I’m super happy to announce I’ve taken a new job – as an American Idol Psychic! Does this mean I now posses and actual excuse to watch television? Yes, yes it does. Starting Wed., January 18th, I’m joining Corrine Kenner, Donnaleigh La Rose, Theresa Reed and Sally Blumenfeld with a live social media feed during American Idol. We’ll be watching the show, making predictions and having loads of fun. Hope you will join us!

We’ve been asked to make a prediction for one judge and I was pleased as punch to select a card for the fabulous Jennifer Lopez. The card I pulled? A not surprising Wheel of Fortune!

My favorite way of understanding The Wheel of Fortune, and it applies to Miss Lopez, as much as it does to you, comes from Joseph Campbell. Mr. Campbell, speaking with Bill Moyers in their landmark PBS series about the symbol of the Wheel of Fortune (not specifically the tarot card), says the Wheel is always in motion. Campbell states, and I paraphrase, the Wheel will always revolve, flinging he who hangs outside both up and down with the hands of fate.

It is up to you to stay in the center.

Staying centered in the Wheel, finding you center in life, is the only way not be thrown by the winds of change which are certain to blow.

As a result of reading Mr. Campbell’s wise words, I never look at The Wheel of Fortune card without peering at those intersecting lines and reminding myself to stay centered.

What does this mean for Jennifer Lopez? Lots of great luck, a big movie deal and one hot and heavy romance. On a deeper, emotional level we see Jen’s wisdom and ability to stay focused. Some of this comes with age, some with becoming a mother. For the most part, Jen has always kept herself calm in the public eye. Can you imagine remain calm as the center of a media circus? Keeping your cool as you exit your Escalade to packs of rabid paparazzi?

The Wheel of Fortune also reflects our country’s thirst, fascination and consumption of celebrity pop culture. We eagerly tune into E News (least I do) watching the Wheel of Fortune go up and down in our celeb’s life. Good stories are, after all, about the journey. Be it your journey, the journey of your favorite movie star or the journey of an American Idol contestant. And lest you forget, Ryan Seacrest always reminds us of the journey when he rolls a contestant’s farewell tape .

“And I never ask what I’m doing the next day. I don’t want to know what I’m doing tomorrow. It’s much too overwhelming. So I just go day by day, without knowing.”

~ Jennifer Lopez

Remember when Jennifer’s mom, Guadalupe Lopez, won 2.4 million dollars in a 2004 Atlantic City trip? Talk about lightning striking twice in one family!! It was a Wheel of Fortune themed dollar slot!!

Remember, it doesn’t matter if you’re up or down ~ what counts is where you place yourself on the wheel.

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In November of 2010, Stacy Engman shook up the art world and filled it with Tarot magic by curating the show Contermporary Magic.

Stacy, pictured above at the opening of Contemporary Magic wearing a card headdress designed by London millner and participating artist Philip Treacy,  reached out to fashion and contemporary art notables to create an exibition of 78 tarot cards including Marc Jacobs, Vivienne Westood, Karl Lagerfeld and more . . .

For deck collectors and Tarot enthusiasts, the limited edition deck is now available for YOU to purchase at KLUP Foundation! Purchase here.

My favorite card is contemporary artist Will Cotton’s Four of Pentacles. Cotton, known for large scale portraits of female nudes in candy-coated dreamlike environments, Four of Pentacle cupcake crown is one I would probably eat before I could wear. Isn’t she pretty!?

Will Cotton shot Katy Perry’s cd cover and officially defined Katy’s entire candy themed concert tour. Note the short degree of separation between Katy and Tarot. A stretch? Sure but I heart cotton candy Katy!!! Katy isn’t in the deck, I just wanted to show the correlation between contemporary art and pop culture with a little tarot thrown in the mix.

Other cards in the deck include a saucy Pam Anderson Chariot card created by Vivienne Westwood, yup Pam is enough to get anyone’s engines roaring:

Check out the delicious Christian Louboutin card for the Nine of Cups . . . my idea of wish fullfillment.

Love Aurel Schmidt’s Seven of Cups, so many options to choose from!

Groovy watercolor . . .

Mathew Ritchie’s explosive Ace of Wands may be my favorite card in the deck!

Luv this Four of Swords!

There are 78 images in total and only a limited amount available to view online. The Contemporary Magic Art Deck will be an excellent addition to any serious tarot collection!

Purchase Contemporary Magic A Tarot Deck Art Project Here.

Do you celebrate Christmas? Do you stay up late on dark December nights basking in the glow of your Christmas tree long after everyone else is snuggling between their blankets and pillows? Did you know that bringing a tree into your home is one of the single most powerful magical acts you may take part in all year?

Like an island virgin who is dressed, adorned, bedazzled and then thrown into the mouth of an active volcano, we adore and decorate our trees, play out rituals before them and throw them out come January. Our rituals tend to be the tree trimming party, playing board games and unwrapping gifts on Christmas morning.

 The Pine Tree represents life. It does not shed leaves like other trees but remains strong and true to its character. In the woods, it withstands snow on its branches where other trees would snap and break under the weight. The smell of pine revives the spirit and not to mention, it would be darn hard to bring a willow tree into our house and decorate it. We choose pine trees because they are symbol of light, life and hope during the darkest, longest nights of the year.

 Have your noticed the energetic shift of your living room with a giant tree standing there? Did you know that you can communicate with the tree? I’ve found two-step communication quite effective:

1.    Observation ~ after everyone has deserted the room and you know you won’t be interrupted, take some time to focus on your tree. Use the same attention a painter would use if he were painting your tree.  Examine the shape, color, and texture. How many shades of green do you see, how many shadows lurk between branches, is there sticky sap? Is it a sharp tree or soft tree? Think about how long the tree stood growing in the wild, what animals grazed around it, what insects crawled over it, how many wind storms, rain storms, hurricanes, sun shiny days did it see before making it’s way to your living room.

2.    Tarot ~ after observing, pull cards to express the spirit of your tree. Feel free to make up your own questions as well. Ask each question aloud before pulling each card.

 a.    What magic do you bring to my house?

b.    What do you represent as this year draws to a close?

c.     What can you help me bring into my new year?

d.    What card represents your tree spirit?

 I guarantee after performing this, you’ll never look at your Christmas tree the same way again!

Magical Bonus ~ Do you have any habits you’d like to get rid of? When January rolls around and it is time to respectfully dispose of your tree, write each habit on a piece of paper. Attach each habit to the tree’s branches before disposing. Let your tree help you put these habits to rest.

Happy, wonderful holidays to all of you!

Love,

Sasha

http://amzn.to/oTruZn

Do you love books as much as I do? Truthfully, I never expected to be excited about electronic books. I love to hold a book, trace it’s binding with my fingers, set them on my shelves like talismans. They say you can tell a lot about a person by their friends but I’d rather peek into someone’s library. You can discover way more about a person by what they are (or aren’t) reading.

Opening a book is rather like releasing a genie from a bottle. It reminds me of The Nine of Cups tarot card:

At the end of the day, I suppose the format is second to content. It is the genie inside that counts.

Genie’s can be playful, wish-granting, even dangerous. Why else would people want to burn and ban books?

So maybe we can look at The Nine of Cups as not only your desire coming true, but some new exciting thing being unleashed in your life. An escape, a waking dream or journey due to an unexpected but lovely creature who takes you by the hand into new, unexplored and pleasurable territory . . . like your favorite author!

Taking this idea to heart, Courtney Weber, the ever so lovely Priestess, Writer and creator of The Tarot of The Boroughs is donating ALL of her proceeds from tarot reading in the month of September to The Bethel Relief Fund.

How fabulous is that? You gain clarity and while helping Vermont residents who have suffered their worst natural disaster since 1927.

Fall is in full swing, I’ve got a million questions and know you do too. Choose from phone, email or Skype readings.

Click here for Courtney’s price list.

Would make a great birthday gift too.

Thanks Courtney! You are an inspiration to us all!!!

“If you are attached to the rim of The Wheel of Fortune, you will either be above, going down or at the bottom coming up. But if you are at the hub, you are in the same place all the time, centered.”

Joseph Campbell, The Power of Myth

I j’adore this interpretation! The Wheel of Fortune card seems to trump The World card when we look at it this way. Although we might look at The Wheel as the active balancing act, the dance or work of being centered, while The World card is achieving that balance without even thinking about it. The big question is of course . . . how do you stay centered?

The eye of a hurricane offers us the same idea of calmness and serenity amidst the wild winds of uncertainty and change. Speaking of which, I received amazing entries for last week’s Gothic Hurricane Writing contest! Thank you awesome writers!!!!

I’d like to share a beautiful song submitted by David Totty. The lyrics, inspired by a hurricane, remind us that love is often the force that keeps us safe and centered. Thanks David!

“EYE OF THE STORM” by David Totty

Outside, the sky’s a blackish green
The wind’s a-howlin’ somethin’ mean
But inside, you are here with me
Unfazed by the calamity

The storm is knocking down our door
As we lie silent on the floor
Our souls connecting more and more
Deaf to Mother Nature’s war

Because you and me are the eye of the storm
A calming peace
Still and warm
Something new is being born
When I’m with you
My fear is torn apart

Outside, destruction wails and moans
We turn out the lights like we’re not home
Then you whisper in the sweetest tone
“No one’s out there. We’re alone.”

And if we make it through alive
Tomorrow when we go outside
We’ll look at how the Earth was fried
And I’ll kiss you on the cheek and sigh

Because we were safe in the eye of the storm
A perfect peace
Our souls conform
To this new paradise that’s been born
From destruction
We’ll never mourn again.

Don’t know about you but rainy, windy, torrential storms send my blood racing and creative juices flowing. Our farmhouse is over 100 years old and when the lights go out, our walls start whispering . . .

You’ve heard the story of how the story of Frankenstein was conceived? Mary Shelly attended a house party of the literary elite over a rainy weekend. They devised a game to tide them through the storm. Each guest was to write a horror story to be read aloud Sunday night. The spookiest story won the prize.

Seeing as the entire northeast will experience storm conditions over the next 24 – 48 hours I invite the writerly among my readers to partake in a Hurricane Irene Gothic Writing Contest.

Rules:

1. Create a piece of written work that includes the subject of a Hurricane.

2. Write any genre of story, poem, screenplay but you must include a Hurricane within.

3. Length ~ any length.

4. Deadline ~ Wednesday, August 31st.

5. Winner ~ If you submit a finished piece ~ YOU WIN!

The goal is to use this hurricane to get your creativity on! There’s a storm raging outside. Now you have a deadline. You’ve no excuse not to light a candle, grab a pen and paper and get to work!

Submit to me by the deadline above and will figure out a way to post.

I’m making this up as I go along. If enough people participate, perhaps we can turn a short story collection into a book or e-book . . .

Let me know how it goes, stay safe and above all ~ have fun!

Happily, my tarot business booms during sultry midsummer months. Here’s a pic taken last Saturday evening at a gorgeous party:

You can’t see it in the photo but there’s a caricaturist behind, a henna artist beyond, casino gaming downstairs and hot, werewolfish, muscular, tatted circus performers swallowing swords and juggling fire around the rocky waterfall exterior of the hotel’s edifice.

Nothing unusual in working alongside other party entertainers. However, what strikes me is that “entertainment” is not an adequate word to describe what we tarot readers do. Too often, profound exchanges happens between reader and party guest. An exchange that qualifies as more than meer entertainment. I would call it art.

Where lies the value in bickering over the words “entertainment” vs. “art” in regard to tarot reading? If you are serious about what you do, there is good reason to consider this subtle yet important difference. It reminds us readers of our responsibility, while giving us something sublime to aim for.

Profound art, literature, film, painting, poetry, addresses you on the soul, spiritual, emotional level. It feels as if artwork was created just for you. As if the filmmaker, writer, poet peeked inside your mind, providing you with words, images expressing your inner truths. I’m taking about the art that flattens you, art that leaves you breathless, defines moments of your life and above all, validates your existence.

Great art inspires us, provides connection to something greater than ourselves. Offering an excellent tarot reading for someone does exactly the same thing.

All art forms are truly psychic exchanges. The intention is channeled by the artist into whatever form they use. The experience travels from their point of view into yours, often wordlessly. Example, you are reading the words occurring to me silently inside my head. In the not too distant future, you’ll read these words, I’ll be off gardening, swimming, flipping cards or whatever. It is just as psychic a facility as the way Picasso is communicating to viewers standing in front of “Les Demoiselles d’Avignon” at MOMA this very second.

Tarot reading, like art is subjective. Artful tarot doesn’t happen with each and every guest or client who sits with you.

But when the right person comes along, the connections are made and the tarot reading becomes more than just entertainment. It becomes sublime . . .

There are many ways to get into the right frame of mind for party and private readings. I perform a particular walking meditation when on foot and on my way to Manhattan parties. A meditation that helps to ensure I will utter the words my party guests need to hear.

I’d love to hear from you what rituals, opening, grounding methods or any other special things you do to prepare before party readings. Please leave in the comment section.

Be sure to tune in next week when I offer you an excellent tarot spread based on the archetypes of a party!

In the meantime, go on with your supernatural self!!!

xoxo

Tarot Diva

Childhood summer adventures ensued as we were sent to my grandmother’s big old Connecticut home. Hours spent poolside, one daily trip to town and if we were lucky, a green monster cupcake from the window of the local bakery. Simple. Subtle. Sublime.

These days, The Wheel of Life/Fortune is not lost on me watching my own daughter run through July twilight, sparkler in hand, laughing in the darkness with her friends. This time around, I’m the adult on the outskirts, the harbinger of lunch and bedtime calls. The grownup holding a crisp cotton towel and a damp dollar for ice cream.

But how do we keep our grown up selves in touch with our childhood summer self? Is it enough to participate in the joy of a sleepover by creating them for your own children? And is your childhood summer self merely an illusion created by your unreliable and selective memory?

Every year, as summer gently unrolls itself, I feel something is asked of me. As if there is a mystery to unravel, a secret to discover. . .

One thing I do know is that one of the most magical events of the season is about to unfold above your dreaming head. In fact, it has already begun. The Delta Aquarids are here!

http://www.ibtimes.com/articles/187676/20110728/meteor-shower-tonight-2011-perseid-delta-aquarid-shooting-star.htm

Let’s assume these meteors are, in fact, messages from the gods. Even if you sleep through your alarm clock (I’m setting mine for 4am and giving it my best shot) you can still perform still this stellar spread based on the Eight of Wands. The Eight of Wands is perfectly indicative of the fiery energy of meteor showers racing through the night sky. Pull a card for each of the following questions:

Eight of Wands Meteor Shower Spread One

1. What surprising opportunity is racing toward me?

2. How can I best prepare myself to take advantage of it?

3. What will happen if I embrace it?

4. What will happen if I ignore it?

5. What old issue should I let burn away?

6. Where is the energy of this particular summer taking me?

7. What does the element of fire have to teach me right now?

8. What Tarot image/idea will help me transform, evolve and grow this summer?

Delta Aquarid Meteor Shower Spread Two

Conversely, if you are an all out rock star and actually get up in the wee hours of the morning to see the meteor shower, try this. Count up the number of shooting stars you see. The next morning, grab your Tarot deck and shuffle. Count down the number of cards that coincides with the number of shooting stars you saw. The card you receive is your personal message from above.

Enjoy and I do hope you relish a slow burn of the rest of this summer

A recent tarot reading with Carrie Paris found me asking questions about personal creativity and production. Carrie suggested I watch the  following lecture from Elizabeth Gilbert, author of “Eat, Pray, Love.” If you’ve a creative bone in your body, I’d advise you to do the same. You won’t be sorry:

Captivated by this idea of a daemon, I created this simple tarot exercise so you can put a face to your own personal daemon:

~ Remove your Court Cards, place them in a pile, discarding remaining cards.

~ Shuffle your court cards while thinking about your creative gifts.

~ Recall a time you were working brilliantly. A moment  you felt divine inspiration.

~ Recall what it felt like; the goosebumps on your skin, the ease in which your words, paintbrush or hands flowed.

~ When you feel ready, randomly pull a court card.

~ This is the face of your daemon.

If you’d like to share who your daemon turns out to be, drop me a line and let me know.

And no, not this Damon!