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January 23 through January 29, 2023

With all the upheaval of last week’s planetary shifts, this week starts out on a calmer note under the Pisces Moon. We’ll embrace a harmonious and free-flowing vibration until Wednesday when the Aries Moon spurs us back into action. Dancing through this creative sign until Friday, this is a great time for brainstorming, putting new ideas into action (or at least down on paper!), and negotiation. Venus will move into Pisces on Thursday, turning our focus to magic, fantasy, and all things metaphysical. Our intuitions will be on high alert, and following those random hunches could pay off handsomely over the next four weeks! The weekend unfolds under a Taurus Moon, where we can choose to tackle the clutter surrounding us or simply drop on the couch and catch up on all those shows we’ve recorded or have been meaning to stream. Or perhaps a mixture of both. Either way, the weekend is for regrouping, restoring, and relaxing!

Tarot as a Way of Mindfulness: 4 Ways the Cards Help You Find Spiritual Fulfillment, by Johannes Fiebig

(Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal.)

We fell in love with the tarot in the early 1980s. Tarot became our profession then, and for decades we did lectures, workshops and seminars on the tarot. We also wrote many tarot books (mainly in Europe, but with increasing interest in the USA and Canada), which have been translated in numerous languages.

Our Story
In 1989, some years after becoming tarot professionals, we founded the Königsfurt publishing company, which specialized in tarot, dreams, fairy tales, and the interpretations of these topics based on cultural and psychological approaches, being devoted to the human potential movement and a down-to-earth spirituality.

In 2007, we sold the company and merged with AGM Urania. Since 2007, Evelin was the event manager and Johannes was the general manager of both Königsfurt-Urania and AGM Urania. For a long time, we had kind of three occupations: writing tarot books and doing tarot events; running the publishing companies; and living and growing with our two children (who are now long-since adults, living in Hamburg and Paris). We continue to live close to Kiel, a state capital city in Germany, at the Baltic Sea.

The Story of Tarot: The Way of Mindfulness
Since our beginnings, tarot has been a way of mindfulness (and a way to mindfulness) for us. When we retired in 2018, we asked ourselves: Why did we never make a book that had mindfulness as its main focus? So, we conceived and wrote Tarot: The Way of Mindfulness, initially a short and easy-reading introduction of our essentials that was published in German in 2019.

Some Core Content of the New Book
We, the authors, are committed to "emotional intelligence" and "spiritual consciousness" as a valuable and inevitable addition to all the technical know-how and practical routines we must learn for our life. And we know for sure by experience that a mindful practice of tarot card reading will support and train these emotional and spiritual capabilities.

Mindfulness means an astute, open acceptance of the moment. The tarot card read-ing may train the attentive perception and exploration of the moment.

You practice to see each tarot image (and for advanced users: to see each symbol and each detail) very carefully and without prejudice or preconception, to make a difference between the first and further glances of an image, between your spontaneous and your conscious understandings even of very touching motifs. Further, you train and develop your creative use of chance. Finally, you study the meaning of old and new concepts of some major mysteries of life (as birth, love, death, eternity, autonomy, responsibility, freedom, intention, fulfillment of talents, and many more subjects), and you practice the creation of personal questions and answers for these and other mysteries, puzzles and highlights of life.

Why Tarot Pictures May Lead to Mindfulness: Some Examples
1. Pictures are like doors. Waite and Smith conceived and designed symbolic pictures for the 78 cards. This was a visual revolution compared to the traditional tarot imagery, as everybody now could look and see by him/herself, and was not led to merely believe in doctrines anymore.

Waite knew pretty well what they did. In his accompanying books The Key and The Pictorial Key to the Tarot, he noted:

"The pictures are like doors which open into unexpected chambers, or like a turn in the open road with a wide prospect beyond." (London 1911, p. 169).

He knew it and he mentioned it in these remarkable sentences that they started a new chapter in the field of symbolism and of spiritual experience.

2. Mindful perception is required. The pictures of the tarot of Waite and Smith lead to unexpected encounters once and again, if you pay attention to them. They call for a careful perception of the images and a mindful understanding of its meanings and requested actions. Let us look on a few examples.

One of the most typical examples is the Six of Cups. It includes a double-face, which usually is not recognized at the first glance.

A double-face: The small woman looks away from the mannequin/dwarf (the yellow patch is her face, with an orange-red scarf on the left and right). Or she is also looking towards him (now the yellow is her hair, with her face to the left and the scarf to the right). Most people spontaneously only see one of the variants, either the attention or the avoidance. And that is for a reason.

This picture is about a return in the times of our personal childhood. The large dwarf and the little woman depict ourselves. It is a sign of spiritual maturity when as adults we succeed in being children again! And that means taking another look at the experiences that we had in childhood. We return to former crossroads (see the "X" cross within the picture). That gives us the opportunity to encounter now the missing part of the double-face of our personal history.

Those who, at first glance, see the forward facing version of her face first and foremost see and seek a "Yes," i.e. agreement in relationships and matters of feeling. They find it more difficult to say "No."

Woman Facing Forward on the Six of Cups from the Waite-Smith Tarot

Those who, at first glance, see the face that is looking away tend more towards a "No;" in other words: setting limits in relationships and matters of feeling. For them, it is saying "Yes" that they find more difficult.

Woman Facing Away on the Six of Cups from the Waite-Smith Tarot

In the end, both of these "points of view" belong to the image. And we need both: setting limits and establishing contacts, sympathy and detachment. Being free always to choose from both options No and Yes, also in emotional and intimate matters!

Sometimes we need this kind of a trip back to the future. This is the only card that shows a cup with flowers in them. So the theme of the card is a blooming spiritual existence. And for this we return to the realms of childhood and the adventure of youth.

Each picture of the Waite-Smith-Tarot tells umpteen stories. Here, the little woman's double face includes also the reference to a well-known ancient trick image showing a person that is a young woman on the front-side and on the back-side an old hag—or death. The old name for that kind of image, which dates from the Middle Ages, is Vanitas (emptiness, vanity).

Double Face on the Six of Cups from the Waite-Smith Tarot

3. Access to unexpected chambers. Another example of the symbolic richness of the Waite-Smith pictures: The foot of the woman on The Star is placed on the water surface. In the language of symbols, "water" means psyche, soul, and feelings. The "foot on the water" again provides a double meaning: Positive—the water supports (it is carrying), i.e. psyche and faith provide a basis and a "standpoint." Negative meaning—there is no access to feelings. One is not able to enter the water. As if the soul were frozen, unable to "take the plunge."

Foot on the Water on the Star from the Waite-Smith Tarot

4. "You real-eyes what you in-habit" (T.L.): The tarot cards support mindfulness, as the images need to be regarded mindfully. This is the only way to respect and recognize the richness of their existing visual content.

Then, you experience what and how you see. In your personal kind of view there is your personal uniqueness included, too, your difference, your specific understanding of the world, your personal access to it. This experience, this understanding is a core issue for any way to spiritual fulfillment. By the mindful tarot card use, you ease and enjoy to test and train this.

Article originally published in The Llewellyn Journal. Copyright Llewellyn Worldwide, 2022. All rights reserved.

My question is concerning my son Stephen. Lately he has been coming in at all hours and saying we "wouldn't understand" what he is going through. We think it's a girl thing. My husband and I try to listen, but he says so little. Is there hope for him to come back to be as close to us as he used to be? We miss the days when he was younger, as he is now in this "cocoon" of his own making. He seems a thousand miles away. I have a hard time believing he's even the same person anymore. We know he smokes some marijuana, but I honestly do not have a problem with that as long as it's under control. Do you have any suggestions on how to bring him back to us? Our older son is 22, and he is so much more loving and forthcoming. He tries to help us too. He says he also has some trouble communicating with Steve. He seems to be going through a time of isolation from his family, but he is still very active with his many friends. Is there a spiritual approach/answer?

Dreamchaser:

There are a few things going on here, the first being his typical teenage behavior. He is at an age when nothing is more important than his life, his friends and his activities. He does not want to stay home, and he does not want to socialize with his family. It is pretty normal. I know your other son was much more sociable with you and your husband, but you gave birth to two very different individuals, so you must expect very different behavior.

Another thing happening here is his obvious drug use. You are aware of and apparently condone his marijuana use. He has not stopped at marijuana. He is drinking and doing other drugs as well. His behaviors are "symptoms" of deeper drug use. I want you to start vigilantly keeping a log of his schedule, behavior and appearance, Marcie. You will start to see patterns. I want you to compare those patterns to known drug use symptoms. You have to prove this to yourself to believe it. I am concerned about him. Please do not brush this off. This needs your immediate attention.

Now, before I tell you the following, I want you to understand that how someone feels is valid. It does not have to be realistic. If I FEEL like I have ants crawling on me, I will act like I have ants crawling on me. It does not matter if I really do. Having said that, you should know that Steve feels like he is in his big brother's shadow. His big brother is this and that and does this and that and Steve NEVER has accomplished the things that his brother has been able to accomplish. I know you and your husband do not dote on the oldest son any more than Steve, but this is Steve's perception. That is one reason why his brother is having a hard time reaching him. Find something Steve excels at in his own right and emphasize that. It may be slow going, but over time it will make a difference.

The spiritual approach to this is to pray. Pray for guidance and wisdom. Pray for Steve and his soul. Most of all, Marcie, pray for the ability to let go so that he can learn his own lessons. That could very well be the hardest thing about being a parent. He is searching for himself and his own way. He will find himself. It will take a little time, but he most definitely will find himself.

I wish you and yours true contentment.

*****

Astrea:

I'm glad you have an open attitude about the pot smoking, but keep a weathered eye, okay? Aries youngsters can become excessively involved in things. Aries is the FIRST Sign, and often wants to "do it until it is all gone." Compulsive behavior is common in Aries boys his age.

Usually with a young Aries boy, I would be somewhat more concerned with GAMBLING being the problem "you wouldn't understand." Coming and going at all hours would tip me off to that. Check his pockets, Mama. (You're still the Mom here!) Is he working? Where is that money going? Heck, just ASK HIM if it's gambling! He'll tell you the truth. I know you guys want to be gentle and spiritual with him, but he might be in a little money trouble.

Mostly, however, it's this older girl. Yes, she's OLDER - at least 22. If he's WORKING, that is probably where he met her. She's a nice girl: pretty, cute figure, and immature for her age. She is probably a SCORPIO or a GEMINI, and she's been hurt but never married. She has nice parents who would just DIE if they knew she was seeing your 17-year-old son! You'll like her if this lasts long enough for you two to meet.

Your son is becoming sexually active with this girl. As I see it, it's only this ONE girl, so that's probably as safe as anything like that can be. She's older but she doesn't have any children yet, and she probably wants to keep it that way for now. She has just finished college, and may start teaching grade school (probably third or fourth grade) next fall.

He thinks he loves her. He IS taking care that he doesn't do anything to hurt you and the rest of the family. He's cautious, careful. He gets that from YOU. Aries are terrified of messing up their lives with unwanted kids, and they fear deadly illnesses more than any other sign, so you can be confident that he's taking every precaution against pregnancy and STDs too. He's a good boy, and knows what's what. He's a lot more mature than other boys his age. All these things are blessings for which to be grateful.

You son is keeping his own counsel right now because he doesn't want to WORRY the two of you. Aries people have "secrets." They just DO. There isn't a whole heck of a lot you can do about that birthday and that attitude. He will come back to you as soon as he gets his big head thinking again. At the moment he's one big ball of Fire Sign Hormones! You'll reconnect, don't worry. Give him his space now to grow.

Astrea:

Many times in life we hear, "You will always have what you NEED, but not necessarily what you WANT." Your spirit must have needed to experience the feeling of leaving your human body, and the suggestion in the next chapter of Sylvia Brown's book was all it took to get you there.

Even though you hadn't read it yet, your SOUL recognized the title of that chapter as something it had been seeking, and your soul, knowing that you had that reference to read after your experience, got with it and out you went!

While I don't usually recommend her books, Sylvia Brown has a wide reaching and powerful effect on lots of people. A Gemini like you would be able to relate easily to her writing and put it to good use. Synchronicity - you gotta love it!

I like your description of "getting caught." That's exactly what it feels like, isn't it? One minute you're free and hovering above the room, and the next minute, ZAP! back down into your corporeal form you go!

As a little kid, I loved that "feeling of return." With practice, most of the time we can control that event, but sometimes, when our physical ears hear a distracting noise or something else occurs to knock us back into reality, back we go. With practice you will be able to control your return better.

I find it interesting that you were visiting your mother-in-law and not someone in your own genetic family. Evidently, you and your husband got married for reasons that are even deeper than love. His family's interest in "psychic stuff" will nurture your children in such matters and help them to grow into their own abilities.

You'll never have to be concerned that when your daughter visits them, she'll be discouraged from exploring her own psychic life and power. My parents encouraged me to develop my psychic senses in a time when it wasn't nice to even discuss such things in public. Heck, it's STILL not considered a great topic at the dinner table in some families!

Your kids will get to talk about it ALL and ask questions and read and study. This is going to give them such an edge in life! Talk with your husband about how you want to present this to your kiddos, so that you are united in your approach and ready to tell them their experiences are all natural and okay.

A word or two of warning: Geminis often have difficulty staying grounded in REAL LIFE. Don't get so strung out on your ASTRAL life that you neglect what you're doing here on Earth.

You are at the beginning of a long journey to learn where your power really lies. Try to be patient with this process and take your time.