Today’s Tarot Spread For Thursday, August 20, 2015

Hello Lovelies and I hope you’re having a marvelous day in the sunshine!

Our Tarot Spread for today comes with many blockages and frustration as all 3 cards I have pulled are in the reversed position. They are also all court cards so this can represent that many little issues involving many different energies or actual people who are pulling you in various directions, enhancing your frustration even further. This spread is heavy in the suit of Wands, which is all about passion, your motivation and drive, so your frustration with being pulled in many different directions, may very well be affecting your ability to focus and keep yourself motivated and press forward with your personal goals.

The first card I pulled is the Queen of Wands Reversed. In an upright position, it is a very nurturing figure, who takes great pleasure in sprinkling their magic into her ventures and watching them slowly grow. This process proves to be extremely rewarding, but beware in its reversed position, not to try to manipulate a situation to complete the process much faster or make things rule in your favor against nature’s wishes. Things take time, and you need to be patient. Trying to manipulate a situation to your advantage will only come back to bite you in the long run. Take your time, TRUST THE PROCESS. Nurture your project slowly. It’s all about the SLOW BURN… Avoid the BURNOUT!

Our next card is King of Wands Reversed. The King of Wands in this position can represent someone who is extremely pushy and impulsive. Beware of other people pressuring you to make important decisions that you are not yet ready to at this time. Again, take your time, weigh your options and decide what the right direction is FOR YOU! The King of wands in upright can be a very courageous and take charge type of leader, but beware of him in the reversed position, as he can very well abuse that power and take advantage of those more vulnerable. This can also represent you… be weary of pressuring others to jump on your bandwagon. If the many different people or energies are creating a blockage for you because it is not in their best interest to make a decision at this time, then maybe you need to go it alone! Be that fearless take charge King of Wands that you are! No one else will be as passionate about your project or life purpose as you.

Our last card is our Nine of Cups Reversed. Cups are associated with the element of water, which rules our emotions and the way we feel about a certain situation. She is normally a very loved and respected figure, abundant in friendships and relationships, but beware of the reversed 9 of cups. Be careful not to burn any bridges at this time, with your anxiousness to make things happen that are beyond yours or anyone else’s control. Don’t be too pushy in your efforts, or you will lose relationships with business partners or even friends who can no longer put up with your ego and self-centered nature. Try to remain fair to all who are around you and if things really aren’t working out with them, then again, maybe it is best to part ways.

You can’t force anyone to join you for the ride. I think the lesson of this spread is TRUST THE PROCESS. Take your time, nurture your project. And if your ideas are not aligning with others, maybe you should venture off on your own. Don’t try to force chemistry with your relationships. No one likes a Pushy Patsy!

Blessings,
Justina
​xoxo

Hello Lovelies and Welcome to Today’s Tarot of the Day Spread for August 19, 2015.

This is a very positive and lovely spread and extremely encouraging for those of you who feel like you are not sure if you are on the right path or not. This spread is assuring us that we are! Let’s take a look at the card for specifics.

I pulled The Hermit, Ace of Wands, and King of Swords. The first thing I am noticing about this spread is that there are no reversed cards, so right now is a very positive and open time for you. Maybe you feel like you’ve made somewhat of a breakthrough as to deciding if a certain path for you is the right one to follow. The court cards here (wands and swords) are indications that there is a LOT of passion, focus and drive as well as logic, for whatever it is you are setting out to accomplish right now. This spread encourages us to keep following those intuitive feelings and spiritual guidance.

The first card I pulled is The Hermit. The figure we see here is following their guiding light through the dark. Maybe you have been extremely confused as to what you should be doing, for quite some time now, but this is a sign that you need to keep following that inner voice, that guiding light deep inside you that has been (consciously or even subconsciously) bringing you closer to your bliss. The hermit is a figure that represents solitude. When you can quiet all the noise, and focus on that inner voice, that is when you will be able to find your enlightenment.
The next card is the Ace of Wands which is a very BOLD card! It represents passion, the fire within you. The figure in this card is charging toward her desires on that back of a wild and courageous lion. She suggests that now is the time for you to take your initiative, come into your power, and charge at whatever it is you want to accomplish, full speed ahead. Be FEARLESS. Be BOLD. Be COURAGEOUS. This card also represents intuition and creativity. Use those gifts of yours to fuel your desires.

Our last card is the King of Swords. He is a very confident and courageous figure who stands tall with his sword. Swords is air, it represents wisdom and logic, which is a very nice balance to have along with your intuitive suit of wands card. Both your intellect and your intuition combined is a super powerful resource and weapon to have, and you should take advantage of that. It will be your calling card!

You should use this proverbial sword in your own life to cut away things that are no longer working for you, and make the space for new ventures that excite you and nurture your need for knowledge and growth. Right now is an excellent time to seek out a mentor for guidance, or pick the brain of someone much older and wiser than you, who has been through much more of life experiences. Don’t be stubborn to your old ways, open your mind and take their suggestions. Trying new things promotes personal growth and is excellent for your own personal well being.
This encouraging card combination is surely a recipe for SUCCESS! Just remember to keep following  your guiding light, charge toward your dreams fearlessly, and take the advice of your elders. You will surely be on your way to your bliss!
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Did this spread ring true to your own personal experiences? Definitely feel free to share! I’d love to hear about them!
Blessings,
Justina
xoxo

Today’s Tarot Spread for You Guys: Tuesday, August 18, 2015

The cards I pulled are The Emperor, the 6 of Cups Reversed, and the Queen of Wands Reversed. The first thing I am acknowledging is that there are more minor arcana cards in this spread, as well as more reversed cards than upright. This could signify that there are many small things that have all added up, to create blockages for you in achieving your goals. The Emperor on his own symbolizes a confident and authoritative figure who is very in control of his/her life. He is a very masculine energy that thrives off of structure and it is this connection with discipline that will bring you closer to putting forth the action to achieve your goals. The emperor has no time for procrastination.

However, your next card is a 6 of Cups Reversed. Cups is ruled by the element of water which plays on our emotions, and the 6 of cups reversed signifies that you are stuck in a daydream state that is making it a bit hard to accomplish said goals. You might be caught up in little details about things that USED to work that no longer do, and you may very well suffer from analysis paralysis. You lack the ability to update your actions to suit what would work best for you now.
The last card is the Queen of Wands Reversed, which in the upright position would be a very nurturing card. It’s a very feminine energy who doesn’t mind giving things a little extra focus and attention aka TLC, in order to ensure growth, success, and happiness. However, in its reversed position it signifies an inability to see things through, or making a hasty decision just to try to manipulate the situation to your own advantage, not taking others into account. Wands is synonymous with the element of fire, which symbolizes passion and motivation. In the reverse position here, it signifies that you lack the motivation and passion that it takes to come into your authoritative power of The Emperor.
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Maybe it is time for you to stop over thinking so much, take a break from the project you can no longer focus on with a clear head, or even switch directions completely. It seems as though I have been pulling a lot of reversed cards lately, which all seem to be signifying blockages, and that could very well be the result of the Venus Retrograde. It might be best to put off starting any new projects at this time. Use the rest of this month to contemplate and carefully formulate your next plan of action.

So here is today’s daily tarot spread for you guys, Monday August 17, 2015.

The cards I pulled were The Hanged Man, the Queen of Wands Reversed, and the Three of Cups.
Let’s start with the Hanged Man. He represents that right now you are in a very contemplative state of mind. You are kind of in a waiting period at this time, where very little action can be done. Right now is a good time to do research and be that sponge that takes in all of your information before you go forth and take action. This will enable you when the time comes, to be able to make a more educated decision, a decision from a more practical place, as opposed to that hasty one that you might later on regret.This will ensure lasting success! 

The Queen of Wands upright would have normally depicted that you are feeling quite motivated and balanced, carefully thinking out the little details to ensure that you will be setup for lasting success… but in this reversed position, this card denotes that you are growing quite impatient with this stagnant contemplative period that is displayed by your Hanged Man aspect. The Queen of Wands reversed warns that you should not try to manipulate your situation to make things happen faster for you. This could in turn backfire on your efforts of success, and leave you with your cup quite empty, maybe even emptier than when you started out on your venture. I see the 3 of cups as a payoff card. If you can keep your Queen of Wands Reversed in check, then your period as a Hanged Man will pay off in the end. 

The 3 of cups represents a very abundant time for you, and this will come forth through working via partnership, and not as a solo effort. So if you have been thinking of partnering up with someone to make that idea of yours happen… just know that you should keep forth on that path, and the doors will fly right open when the time is right, but don’t force it to happen unnaturally. Just go with the flow and things will happen as they need to.

Overall Message:
SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE!

So, I felt compelled to write about my latest discovery about something called an “Empath”.

What is an Empath?
Well there are tons and tons of articles, websites, blogs, youtube videos, etc. that go into depth about what the traits of an Empath are. There are some traits which are pretty out there that I don’t really identify with, but for the most part, some of the major traits are totally there, and I never knew that there was a name for this before.

An Empath is someone who FEELS the emotions of someone else as if they were their own… and sometimes you can even FEEL the PHYSICAL pain that someone else around you may have.  Some Empaths can walk into a room and right away feel if the vibes are wrong, or take on someone’s pain if they are in a room with them.  Most empaths seems to attract people, even complete strangers, to confide in them, often telling them their whole life story.  Empaths are healers, and we generally want to help everyone we come across, and we often have a lot of trouble SAYING NO.  This has been something that I have become more aware of doing in the past year or so, even before I became aware of this new term “Empath”….

So how do I know that I’M an Empath? Well for as long as I can remember, random people would always come to ME for advice, or help with situations… even people I don’t really talk to or know all too well.  I have even had strangers come up to me in stores, etc. Naturally as an Empath, I want to help… everyone… with everything… and I often tend to forget that I end up leaving myself on the back burner.  Sometimes I feel taken advantage of, and ultimately I’m left feeling drained as if I don’t have enough energy left for myself to enjoy the things I love about life.  I’ve had numerous amounts of “depressed” friends, and I put depressed in quotes, not to take things lightly with that word, because I am aware that depression is a VERY serious disease and should warrant a call for help at the first sign of any type of potential self harm…

BUT.. there are some people where you just know they are doing it for attention, and these people are called narcissists … everything revolves around THEM… them them them.  I mean, I didn’t really use these experiences to diagnose myself as an empath by any means.. I just thought that people were drawn to tell me all their bullshit, because I just thought I was a weirdo magnet, lol. This wasn’t the part that engaged me to seek out these qualities about myself… this was just a bonus to my aha! moment that made all of these pieces fit together for me.

What really made me curious as to think that there was something “special” about me was a few strange things that happened to me, which seem way too coo-coo and crazily creepy to be just a coincidence.  Now I never really grew up with any sort of notion that I had any sort of special gift outside of the artistic/musical realm.  Nor was I ever very religious.  I was always pretty drawn to all things metaphysical, but I wouldn’t categorize myself as having psychic powers or clairvoyant/medium by any means.  

It was usually my brother who saw the spirits, or had the prophetic dreams, etc. I always considered myself to be pretty normal, outside of your normal anxiety attacks every time I visited a doctor’s office. Now not to get TOO sidetracked, I’d like to tell you about the first event that made me really wonder if there was some kind of gift that I possessed, that would enable me to tap into the psychic realm.

In the fall of 2011, and my grandmother Joan had been diagnosed with Lung Cancer. She had been a long time smoker, so this did not come as a shock to most of us in the family… That doesn’t mean it was any less upsetting.  The doctors only gave her around 6 months or so. We went to visit her soon after Christmas in North Carolina and I spent time feeding her and watching TV with her, knowing I would probably never see her again after this trip. That was just heart wrenching to me.  

She was just as much of a smart ass sick as she was when she was well, so that made me happy to see her spirit still alive and kicking ass. I went home after a few short days that I got to spend with her. My mom would fly back and forth from NJ to NC here and there, to be by her side and help out with what she could. During that time, I had come down with the Respiratory Infection from hell. I was sick all through January, and come February, it was time for my mom to go back to be with my grandmother again.

My mother left, and I went about my business, but I guess subconsciously I was hurting so bad because the day after, I had noticed that my feet felt like pins and needles.  I didn’t think anything of it, thought maybe I had pinched a nerve, and went about my business.  Over the course of the next few days, the sensations started getting MUCH worse, and eventually I felt like there were tiny electrical shocks zapping all of my nerve endings all over my body; in my feet, my legs, my arms, my fingers, and worst of all my head.  These sensations sent me into full blown anxiety mode and I had panic attack after panic attack.  

At times I felt sensations in my chest that caused me to think I was having a heart attack.  My boyfriend was driving us home from band practice the one night, and I had an attack so bad, that he had to pull over and I contemplated making him take me to the emergency room.  I begged him to stay over with me that night.  I couldn’t bear to be alone, it was the scariest feeling I had every experienced in my life. I literally thought I was going to die.

I remember the night before having a really really hard time during the night. It wasn’t just your normal bought of insomnia… it was full on anxiety ridden, I literally felt like my heart was jumping out of my chest, and I could not let myself rest. Every time I would try to doze off, I would feel a pulsating sensation, and explosion of electrical shocks in my brain that would jolt me awake and make me think I was dying.  I didn’t know what to do… I had no health insurance at the time, so any sort of diagnostic test would have cost me half my life savings.

I had friends reach out to help and give me advice and suggestions on clinics I could go to to get blood work done and such. I ultimately ended up not going because I wanted to find a better option, or at least apply for some government aid for health insurance.  During this time I was on and off the phone with my mom and she would give me updates on my grandmother, and at the same time try to control my situation all the way from NC. I felt horrible for taking her attention away from my grandmother, I just didn’t know who else to turn to.

By this point, my father and my boyfriend were both sick of hearing me and dealing with my anxiety attacks.  The night of February 12, 2012 I talked with my mom on the phone and she was debating on whether or not she should come back home. I didn’t want her to, I really wanted her to stay with my grandmother, but she insisted that grandma would want her to come home and be with me.  So my mom came home and the next morning I woke up to my mom coming into my brother’s old room, which is now the guest room, where I was sleeping. Sometimes when I have trouble sleeping in my own bed, I’ll switch rooms once in awhile. The change in environment sometimes helps… So she came in, and was crying and told me that my grandmother had passed. At this point I still had my shocks, pains, electric pulses.. they were making it really hard for me to even function during the regular day to day activities.

I was walking around like a zombie because I was barely sleeping. Every time I’d fall asleep, I’d get jolted awake again. It was horrible pain, and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.  I even thought at one point that I had Fibromyalgia. I looked into every possible symptom I could have had. Well the weird thing about this was… after my grandmother had passed, and she was buried… the pains stopped.. miraculously…. The weird thing was, that my mother told me that before she had passed and the doctors did chemo, they had found lesions on her brain… That freaked me out, because of the majority of the pain and lack of sleep stemmed from the brain spasms I was having, made me feel like my head was imploding. I truly feel that I was channeling my grandmother’s pain somehow. And maybe that seems coincidental… I mean the thought had crossed my mind that maybe I felt her pain, but eventually I let the thought go, thinking maybe I was being a bit crazy.

I would also like to note that shortly after my grandmother had passed, it took a lot out of me financially, but I actually ended up putting myself under a very costly independent health insurance plan.  I did go to the doctor, had blood work done and a routine physical just to make sure everything was in check. I had also explained to my new doctor the issues I had been experiencing prior to my grandmother’s death.  I had also explained that I had been having chest pains during the episodes as well, and also I had been experiencing these chest pains quite frequently for the past 3 or 4 years or so.  She gave me a referral to a cardiologist and I went on my way.

All of my blood work from my dr. came back normal and it was such a relief to me, considering how bad shape I was in, while my grandmother was sick.  I decided to hold off on the cardiologist for now since I hadn’t really experienced the chest pains in awhile.

That wasn’t until I had another occurrence.  It was a normal fall evening in October 2012.  I had been getting ready for bed, I think I may have just finished a cup of tea and I went downstairs to my cup in the sink.  As I was heading back upstairs, I reached for the light switch to turn it off and out of nowhere I felt a blow to the chest. I grasped my heart and fell to the floor in pain… I thought I was having a heart attack.  I tried to make my way upstairs, but with each step I took, I kept feeling this tightness in my chest followed by additional blows to the chest…

It was the most pain I have ever felt in my chest.  I made my way up each step in a keeled over position.. practically crawling up the steps because it was too painful to even get up and walk the right way.  I finally made it to the top of the steps and collapsed in the hallway. I called out to my mom for help, screaming in agony. I was lying chest down on the hallway floor and I couldn’t get up, and when my mom tried to move me, I screamed in excruciating pain.  The only way I felt comfortable, was to lie chest down and flat on the floor.

Any attempt at other movement and I’d feel like my ribcage was being torn apart at the sternum like a wishbone.  The pain had subsided enough for my mother to help get me off the floor and relocate me to my bed. I would get spurts of pain here and there, trying to lie normally, so I laid flat onto my chest again… this was the only way it felt comfortable enough for me to not feel any pain. I felt paralyzed. I was lying that way for a bit as she lectured me about going to the cardiologist with the referral that my dr. had given me during the Spring. It was weird, because I knew something wasn’t actually wrong with ME, which was why I was not in a rush to go.  But I did however know, that something was wrong… very wrong…

I just couldn’t figure out what it was at that moment. Finally after an hour or so of this whole episode, my mother helped me get my head on the pillow, as I was lying paralyzed toward the other end of the bed.  I put on some show or movie on my laptop propped up in front of me.  It was around midnight, and I had fallen asleep with my mom rubbing my back.  Around 2 or 3:00 in the morning I was awoken to my cellphone ringing.  I looked at the phone and saw the call was coming from my boyfriend Avi.  He usually goes to bed around 10:00 or so since he has to get up so early for work in the morning, and this was so out of the ordinary for him to be calling me at this hour.

Sometimes you just know when somethings not right, and this was one of those feelings.  I answered the phone with caution and instead of a greeting, I think I just said “What’s wrong?!”  He went on to tell me that his dad had a heart attack at work a couple hours prior, and that he was at the hospital. I nearly dropped the phone in shock, and my mom and I just looked at each other like WHAT!? I told Avi about the episode that I had a couple hours prior as well… I had felt that blow to the chest, about the same time that his father had his heart attack.  

I was completely freaked out.  Avi told me his dad was stable but they were gonna have to keep him there overnight and run tests, etc. He stayed there at the hospital with his father and family all night.  The next day I remember my chest being extremely tender and sensitive.  I had faint pains that seemed to have dwindled from the night before, but it was nowhere NEAR the pain I had felt then. The next day was a bit of a whirlwind for my poor boyfriend, and I did what I could to be there for him.  They had actually found major blockages in his dad’s heart, and they did in fact have to perform an emergency open heart surgery.

His dad ended up making a speedy recovery and was back in shape in no time… shortly after his surgery the tenderness in my chest went away, but I took my mom’s advice anyway, and went to the cardiologist. They did a checkup, and also ran a test, did an ultrasound and actually showed me my valves on screen, of my perfectly normal, perfectly fine beating heart.  There was nothing wrong with me… I was however diagnosed with Costochondritis which is a very painful inflammation of the tissue around the sternum. From time to time I get this pain during times of HIGH anxiety or when I feel uneasy or stressed about something.  In my last episode’s case, I was stressed about something I didn’t even know was happening yet… and that’s what’s so weird to me.  The dr. gave me a regimen of taking an aleeve whenever I feel the pain, and sent me on my way.

I don’t remember exactly what led me to eventually piece all of these strange occurrences together, but I do remember exactly when I knew that there was a name for what I had.  This past August, I had gone to a family gathering with my parents, and my dad’s cousins and sisters are quite the crazy bunch.  They have all had their dose of paranormal happenings, and to hear about their experiences first hand, it really gives you the validation that weird things that are unexplainable, are in fact very possible.  We all traded our stories that day, and I told them mine… They were in absolute awe about my ability to somehow feel others pain on multiple occasions, and told me that I’m not going crazy. I got home that night, and decided to do a little research and found the word “Empath”. I read article and blog after article and blog, and watched about every video I could find on Youtube.  This discovery really gave me something to identify with.  Now whenever I feel pain, I really wonder if maybe it is not my own… if it’s not my own, then who’s is it?

I now know that being an empath is like being an energy sponge, whether it’s good or bad energy, I suck all of it in.  That’s not always a good thing, so I have to learn when to retreat and bring myself back to , well, myself.  I have learned to cut the negative energy suckers out of my life, and also to say no when I absolutely need to say no to people who expect way too much of me. Sometimes there is not even enough of me to go around for myself. People often look to me as this grand problem solver, and while that’s flattering… the older I get, the less tolerant I am getting for this tactic.

All in all, I am very happy that I am now enlightened enough to know that there is this thing about me… some may think I’m crazy, or that it’s in my head… but you know what… The doctor’s told me this physical pain was in my head, for the longest time.  Only YOU know your own body and mind.  If you are feeling like this, seek spiritual healing.  Do your research. Unexplainable things happen, and they are possible. No EKG, or ultrasound would find this excruciating pain I was carrying around… for YEARS. Anxiety is a build up of spiritual tension, I do believe.

So there is my story, take it for what it is worth… If you are an empath, and would like to share your story, please do leave a comment! I’d love to talk…
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Also, please check out this Empath Community Online, it has many great resources for fellow Empaths:
http://empathcommunity.eliselebeau.com/page/empath-survival-guide

Hello Lovelies and Happy Monday!
The cards I pulled for today’s tarot spread show that today is a GREAT start to the week. The spread has a very STRONG and positive presence as I have pulled all major arcana cards in the upright position. The cards that I have pulled are The Sun, The Chariot, and The Fool.

I think the combination of these 3 cards gives me a very warm and encouraging energetic nudge from the Universe that we are on a spiritual quest and we’re sort of on the right track with our own paths to personal enlightenment.

The Sun represents our inner strength, our inner light… the cosmic force that keeps us enlightened and vibrant even through the toughest of times. The sun can also represent you coming into your own spirituality at this time. Right now you are awakened more than ever and that light inside of you is really becoming a guiding force for your seeking of guidance from a higher wisdom. You see that light now, and you know where you need to be.

The Chariot is a great follow up card to The Sun, because she is a very assertive figure who holds the reigns to her own destiny. She is the one who is going to follow that guiding light and see her spiritual path through to fruition. This card shows us that we need to be proactive and take the steps necessary to make any changes in our spiritual stagnancy.

The Fool denotes someone with a rather carefree disposition, with a sense of child-like wonder about them. Sometimes we don’t always have a tangible answer to the problems we want to solve, but rather have to act on faith alone. The Fool encourages us in this spread, that it might be a good time to take that leap of faith!

Have you been feeling lately that you need to immerse yourself in your own spirituality in order to reach personal enlightenment? Right now is a great time to do so! Spirit is calling you loud and clear! It’s time to answer the call!

Some things you can do at this time to raise your vibration and answer the call of your spirit guides are: take a class in a spiritual realm, work on opening your chakras through meditation or crystal healing, learn or tap into a form of divination, start a power thought or gratitude journal, start a soul-centered business, read about different religious paths and decide which one is right for you, go for walks in nature, nurture something (a plant or herb garden), help others. These are just some things you can do to awaken the spirit inside of you!