Follow The Yellow Brick Road

Isaac Marzioli | Dreamstime.com

My experience with the “Ace of Pentacles” represented starting my new career in the field of Metaphysics. The “Ace of Pentacles” is the beginning stages of self-confidence that helps you reach your goals. You may experience sudden flashes of inspiration and creativity that will pass through you like fire and you will not be able to let this go until you do something about it, and this is what happened to me, when I started my Metaphysics journey.

The psychic gift runs in my family and it all started with my Great Grandmother Ann Elizabeth, who was born in the early 1800s. I was named after my Great Grandmother and my middle name is “Ann Elizabeth.” My Great Grandmother Ann Elizabeth started reading playing cards because she could not afford Tarot cards, which she loved and wanted to read. She had psychic abilities, including the ability to know if a person had problems or illness or confronted impending death. She could channel into someone’s mind to call that person home, and her messages were always successfully heard and heeded. People started seeking her out for readings because of her amazing accuracy.

As I became older, I was not able to turn off the gift, my gift was there 24 hours a day and I started to realize that something was changing in my life, and I was heading in a new direction. In the beginning, I was shown symbols while I was wide awake, and wondered why the universe started me off with seeing symbols, until I figured out that I was to write a tarot book and explain all the symbols in the tarot cards.

Before I started writing my tarot book, my guides told me that I had to live the lives of the 21 “Tarot Archetypes” and that meant all the cards in the Major Arcana. I felt this message meant that I had to learn all the lessons and experiences connected to the “Major Arcana.” Okay, let’s go through the 21 “Major Arcana” cards and see if I learned all the lessons.

The Fool Archetype: I have learned the role of the “Fool”, leaping into new experiences suddenly and sometimes blindly in error. Lesson learned, let’s move on...

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The Fools

The Magician Archetype: I have learned to live the role of the Magician when I need to stay focused on what needed to be done, and I have also been in a state of being overconfident, a time when my ill preparations mislead into choosing poorly, and I blamed myself for past mistakes. I also learned the Magician can be a schmoozer, and you need to beware of being roped into something by a charming sales person. Lesson learned, let’s move on...

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The Magician – Focused And Confident

The High Priestess Archetype: I have learned the role of the High Priestess which was to listen to my first gut instinct about something. After many mistakes, I at last learned the vital importance of trusting my first gut instinct. We have all heard our inner voice say, “I knew I shouldn’t have done that. I knew it wouldn’t work out!” When you hear this, it’s already too late! Your gut instinct – intuition – sixth sense is your spirit, and the connection to your personal guide, speaking to you. Remember, the High Priestess resides within whose dedicated goal is to protect you from deciding poorly. Lesson learned, let’s move on...

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My Intuition – My Gut Feeling Is Finally On The Mark!

The Empress Archetype: I have learned the role of the Empress and the need for love, comfort and the reward that you receive back when you are in a loving relationship, but I have also experienced getting hurt. I have been hit by Cupid many times in my life, a call not to be refused.

Human instinct requires that you risk all for love, though at the time, you think of everything but the danger involved in getting hurt. You just embrace the chances freely, hoping for the best, but sometimes the unexpected transpires and you get hurt. Despite your better judgment, your thoughts are consumed exclusively by your beloved, twenty-four hours a day.

It takes you forever to heal and forget, but you do and then one night the person reappears in the strangest of dreams when you had thought him long forgotten. You cry, “I have not thought about this person in years, yet here he is in this senseless dream!” Such a dream is called the “engram,” which Scientologists define as a complete picture recalling all the details of a traumatic event in your subconscious.

Your subconscious is trying to clean the past out of your mental attic with scrubbing bubbles. Although I was never reviewing this part of my past consciously, it remained interred in my subconscious as a traumatic life event, yearning to be reconciled so that healing could come once and for all.

Our bodies are able to communicate to our subconscious through the cryptic language of dreams, warning when something is not quite right or of your body’s readiness to engage in healing by purging the past. I learned that even though you think you are healed, you are still holding on to the past deep inside. Lesson learned, let’s move on...

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I Got Hit With The Cupid Arrows

The Emperor Archetype: I have learned the role of the Emperor which defines that I needed to be in command of my life as well as my environment, body, temper, instincts, and affairs of love, and not rely on others. I learned that distraction and a distorted focus can cause paralysis and an abrupt disruption, when one has a lack of control and self-discipline. I learned this lesson, let’s move on..

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In Control Of My Environment

The Hierophant Archetype: I have learned the role of the Hierophant which represents all the rules and vows that we follow throughout our life, connected to society, marriage, religion, work, and anything involving large groups. Every group has rules, says the Hierophant, and if you follow their rules as a member of the group, they will accept you. If you flout the group’s rules, however, they will demand that you beg mercy for your transgression, shunning you otherwise. I learned this lesson, let’s move on...

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Learn The Rules

The Lovers Archetype:  I have learned the role of the Lovers and the choices that you need to make, and also the choices connected to soul mates (sometimes soul-mates come into your life to teach you something about yourself and that is the time your flaws and weaknesses show up and teach you something about yourself).  The Lovers card also represents the obstacles you will face during a new or existing relationship (I learned if there are obstacles to begin with, they need to be resolved before you can move further, because you cannot fix other people’s issues, they have to sort them out, not you.  You cannot proceed forward until all the obstacles are resolved, otherwise you may feel like you got were run over by a buss)! I learned this lesson, let’s move on...

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Soul-Mates

The Chariot Archetype: I learned the role of the Chariot and that your emotions drive you and sometimes consume you. I learned that I needed to be strong, self-controlled, and able to balance conflicting emotions. I learned self-discipline, hard work, and being in control lends you peace and the elimination of all aggression from within.

I also learned that your emotions are controlled by the “Phases of the Moon” and I always look at the calendar to determine the “Moon Phases: The “New Moon Phase” (new start and new direction), “Waxing Moon Phase” (testing point and being assertive), “Full Moon Phase” (wishes coming true, or release what is not working) and the “Waning Moon Phase” (letting go and starting a new plan). I learned this lesson, let’s move on...

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Charging Ahead – In Control

The Strength Archetype: I have learned the role of Strength and that fear of failure will prevent you from succeeding and isolate you from the world. With determination, you can conquer almost any fear, for it truly exists only in the mind. Fear of success also gives rise to procrastination because success carries a heavy responsibility with it. It is much easier to procrastinate and live with the “Someday I’ll” Philosophy.” Though this philosophy may be easier to live with, it is not the answer. I learned this lesson, let’s move on...

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Tamed The Lion

The Hermit Archetype: I learned the role of the Hermit, which is a person in a crisis and needs isolation in search for unresolved mysteries or something that you have overlooked. This is a time in your life when you feel restless, thinking and examining and seeking what you have overlooked. The artistic Hermit hides for days and then emerges to paint a masterpiece, your time of solitude allowing all of the pieces to fall into place. This lesson learned, let’s move on...

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The Search To The Missing Piece Of The Puzzle

The Wheel of Fortune Archetype: I learned the Wheel of Fortune represents the changes you will go through which can be positive or negative unexpected change, and good or bad fortune. You will need to be the master of your destiny throughout all the changes that will encounter.

Sometimes, your fate dictates that surprises aren’t always so happy. Nevertheless, when faced with an unhappy event, you must try your best to recognize some potential good in it. You may not see any benefit from a tragedy immediately, but somewhere down the line, the wheel will turn again and may lead to amazingly positive results.

The Wheel of Fortune also speaks about consequences. Sometimes, “stuff happens,” and this card reminds you that “what goes around comes around.” In this sense, the Wheel recalls the concept of Karma, which tells you that every action you take affects everything else: “What you sow, you shall reap – for every action there is an equal reaction.”

As the Wheel turns clockwise, its figures and creatures rise and fall. With Jupiter as its ruling planet, the Wheel of Fortune refers to big things, luck, change, fortune, abundance, and happiness. Above all, it indicates the unexpected. There is karmic payback for all the good things you have done in life – whether it is called destiny or just luck. I learned this lesson, let’s move on...

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Good Luck

The Justice Archetype: I learned the meaning of personal accountability, which represents your responsibilities and ensuring that you fulfill them. If you don’t take responsibility for your actions, you will face the consequences. Justice is the sword that cuts right to the matter of a situation and represents the basic law of cause and effect. If you cause something, there will be an effect. If a wrong has affected you, the wrong will be made right, and fate will turn in your favor as your honesty and integrity absolve you. I learned this lesson, let’s move on...

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The Law Of Cause And Effect

The Hanged Man Archetype: I learned the role of hanging onto something for too long, because I was not ready to let go. I was in a state of self-sacrifice and a period of stagnation where nothing was gained or lost. You cannot gain by staying in the past. If you do not let go, you live in sacrifice.

For example, in the Bible, Lot’s wife was told not to look back: “Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed”. Lot’s wife disobeyed God, turning to watch Sodom burn, and for this she turned into a pillar of salt. The main lesson of the Hanged Man is that you “control” by letting go, and you need to let go of the past without looking back. I learned this lesson, let’s move on...

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Letting Go

The Death Archetype: I learned the role of “Death” and the number thirteen, which represents bad luck, black cats, broken mirrors and Friday the 13th. The number 13 represents transformation, the end of an old, outdated way of thinking or of a lifestyle that has been outgrown.

There is going to be a major, unexpected turn in your life. This phase will show you what is not working bringing a shift that will transform and restructure your path. This card recalls the story of the Phoenix who burned to death and was reborn. The Phoenix is a mythical bird that lives for 500 years, builds its own funeral pyre, and is consumed by the flames. It rises anew from the ashes, however, thus symbolizing the rising and setting of the sun, immortality, resurrection, and life after death. The tale of the Phoenix sums up this card rather nicely.

When this card shows up in a reading, it means that a monumental change approaches. Keep in mind that where there is an ending, there is also a beginning. You can always count on change, no matter how long you’ve been working at your job, how long you’ve been married, or how long you’ve lived in one location – the facts and the statistics show that everything changes.

Sometimes this card relates to events beyond your control and simply steers you in a different direction. The Death card does not predict an actual death, but rather the ending of something, whether it be a relationship, a situation, or a career change. It is a difficult change, but you must accept the reality of endings and take solace in the inevitable rebirth that follows. I learned this lesson, let’s move on...

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The Phoenix – Re-Birth

The Temperance Archetype: I learned the role of Temperance and that you must have balance with your spirit, mind and body. I learned that more is not better and that moderation in everything is vital.

You must accept the shadow side of yourself, your imperfections and your tendency to over perform. Once you accept your shadow side, you are on your way to true enlightenment. Temperance is “subtle,” which means imbalance will take you by surprise, requiring you to move with caution and care to avoid a sudden and intense impact.

Temperance provides a chemical equation that, when solved, yields balance and health. Everything you do in life requires a balancing of opposites. I learned this lesson, let’s move on...

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Accept The Shadow Side Of Yourself And Understand Your Imperfections

The Devil Archetype: I learned the role of the Devil and that you need to learn that you have weaknesses and a wild side (your devilish side). The Devil doesn’t have a great deal of power over you, but he will entice you to do things that you normally would not do, possibly luring you down the wrong road.

Your Devilish side will elicit your weaknesses if allowed. Sometimes you relinquish your control and feel trapped, no longer in charge of yourself. This is a card about wild behavior, lust, desire, ambition, temptation, addiction, and abandonment. When you give into your temptations, you will be chained to your desires for that which harms you.

You may be taking bad risks, which ultimately lead to unhealthy behavior and trouble. The Devil card explores the frightening nature of our shadow side, but there is a positive side positive side to the Devil card, and it is about cutting your-self loose and living for the moment. This card can be magical, showing you how to escape into that crazy and fun side of yourself, ready to take a walk on the wild side, because you need to get out and have some fun! I learned this lesson, let’s move on...

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Understand The Devilish Side Of Yourself

The Tower Archetype: I learned the role of the Tower and if your foundation is not strong, there will be destruction preceding a re-creation. The initial problem with your foundation never achieved correct resolution, and now a sudden catastrophe shatters your illusions and makes your Tower crumble.

The Tower is about sudden and unexpected shock – such as a severing of a friendship, a discovery that your partner is having an affair, the death of a loved one, divorce, bankruptcy, or another terrible catastrophe. This card symbolizes troubled times, a complete and sudden change that makes you feel disconnected from your axis.

The feeling of the Tower is the most uncomfortable and explosively transforming experience, a wake-up call that blind-sides you, shakes the living daylights out of you, and lets you know that you are alive. Sometimes you are too blind to the signs around you. You refuse to admit there are problems, so you turn away or tune the problem out because you feel it too unimportant to deal with.

The most important aspect to remember is that the tearing down of the old structure, however painful, makes room for something new to be built. Nothing should be built on a lie because it will not remain standing for long. It will be torn down and rebuilt with the truth.

Another meaning of the Tower is an abusive relationship that you remain in. You continue to suffer for many years because your ego feels crushed by the person you are with. You let the other person control your life, doing nothing because you feel you are weak and incapable of making it on your own. Fear keeps you in stagnation. Your low self-esteem robs you of control, which you have given completely to the person that you are with, and losing yourself, and your personality. I learned this lesson, let’s move on...

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Unstable Foundation

The Star Archetype: I learned the role of Karma. When you finally want to release the karma from the past, you literally need to strip your-self bare and cry to release all of the old, blocked emotions. Your crisis, however difficult, will be overcome and give rise to a new opportunity for growth as you shed what restrained you.

The Star represents your faith in the future and will inspire you to emerge from the darkness with the guidance of the star’s calm and serene light. I feel the Star sends you a message to trust that you are going to see the light at the end of the tunnel and have a renewed confidence in the future.

After the storm, there is usually a rainbow, a symbol of good news, hope, redemption, luck, a new path, and the ending of gloom. The Star also reminds you to open your heart and release all the fears and doubts you have and let go of what was restricting you so you can release the pain of the past, but it is important to remember that the Star is inspiring you to look forward. I learned this lesson, let’s move on...

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Releasing Karma From The Past

The Moon Archetype: I learned the role of confusion. The Moon represents illusion and your imagination running wild with fear and worry and projects fear into the present and future because of past ordeals. Illusion may make you commit an error in judgment.

Sometimes you rush to make your dreams come true, resulting in an uncanny feeling that it will not happen the way you thought it would. Sometimes the feelings of the past stays repressed because the trauma has overwhelmed you with pain and anxiety, forcing you to recall the event continually.

The Moon will awaken deep memories from the past and release them into the present, causing you to wonder why the past is resurfacing. This will be a time in your life when you plunge deep into your unconscious to start unearthing all your past anxieties, fears, and blocks, healing your spirit and bringing an end to the nightmare and confusion forever.

The Moon may bring out a new haunting awareness of the uncanny attraction that led you to mistakenly take a chance that ended in nightmare. The Moon will try to trick you to relive the past during a time of troubled clarity when your emotions are as changeful as the Moon itself.

The Moon also represents misleading people who will trick you and lie. When the Moon appears in a reading, question your motives and the people around you because there may be an uncertainty about that person or a decision you need to make. If you feel uncertain, this is a sign not to make any decisions because you cannot see things clearly and may doubt the people around you.

You might be scared of losing again, fearful of another mistake. The Moon will bring out this fear, evoking the need for courage to provide the clarity when you need to make the right decisions. I learned this lesson, let’s move on...

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Uncertainty

The Sun Archetype: I learned the role of your child-self. The Sun and it is one of the luckiest cards in the Tarot deck and represents success, achievement and positive news: births, financial success, marriage, stability and overall happiness. The Sun casts a renewed light that illuminates your future and, in spite of any past periods of darkness you have endured, the Sun brings a good omen of rejoicing and celebration.

The cycle of darkness have been completed; the Sun represents your conscious and unconscious selves, which have reached a level of harmony and balance, just as a child starting afresh, but the Sun is telling you that the dark period has come to an end.

Your new identity as a child reborn is ascendant, and you will soon relish the full power of the Sun in the death of your old self. Confident with the spontaneity of purity, innocence and naiveté, your child self is free of the past and beholds the future with happiness and the hope of success. I learned this lesson, let’s move on...

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Entering The Bright Side – Leaving The Darkness

The Judgement Archetype: I learned the role of forgiveness. Judgement represents forgiveness, rebirth, reconciliation, redemption, release, renewal and transformation. Judgement is a wakeup call letting you know that any decision you make represents a cause with certain effects and later consequences.

There are times in your life when you will need to make a very important, heartfelt decision, and you may have difficulty leaving the past behind and moving on with your life because of your ego.

The Judgement card is all about forgiveness and sometimes it is very hard to forgive, but forgiveness has great healing powers. You may become set in your ways and want to feed our ego; stubbornness prevents you from releasing a wrong that has hurt you.

When you hold onto a grudge for another person, you are feeding the other person poison, expecting them to die. However, if you really think about it, you are feeding yourself the poison as well because you cannot release what happened to you.

Your attitude changes and your negativity about this person extends too yourself as you are imprisoned in the past. You may even find yourself getting sick from all the stress that you are holding onto, as your body signals that something is not right. You may find yourself with all kinds of symptoms that you never had before.

In contrast, when you forgive someone, you release the poison that you are holding onto, escaping the coffin or tomb. You choose to feel good rather than feel imprisoned in the past with the bad memories. The Judgement card is also about moving on to a higher level of understanding. You learn how to forgive others, but at the same time you more importantly learn how to forgive yourself for your mistakes.

When you achieve this, you are ready to accept change and start living again. You regain clarity and focus in your life, attaining a position from which to clear the air, break the silence, bring everything out into the open, and understand the truth with forgiveness. When you get to this stage of healing your mind, spirit and body, you find your balance again. I learned this lesson, let’s move on...

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Forgiveness

The World Archetype: I learned the role of living in your conscious and not the unconscious. The World represents the four elements of the zodiac, the four seasons of change, and the north, south, east and west winds. The fixed Taurus bull taught us stability and substance, the fixed Leo lion taught us energy and passion, the fixed Scorpio eagle taught us love and emotions, and the fixed Aquarius angel taught us thought and intellect.

You weathered a few storms on the way, but you needed to learn these lessons so that you would no longer weather these storms again. The World relates to a long journey that you traveled in the face of such storms, fearing a repetition of them brought on by the unconscious thoughts that controlled you.

The World represents the end of your journey, the final touches you place on the past to allow the forging of new beginnings. The World represents the end of a cycle and a time of completion. You closed the doors of the past and are ready to open the new door of the future. Remember that all endings bring new beginnings, and this card reveals that yours will come very soon.

When you reach the World Tarot card in your journey, you will realize that you finally reached an important point in your life’s education. Having grown, you should be proud of what you accomplished, the distance and time that it exacted. You are finally ready to move forward with a positive attitude, striding forward with confidence. You gained inner knowledge and insight through your experiences and have finally reached the highest understanding with your conscious self.

You learned the true meanings of your unconscious desires and thoughts, and escaped their control. You start to live in the present, refusing to allow your unconscious thoughts rule your life any longer. Lastly, I learned this lesson, let’s move on!

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Living In The Future – Not The Past

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Starting Over Again – With A Strong Education

 

With Love and Joy,

Safina

© Safina 2013