Self Help or Help Yourself?

At the prime (mid-life) of life, I have read plenty of self help books - haven't we all?  I'm pretty sure this is the largest genre of books on the market.  And the other day I thought to myself, as I was listening to one of the many "self-help" books I own... how many times do we need to help ourselves, and instead we pick up another book aimed at self-help, read it, listen to it, and do nothing to follow through with it?

For me, that had changed a long time ago - I gave up searching for the book that was going to hold me by the hand and give me step by step directions on how to live my life.  Instead, I listen to the books, read the books, and LIVE MY LIFE.  I trust that my heart knows what it's doing, and that my head will keep me from getting into too much trouble.  Sometimes I feel like a walking affirmation.  My approach to life is simple - I love who I love, I make no excuses for my choices, they are after all my choices.  And I live my life to please myself.  If I end up pleasing others in the process, all is well.
I have learned which battles I am willing to fight, and which ones are worth the struggle.  I have learned to tell myself no, and to discipline myself.  I have learned over the course of my life that the only person I can truly count on is ME.  I am the only one who is living this life... those who I love and share my life with are living their own lives and are not accountable for my actions any more than I am accountable for theirs.  I stopped being in relationships with people that I wanted to FIX and with people who wanted to FIX ME - I am not a Coldplay song - I march to the beat of my own heart's rhythm - as we all should.

Since this transformation has taken all of my life, I can't say that there is an easy fix to living the life that you desire to live, except to just live it - one day at a time.  Rise up to the challenges set before you - be honest with yourself, be honest with those that you include in your life.  Love yourself, and make sure that the love you give is unconditional - meaning; it's OK to make mistakes, it's OK to not be perfect - no one really expects you to, so why do you expect this of yourself?  Life is what we make of it, and we attract like minded people into ours.

I am blessed with many diverse friends in my life - in fact - I was recently asked, "Who DON'T you know?"... a very good question.  I am open to the world - I joyful greet new people, smile and talk to them... this is how I know if I want to nurture those relationships into something more, or if I just want to have the experience of meeting that someone.  I acknowledge that every day is a gift worth receiving, and I embrace that gift fully.

Do I have bad days?  Of course!  No one can be sunshine and light every moment of every day - but those dark moods remind me to take stock of the things I am grateful for.  And then I realize that I am helping myself!

Help Yourself!  Nurture yourself, Love yourself, Be Patient with yourself, remember that if you aren't doing it for yourself, no one can do it for you.

Namaste

My Favorite Tarot!

I am a collector of Tarot decks - I have MANY... and each one speaks to me with it's own unique voice.... but there is one deck above them all that has my heart - over the years it has become my best friend and has shared the most intimate secrets with me so that I am able to help you achieve your success.

I love this deck so much that I have 7 iterations of it, and one of them I purchased in Hong Kong! It has traveled the world with me!

I'm not naming names, but if you look back over many of my witch pictures, you will be able to see my little buddies in quite a few of them. I hope to be able to use them in the book that I have been writing about the Tarot (of course I have been writing it slowly, because I had hoped to be publishing it long before now!) But they were the cards that told me I was supposed to write the book in the first place!

I would really appreciate hearing about your experience with the Tarot - do you have a favorite deck? A favorite card?

I hope you will join me on this Tarot Adventure!

Busy Witch!

I couldn't be happier to say that I gave been a very busy witch the last few months.   I feel productive knowing that I am booked nearly every weekend until 2015 with an event! 

This is causing me to focus my intention on what I really want to create for the LoonWitch.  You have often seen me write that I want to be the LoonWitch full time,  and I realize that I have achieved that goal.  I am the LoonWitch,  always.  Now it is time to build that business into a financially stable endeavor. 

I am usually selective about what events I sign up to be at.  I have been testing events outside my comfort zone for a year,  and plan on keeping that going.

Now settled into my office location in New Bedford, MA, I will be working on growing that portion of my business to sustain me so I am able to transition into independence.

Writing My First Book

It was about a year ago that I realized what the book is that I am supposed to write.  After having several readings where I was told that I was to be writing a book, I finally had my AH HA moment when I realized what that first book should be about.

My recent trip to Florida provided me the clearing of my soul that I needed to get focused and energized for this task.  And I have spent several hours typing up my handwritten notes - I had originally thought I would write the book by hand - I do love writing by hand, but typing is SO much faster! 

For those of my students who are aware of this project, I look forward to working with you on parts of my book - I really would like to include your feedback and excerpts from your work with my exercises in the book.

I don't know how long it will take me to finish, but I am optimistic that I can finish by the end of the calendar year if I keep up this pace!!

Tarot Boot Camp

I haven't blogged about my classes before, but today I thought it would be a good idea.  Maybe this will be a trend for me.

This past weekend I ran a 2 day workshop I called "Tarot Boot Camp".  It is the first time that I have run my tarot class this way, and the students I had seemed to gain a lot from this method. 

My Tarot Boot Camp is a 2-day, 12 hour intensive and interactive workshop which incorporates all of my basics workshops, and a little bit more.  One thing that I learned through the experience is that I could add another couple of hours to this method to be sure I have time to include everything that I would like to.  My typical basics class is 5 weeks long - 2 hours per class, but there is ample time for homework to be worked on during that time.  With the boot camp method, there are more exercises to replace the homework... and yes, even though it's held over a weekend - I still give homework!  (just a little bit, I promise)

When I first learned how to read the tarot, I tried the usual method - reading the pamphlet that comes with the cards - then I tried reading a book and memorizing the meanings of the cards... then I gave up.  It was too much like school, and too much like work - and for something I wanted to learn for pleasure, it just seemed to much of an effort to put out.  (I was also in high school at the time, and who wants more homework / work in high school?)

When I picked up the tarot again, I realized that I didn't have to memorize very much - I just had to let the cards do the work.  The way I finally learned the tarot, is the way I teach others to work with the cards.  It has worked very well for me, and I am always thrilled to see the responses in my students, it is like they are seeing the tarot for the very first time, and falling in love.

I will be offering this boot camp method again over the summer - and this time, I will extend the time.  If you have ever thought you wanted to learn to read the tarot, if you have ever struggled to try and read the cards, thinking you would never "get it", I hope you will take advantage of this opportunity to study with me and embrace the tarot, and fall in love with it all over again.

Business or Pleasure...

For those who know me, you know that I have a full time corporate job, which I enjoy greatly, and I am also a full time psychic & witch, which I am very passionate about.  In fact, I never leave home without my witches hat on.  (figuratively - please don't look for me actually wearing a pointy hat - I have enough trouble just wearing a winter hat or a hood).  I am also a mom, which obviously is my first priority in life.  In addition to these things, I volunteer my time in community service, am a spiritual leader in my community, and do my best to have some time for my hobbies and social activity.  People often ask me how I manage it all...

Do I manage it all?

Well, yes, I do.  And I do it by asking myself what is the most important thing for me to be doing in this moment?  I am always busy - on the go - but I rarely feel that I am rushing around.  And sometimes I wonder what would happen to me if I just stopped being on the go... the answer is, I would be extremely bored, and would become depressed and complacent about every area in my life.  I am not built to sit still.  My mind is always moving even if my body is at rest.

But how do I prioritize things?  Well, I am very blesesd to say that everything in my life that is a business, is also my pleasure.  The lines between the two are very blurred.  In my corporate job, I work with a great team of people who I think of as friends, and we all work hard, travel together on business trips, and share each others joys and sorrows.  It is an ideal environment where I can be creative, and have structure all at the same time.  I have learned over my 20+ years in the industry how to set reasonable goals for myself.  This helps me in all of my endeavors.

So like every other responsible adult, I get my bills paid as expediently as I can (some months are better than others), and then I look to my dreams and aspirations to reaching the next goal.

The LoonWitch Business is amazing - it always has been - I truly love doing readings for people, and watching them when I tell them something I would have no business knowing if I weren't psychic... I love teaching people about the tarot, aura photography, runes, witchcraft, crystals and reiki... I love seeing their faces light up when they do a spell for the first time and it works for them - because often, only a little part of you believes that it will - that little 5 year old still inside saying "this is so cool, i hope it works"... and when it does, there is almost nothing better to see the expression on the face of the person who just realized that they ARE magic, and they ARE psychic... and there IS something out there, intangible, and amazing called intention, that only needs a little push in the right direction to make you feel empowered.

I am so blessed to be walking this path, to be loved for who I am, and to love myself for who I am.  I am blessed that I am able to balance the needs of work and responsibilities with the passion for life that is always burning inside me.

I have heard the saying - if you don't love what you are doing, why are you doing it - and I have to say - I love everything that I do... and I love the people that I do it with.  As my five year plan continues to develop, I welcome the transition that this will bring - even though I know this will also bring stress and anxiety, it will bring new opportunities that today I can only imagine.

If you are wondering how you can achieve this joy about your life and work, contact me for spiritual counseling.  If you are truly ready to embrace your life, you can see the blessings you already have, and expand your horizons as far and wide as your imagination will allow.

Until the next post...

Namaste