenting in the present and stop strategically planning for the future. Today is all we have, tomorrow is not promised.

Amazingly enough, this reading also applies to my novel writing career, but that's a completely separate post. I would be really interested to know what needs to die in your career or in your life in order for you to live the life you want to be living. So please feel free to share if you feel called to. Thanks!

All my best,

Amy