Visions - Book of Destiny EUniverse

Transcription

Visions
Volume VII
A Collection of 56 Articles from
The Voice of the Seven
Thunders Newsletter
by Robert Lee Camp and
Seven Thunders Publishing
and friends
Visions
Volume VII
A Collection of 56 Articles from The Voice of
the Seven Thunders Newsletter
by Robert Lee Camp and
Seven Thunders Publishing
and friends
1
Copyright 2005 by Robert Lee Camp and Seven Thunders
Publishing Company
All rights reserved
Seven Thunders Publishing Company
P.O. Box 18959
Asheville, NC 28814
www.7thunders.com
email: themagi@7thunders.com
2
Table of Contents
From the July, 2003 Newsletter
The Lord of Your Chart
Finding the Perfect Partner with the Cards
Celebrity Profiles
The Card of Where You Live
Information and Our Connection to Source
5
7
9
10
11
From the September, 2003 Newsletter
There’s No Such Thing As a Bad Card
The Secrets in Your Life Spread
Finding the Perfect Partner Using Destiny
Cards – Self Love and the Cards
The Blame Game
13
14
18
20
From the November, 2003 Newsletter
Transcending Your Cards
The Charming A♦
A New Relationship Connection
Averting Disaster with the cards
Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman
22
23
26
27
29
From the January, 2004 Newsletter
Looking Into 2004
The Saturn Cards
Mastery of Fear - Part One
My Work
31
32
35
38
From the March, 2004 Newsletter
The Leo Thing
Mastery of Fear - Part Two
Abiding in the Source
A New Look at Yearly Spreads
A Deeper Look at Relationships
40
42
44
46
46
From the May, 2004 Newsletter
Celebrity Couple Shakedown
The Twelve Colors of Life
The Most Common Misconceptions
Between Wanting and Having
World News Update
49
51
53
55
57
Celebrity Couple Update
The Magical Cards in Your Yearly Spreads
The Results are Consistent with Me
The Money Cards
58
58
62
64
3
Unsolved Card Mysteries
The Thing About Aces
Why a Fellowship?
The Escape From Being
Presidential Election Update
67
70
72
74
75
Choosing Your Relationships
Legally Speaking
76
76
82
From the December, 2004 Newsletter
Your 2005 Astrological Outlook
Letters and Testimonials
85
88
The Current Age of Darkness
The Karma Cards In-Depth
The Earthquake Card
89
91
95
Good Judgment
The Highest Path and the A♠
A Missing Card Link
Do No Harm
97
99
100
103
Planetary Gemology
A Card is a Card
Astrological Myths
105
108
110
The Effects of Culture
The Q♦ and 3♣
Uranus and Relationships
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
115
116
118
120
4
The Lord of Your Chart
Most people will tell you that your Sun, Moon and Rising Sign are the most important
significators in your natal chart. When someone wants to know more about you, they will ask
what these are. There is no doubt that these three are extremely important, probably the most
important three in your chart. But what is often overlooked is what I call the Lord of the Chart,
which is the planet that rules your ascendant. In many ways, this planet is more significant than
these three that are most asked for.
Most people will tell you that your Ascendant, or Rising Sign, is the strongest indicator of
how you look physically. But I think if you look at people with this in mind, you will see that
this is usually untrue. The Rising Sign is important and some people do look like their Rising
Sign. But in my experience, we usually look like the Lord of our chart. For example, you might
be Aquarius Rising. Typically Aquarians are thin and lean and often unusual looking in some
way. But if Uranus in your natal chart, which would be the Lord of your Ascendant, is in the sign
of Cancer, you will look more like a Cancer, which is more round, soft and motherly looking.
The Lord of our chart is a powerful symbol of our self-expression. Most people are a little
confused about the Ascendant. They think that the Ascendant is a symbol of who we are.
However, according to some other astrologers and me, the Ascendant is more of a personal
identity rather than something that actually exists in the chart. Evidence of that is that often the
sign on our ascendant is the only thing in our chart with that sign. This is not always true but it is
in a surprising number of natal charts. It is often a missing sign as far as the planets in the chart
go. But the Lord of the Ascendant is always a powerful symbol of our personalities.
To find the Lord of Your Chart, you need to know what your Rising Sign, or Ascendant, is.
If you do not know, go to www.astro.com and get a free astrological chart. It will tell you what
your Ascendant is. Once you know that, you need to know which planet governs each of the
signs. Here is a table in case you do not know.
Planet
Mercury
Venus
Mars
Jupiter
Sign
Virgo, Gemini
Taurus, Libra
Aries, Scorpio
Sagittarius
Planet
Saturn
Uranus
Neptune
Pluto
Sign
Capricorn
Aquarius
Pisces
Scorpio
Now, look at this chart ruler as if it were your Sun or other important planet. But when you
look at it, think of it as the planet in your chart where your personality most strongly shines
through. In particular, look at the sign of the Lord, the house position, and the aspects that it
makes to other planets in your chart. Start with the astrological sign of your chart Lord. See if
you tend to exemplify many of the traits of that sign, almost as if it were your Sun's sign. For
some of you, it will be the same sign, which will not help you see its significance. But most of us
will find that our chart Lord is a different sign than our Sun and that we do tend to act out of that
sign a lot.
Next look at the House that your chart Lord is in. A sign governs each house of the zodiac as
well. So, in essence, you can translate the house position as a sign. The list below tells you which
sign rules each of the houses so you can translate that.
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House
1
2
3
4
5
6
Sign
Aries
Taurus
Gemini
Cancer
Leo
Virgo
House
7
8
9
10
11
12
Sign
Libra
Scorpio
Sagittarius
Capricorn
Aquarius
Pisces
Let's take a few examples to see how this works. Let's say that your Rising Sign is Cancer.
Cancer would make your chart Lord your Moon. Now lets say that your Moon is in the Sign of
Libra and it is found in your 4th house. Having a Libra Moon as your chart ruler will give you a
strong Libra expression and look. You would probably have eyes that are far apart and a certain
amount of physical beauty. People may think you are a Libra, in fact. However, since your Moon
is also in the 4th house, this will further strengthen your Cancer traits. You truly will act like a
Cancer, not just think you are one.
Now, you may be confused by this example and asking yourself how can someone be two
signs at the same time? Do we have to combine these two signs together to get an accurate read
on someone? The answer is no. When there are two, and sometimes more astrological influences,
affecting a certain planet, we find that we act each of them out individually, not some
combination of them that we cannot define. In our example above, the individual would
sometimes act out as a Cancer and at other times as a Libra. But I would bet that the Libra is
stronger because Libra is the sign. In my experience the sign is slightly stronger in expression
than the house.
For a second example, let’s say that someone is a Sagittarius Rising. Jupiter governs
Sagittarius. So, Jupiter would be the Lord of the chart. If this Jupiter were in the sign of Virgo,
you would have an individual who acts more like a Virgo than anything else. In this example,
Jupiter would probably fall in the person's 10th house, which is ruled by Capricorn. So, likewise
there is a strong Capricorn expression. This person would likely be detailed oriented, very
organized, and career oriented. These traits are not those normally associated with a Sagittarius.
In fact, Sagittarius and Virgo are signs that are not that compatible. But here you would have
someone who thinks they are a Sagittarius (because that is their Ascendant) but acts like a
Virgo/Capricorn.
When I do relationship readings using Astrology, I usually look at the Lord of the Chart
first. If one person's chart ruler makes a strong aspect to planets in the other person's chart, this is
a strong connection for relationship, especially if the aspect is a conjunction. For this reason, it is
very important to know the sign, house and number of degrees of its sign, for your chart ruler.
That way, you can tell pretty fast if it aspects any planets in someone else's chart. Chart Lord
conjunctions is a very strong aspect, marriage material. It is not the only one however, just one of
many. It’s definitely something to look for.
Another very powerful thing to keep an eye on is when transiting planets conjunct or
otherwise aspect the Lord of your Chart. One of the most powerful experiences of my life
occurred when Jupiter conjunct the Lord of my Chart. This is one transit that everyone should be
aware of, even though it only occurs every twelve years. Any transit to your chart ruler is bound
to have a more or less profound effect upon you. This is because of how much we act through
this chart Lord.
6
Finding the Perfect Partner Using the Destiny Cards
By Joseph Malinak
I’ve had the delightful opportunity in the last couple of years to attend four or five of Robert
Camp’s “Destiny Card” workshops. It has fascinated me that in each one of these the time that
participants become the most enlivened is when this subject arises: “what is the best birth card in
an ideal mate for me?” This always ends up being a very lively discussion, exploring what are
“the best Destiny Card combinations for me in a partner?”
This is certainly a valid use of the cards, although we may be asking the wrong question.
My own interest in the Destiny Cards was profoundly aroused when I saw the clarity and depth
the cards brought to the understanding of relationships. As a practitioner of Jyotish, the ancient
Indian astrology, compatibility had been one of my special areas of interest. I was amazed by
how much further I could go in understanding relationships with the Destiny Cards than with the
ancient, well proven technology of Jyotish.
I feel that there is a more significant use of the Destiny Cards in assisting us to have
successful relationships. When we look at “good compatibility” we’re making some
assumptions. The most significant assumption made is that each of the cards is operating at its
highest frequency in the persons whose spreads are being read. However, each birth card has a
full range of frequencies. In addition each birth card has a karmic weakness, indicated by the
first karma card. You might think of this first karma card as the place a person goes under stress.
Let’s take a look at an example in order to understand the significance of this interplay
between the birth card and karma card in relationships. My birth card is the King of Hearts. At a
high frequency the King of Hearts can be a loving father and a good partner. At lower
frequencies the King of Hearts can be a philanderer and a tyrant in his family and social circle.
In addition the King of Hearts has a Two of Clubs first karma card. This Two of Clubs can bring
a tendency to argue, whine, and to use anger in attempts to manipulate.
An ideal compatible partner for the King of Hearts is the Queen of Hearts, who stands in a
moon position to the King. Robert has indicated that the sun/moon relationship between a man
and a woman can be one of the most significant indicators of a successful relationship.
However, the potential of this relationship can be fulfilled only if the King is operating at a
higher frequency. The sun/moon relationship works only if the individual in the sun position is
willing to lead. And, of course, the individual in the moon position must be willing to follow.
My wife happens to be a Queen of Hearts. As a Queen of Hearts she is a capable leader in her
own right. If in a situation where I need to lead I choose instead to follow her, she will pick up
the lead because she is so capable. However, this switch in roles will frustrate both of us. She
does not need me to always take the lead. However, wherever it is appropriate for me to lead, it
is best for us if I choose to do so and not fall back and expect her to lead in my place.
Comparably, as a Queen of Hearts, my wife’s most natural expression is that of “mother.”
Even though she does not have children, she expresses the higher frequency of the Queen of
Hearts “mother” through loving nurture of our pets, our home, and to those she serves through
volunteer activities. However, the mother expressed through a lower frequency looks like her
trying to mother me! That puts her in a leadership position to me and causes tension.
Concerning the effect of the first karma card; as a King of Hearts, if I predominantly act
from my point of weakness, the Two of Clubs first karma card, I really frustrate her! If she
predominantly acts from her point of weakness, the Ten of Spades first karma card, she really
frustrates me. This is how codependent relationships are created. A codependent relationship is
simply a relationship based on two people’s weaknesses rather than their strengths. If as a King
of Hearts I operate from my argumentative, whiney, or angry place of the Two of Clubs, and if
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she as a Queen of Hearts operates from her Ten of Spades weakness of getting preoccupied with
busy-ness, then we get trapped in a vicious cycle. Perhaps she gets busy trying to fix me. That
means she tries to take an inappropriate leadership role with me. Or maybe she gets busy with
other things and other people to avoid the discomfort and aggravation of my whining and
argumentativeness. That creates a scenario where we can start drifting apart. If her busy
behavior annoys me, I can wind up angry and have even more to whine about! This isn’t a pretty
picture. However, you can clearly see how getting stuck in our weaknesses – those first karma
cards – is fertile ground for a codependent relationship.
Because my wife and I know what operating at our birth cards’ lower and higher frequencies
looks like and because we know the effect our first karma cards have on our personalities, we
bring conscious attention to understanding how we operate with one another. We can make the
choice for the higher frequencies by monitoring how, where, when, and why our weaknesses
show up. We don’t try to eradicate the weaknesses. We just work with them. We also do not
call each other on the other’s weaknesses. Having an understanding of each other’s cards gives
us patience while each of us does his or her own work. In a sense we befriend the weaknesses so
that they don’t get the better of us.
The most significant aspect of the Destiny Cards for relationships is how they can lead us to
become the perfect partner. The real essence of a good relationship is not in finding the perfect
partner; rather, it is in being the perfect partner. It is through exploring the deepest meaning of
our cards that we can begin to experience how we need to grow in order to attract the kind of
relationship we desire.
Many people understand today, at least intellectually, that our partner is a mirror for us.
However, many people go through one partner after another refusing to look in that mirror. For
most of us searching for the ideal partner, there is a picture and a mirror that hang side by side.
The picture holds the image of that ideal partner. The mirror holds the true reflection of what
and who we are attracting. Too many of us focus on the picture and continually reject the mirror
and the truth that it reflects. We choose illusion over helpful information that can help us
become the partner we need to be in order to attract the partner who is ideal for us. Using the
Destiny Cards to fantasize who our ideal partner must be takes us outside ourselves and
prostitutes the deepest use of the Destiny Cards. First we need to use the Destiny Cards to
accurately see ourselves. Secondly, we need to take advantage of the information that gives us to
become worthy partners. Then we will be ready for our ideal partner when he or she shows up!
As a graduate of the Bert Hellinger USA Institute training in Systematic Phenomenology, The
Mastery of the Heart Teacher Training Programs, the Destiny Card Master Seminar, and many
years as a professional Vedic astrologer, Joseph Malinak brings a wide variety of experiences
and training to his passion of assisting others in the development of healthy relationships and in
assisting men reconnect with their masculinity. Joseph is available for relationship readings and
can be contacted at jmalinak@acninc.net or at 828-645-0999.
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Celebrity Profiles
Two Powerful Ten of Diamonds People
What do all 10♦ have in common? A desire to be noticed, to be the center of attention.
Also, a strong materialistic urge. The desire to make a lot of money. Tens also often have a
hidden fear of failure combined with a drive for success. This creates some very successful
people in life, but often a kind of personality that is overbearing or too much. The two celebrities
here certainly share those traits in abundance. But being the ‘most blessed card in the deck’ is not
all it’s cracked up to be. Read on to explore what it must be like.
James Eugene Carrey
Born 1/17/1962 10♦/5♥
“Maybe I'll turn 45, and suddenly I won't need people to tell me I'm great
anymore, and I'll just go off in another direction completely."
With his 5♥ Planetary Ruling Card, Jim Carrey has his share of
relationships and issues around them. At age 41 he has been married
twice and had a year-long relationship with Renée Zellweger (4/25/1959
- 9♣/2♥). He also dated singer/actress Linda Rondstadt (7/15/1946 K♣/2♣) earlier in his career. His marriages were to Melissa Womer, a
waitress from one of the earlier comedy clubs he worked at, and actress Lauren Holly, whom he
met on the set of Dumb and Dumber. Lauren, born October 28, 1963 (same cards as Bill Gates
7♥ J♥/K♦) must have been a lot to handle for poor Jim. Their marriage lasted ten months. There
was Venus, but a whole lot of Mars too, in their relationship. I don’t have the birthday of
Melissa. But the latest gossip is that she is filing for an increase in her child support payments
from Jim. Seems that $10,000 a month isn’t close to being enough to support her lifestyle these
days. In all fairness, she does have Jim’s only child, Jane. His divorce to Melissa has been
described as ‘very messy’, thus fulfilling the 10♦ karma of having the 5♥ in Saturn.
In recent interviews Jim admits that he is now just dating with no thoughts of marriage. His
5♥ freedom-loving nature is finally being expressed. And now that he has, he may never go
back, especially after the bad experiences he has had in trying to make marriages work.
However, his father, whom he worshipped, was a big family man and set the example for Jim to
follow. Perhaps he will have a go at it again after he has sewn his wild oats a while. In two years,
Jim reaches his Pinnacle Year, displacing the 8♦. I predict one or two very big movies by then
and then a more or less radical shift in his life, which is common for the Pinnacle Year.
Martha Stewart
Born 8/3/1941 10♦ Leo
"You just put on your résumé that you worked for Martha Stewart.
That's more valuable than any amount of overtime I could pay you."
The golden girl is in trouble. By lying about a shady stock
transaction she has lost an estimated twenty million dollars. The
penalty for what she did, if she had come clean, would have been
about $5,000. But she is a Leo and looking good is what matters
most. Which is probably why she lied. Her image means everything
to her. She actually has good cards until after her birthday coming
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soon. But her cards for next year show that this is not going to end well for her. She displaces the
7♠ and has a 9♠ and 5♦ in Saturn. Her Mars cards are not much better (7♥/K♣). It will be a
hard fall for Martha but as we all know, those who climb the highest have the farthest to fall.
And climb high she has.
Martha has always managed to keep herself the center of attention. She worked as a
model, then a caterer as she developed her style. Her career has done nothing but go up, up, up.
She married Andy Stewart, a Yale law student, in 1961 and they were married until 1987
when he moved out and they eventually got divorced in 1990. It was not an amicable parting.
Andy got a court order to keep Martha away. So, it seems that she too maintains the 10♦ karma
of a very difficult divorce, one that is karmic in nature. As hard as that was, however, I think the
current situation is probably the most difficult of her life. Her entire empire was built upon her
apparent moral goodness and propriety. Now, all of that is in question. By making herself such a
public paradigm of virtue, Martha has set herself up to be the example that the government will
use to illustrate the downside of dishonesty in big business. But Martha is a warrior and will fight
this in her warrior manner that has helped her reach such a high place in the world.
The Card of Where You Live
In 1999 a book was published by Llewellyn Publications called Moving to Success by Rose
Murray. In this book, Rose shows how to use your knowledge of the cards to find suitable places
to live and work. I met Rose in 1988 at the same time I met Arnie Lein, my teacher in the cards.
She was one of his neighbors in his apartment in Santa Monica. Her book is an expansion on the
method I learned from Arnie about how to do relationship readings. But instead of people, she
takes the birth dates of places, towns, countries and states. Unfortunately I have been told that
her book is currently out of print. There are many used copies around, however. A friend of mine
recently picked up a dozen of them for less than $4 each. I am sure if you search around on the
internet, you will be able to find some. The one good reason to get her book is that she has
gathered all the birthdays of places together in one place making it easy to look them up.
However, even if you don't you can still use this technique and see what it does for you. You
can actually improve on her method dramatically using the your Love Cards book. I will explain
why in a minute. There are many sources of birthdays online that you can use to get the birthdays
of states, cities, etc. For example, http://www.50states.com has the birthdays of all the 50 states. I
am sure you can also find the incorporation dates of cites nationwide online somewhere. Once,
you find the birthdays you are interested in, here is how you use them to do a compatibility.
In Rose's book she uses the most basic method for determining compatibility and that is
looking at direct, vertical and diagonal influences from the Birth Card. This method is accurate
and is the same that I use in Love Cards. However, she does not use the Planetary Ruling Card,
Karma Cards or Karma Cousins. In other words, she is using less than half of the available
connections for her method. While the connections she finds this way are accurate, they can, in
many cases, be missing some of the most important connections there are. So, if you use your
Love Cards book you will be able to derive many more connections and get a more in-depth
reading on yourself and whatever place you are planning to live at or move to.
All you need to do is get the birthday of the place you are interested in and see how you
connect with that place as if it were a person you were doing a relationship reading with. For
example, say you were interested in moving to California and you wanted to get an idea of how
you would do in California. California's birthday (the day it achieved statehood) is September 9,
1850, making California a 2 of Diamonds with a Jack of Spades Planetary Ruling Card. So,
knowing your Birth and Ruling Cards, you can use the Love Cards book to do a relationship
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reading between you and California. There are birthdays for each town and city in each state as
well. And those might even be more significant, in terms of where you should live, than the state
itself. It invites some experimentation.
Personally I have not validated this method to my own satisfaction. I suppose that non-living
entities can have birthdays but I am not entirely sure that this application actually works. I do
notice, however, that I am very compatible with Asheville, NC, where I live now. But I used
astrocartography to make that determination, which has always been meaningful and accurate for
me personally. I have good astrological lines here. But Asheville is also a good card for me,
card-wise (King of Clubs/6 of Clubs). So, I would need more data to base an opinion on. I invite
you to experiment with this method and let me know what you think. Also, if you find a good,
online source of birthdays for cities around the country, please share that with me as well.
Information and Our Connection to the Source
Welcome to the age of information. Welcome to the Age of Aquarius, the age of the
Internet. Communication has never been better and the world has grown much smaller as a
result. Photos and video from all over the world are right at our fingertips. You can go online and
get the daily news in Beirut or most any city in the world right from your home computer. You
can watch live satellite pictures of the earth, check the weather in any part of the world, find out
which of your neighbors has been in prison, research the best products for your home, office or
personal life, read reviews of books and other products, and find out what people are saying
about any of a hundred thousand topics. And, there are more books than ever, good books and
great books. There are books on enlightenment and all manner of esoteric science, in addition to
the millions of books on every topic imaginable. You can get a book that can help you do
anything you want to do, written by someone who has successfully done it. It is all available and
coming at you every minute of the day. It used to be that we only had newspapers. Now we still
have newspapers but we also have television, radio, internet, email, the world wide web,
newsgroups, PDAs, cell phones, GPS receivers, VCRs, DVDs, CDRs, Satellite TV, cable, DSL,
ISDN, MP3s, modems, wireless internet and high speed everything. We can always be in touch
with what is going on. As a matter of fact, it is a little hard to be out of touch.
With all of this information at our fingertips, you would think that we could have happier
lives. Heck, the common belief is that information is the key to a happy, successful life, isn't it?
We learned to read and are encouraged to read even now. So, there is all this information. Why is
our planet so screwed up? A friend handed me a book recently called The Power of Now by
Eckhart Tolle. I don't read much anymore but she insisted and I sat down one day to read it.
Now, this is a very powerful book. After reading about five pages I had to put it down. I have a
very high regard for books and for information, especially information of such a high spiritual
nature. After reading five pages I realized that it would be an insult to that source of information
if I were to continue reading it without putting what I had already read into practice. This used to
happen to me when I read other books such as books by Krishnamurti and a book by Jan Roberts
called The Nature of Personal Reality. These books speak of a shift in consciousness and point to
the very heart of true mysticism. To just read them like a newspaper or a novel is do insult the
gift they bring. But in today’s rampant information society we have fallen pray to the downside
of having so much access. And that is that we do not value it as much. We do not appreciate the
power of information and its true place in our life.
Information relates to our minds. And it is our mind that creates plans for us, plans for
action. Like it or not, we still live in a world that requires actions in order to materialize things or
changes in our life. Information can give us a blueprint. But without action, it is wasted. And
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people who read them with no intention of doing anything to change their life waste millions of
books each day. A book, even a powerful spiritual book like The Power of Now, can be used as
an escape from reality, a way to fantasize about a better life without any intention of doing
anything different to create that dream. It is also like someone who reads the news every day but
is actually making no news themselves. What is the news in your life? Do you have any? Or do
you live vicariously through the news of the world around you? Sometimes reading the news and
watching television becomes an escape from our own life and we can forfeit our own life in the
process. These are the downsides of information.
Essentially, information is worthless. It is worthless unless we do something with it. Another
way of saying this is that information without the intention to act, is worthless. It is like spending
six years in college just to graduate and get a job at Burger King. So, it is not the information we
receive that is priceless, it is what we are doing with the information we receive that is. There is
so called priceless information out there. But no matter how important or valuable that
information was to one person, it is worthless to someone who has no intention of using it. See
that? Information is meant to be used, not just taken in for the experience of taking it in.
A number of years ago two friends of mine approached me. They had just taken a weekend
real estate investing seminar costing $600 each. They had a pile of books, tapes and other
materials with them from the course. They were so excited and inspired about how much money
they were going to make buying and selling real estate. I got very excited too, just hearing about
it. As I looked through their materials I noticed a book among the other items. It was called No
Money Down by Robert Allen. The next day I went to my local bookstore and bought that book.
It cost me about $8. Three months later neither of my friends had purchased any property. As a
matter of fact, they never did purchase any, even after spending so much money on that seminar.
However, after that same three months, I already had purchased two buildings. And I went on to
buying twelve more buildings and making more money than I had ever.
Books have always been my friends. Certain books that I have read have absolutely changed
my life. I would recommend them to others, and I have, many times. However, I am under no
illusion about the power of good information. It is only good as what the person receiving it is
going to do with it. If I gave you one of my most precious books, one that changed my life, it
might not have any effect on you. It depends on what you need right now, and whether or not
you will act upon the information it gives you.
This leads us to the final conclusion of this article. That is, that without you and your
actions, all this information is worthless. As a matter of fact, all that life has to offer you is
worthless, not just the information that is surrounding us today. The older I get the more I realize
that what I need most in my life is me. Information is interesting but without me, without that
essence of who I am, it is meaningless. I recall once when I was in my early twenties that I got
very ill with a high fever for nearly a week. In that weakened state of being, I lost all interest in
life and everything in it. I remember how amazed I was to see how meaningless everything was
without the energy to appreciate it. It was a sobering experience. So, more and more in my life, I
manage my energy and myself. I realize that everything in my life depends upon me being there.
So, my being here, and feeling well and being connected to my higher self, has become my
highest priority. All that I have to offer the world comes from my connection to something
greater than my mind. It comes from my connection to the source. So, I do things every day to
keep that connection open and flowing. Without it, I am nothing.
12
There’s No Such Thing As A Bad Card
For as long as I remember I have thought of God as a loving entity. Maybe its my A♦ blind
enthusiasm and positive attitude, but its always been with me and a part of me. I even read the
Bible when I was nine years old and when I did I got a very different impression of it than was
taught in the church where we went. I never believed that God was some calculating being up in
heaven that was judging our actions constantly and keeping meticulous records, ready all the
while to punish us for our bad deeds. I just knew in my heart that He loved us above all else. My
relationship with God has deepened since then and now God is my loving father. Though I
experienced a lot of pain, suffering and tragedy earlier in my life, I now feel that my life is under
the constant care of my heavenly father. To me, God is a loving father, and that is how I pray to
Him. And from that relationship I tend to expect good things to happen to me all the time. And,
of course, as I believe, I receive.
Along those lines my attitude towards the cards is one in which I do not see bad cards at all.
Every card, whether it be a Birth Card, Planetary Ruling Card, or card in a yearly spread, is a
good card, or has the potential for good expression. So, for me, the rule is, there are no bad cards,
just people who will express the energies of their cards in either a positive or negative fashion.
This is a very healthy attitude to have since it gives each individual the power to make his or her
own destiny.
When I give a reading I have this attitude in mind. Usually within minutes of the start of the
reading I can tell what kind of person I am talking with. I can tell, for instance, if they are the
kind of person who is more likely to express the positive sides of their cards. In a scene from my
favorite movie, Groundhog Day, a guy is talking to Bill Murray at a bowling alley while they are
getting drunk. The guy turns to Bill’s character, points to his beer, and says “Now some guys
would look at this glass and say it is half full. And other guys would say it is half empty. I get the
feeling that you are one of the half-empty kind of guys.” And, indeed he was, until he made the
transformation later in the story. Once I know who I am reading for, I make an effort to convey
to them that the cards and planets in their readings are really opportunities. They can choose to
take advantage of them or let them slip by. There is no blame or shame in whatever choice they
make. But there will be results, determined by what they choose and their motive for choosing it.
I convey this to my clients in as loving a manner as possible. I make them aware of their choices
and their consequences and let them choose.
Sevens, Nines, especially in the Spades suit, and odd-numbered cards in Saturn can always
bring us a scare when we imagine how they might turn out. These are the mundanely challenging
cards. I say mundanely because these same cards bring rewards on the spiritual level. I had read
this in Olney Richmond’s book, The Mystic Test Book, but it took me a long time to really
understand what he was saying. To understand what a spiritual reward is all about, you really
have to experience one. But I can try to put it into words. Once, while under a 9♦ in Mercury, I
had some moneymaking plans go awry. A class I had planned was being cancelled. I was
disappointed and angry and wanted to blame someone. But for some reason, I caught myself in
the moment. I saw clearly that my anger and blame would not do any good for anyone. So, I
decided to just let it go. I even did a turnaround. I offered to help the person who was responsible
somewhat for the cancellation of my class. As I did, a strong feeling came over me. This was a
feeling of freedom and bliss. At the same time, a realization came over me, one that I was
unaware of before. The realization was that I really did not want to do that class.
13
This was something I was unaware of until then. The 9♦ served to remind me that I was
pointed in the wrong direction. I resisted it at first. I even considered trying to use all the
personal power at my disposal to make it turn out another way. But my choice to let it go brought
me more than I imagined. At that moment, I tapped into the universal quality of the Nine. I felt
supremely blessed by the universe. And it wasn’t just a feeling; it was real. And, for that
moment, I got a glimpse of how beautifully the universe is working all the time, though I am
rarely aware of it. And, of course, I felt just how much God loves me.
So, to say spiritual reward is also to say material reward. At least that is how it turns out.
Once the spiritual challenge is met, the material rewards are abundant. Sevens create a need for
faith and positive attitude. Nines always mean we have to let go of something. Since most of the
world today is averse to letting go and to having a positive attitude, these cards show up as
negative or frightening experiences. But exactly the reverse can be true. And the good that can be
had is much greater than any materially rewarding card, such as an Eight or a Ten can bring you.
I have had many such experiences over the years, with Sevens, Nines, and other challenging
cards. More and more I am able to access the high sides of these cards and enjoy their spiritual
benefits and material rewards.
If I really believe that the universe is a loving, giving place (which I do), then I must also
assume that the following is true:
1. That everything happens for a loving reason and purpose. I underscore the word everything
because this must include every single area of our life.
2. That behind even the most dreadful appearing tragedies is the presence and intelligence of
God’s love and that God is loving each individual involved through it.
3. That there is no such thing as bad cards or bad experiences.
4. That there is a higher purpose for our lives than just avoiding pain and pursuing pleasure.
It is possible to live a life in which you have no fear of anything. This can happen because
you have developed a deep relationship with God and yourself. You know yourself and your
innermost motives and you know how Karma works. When you are following divine law you are
assured of the results of your words and actions. This is called living in the truth. The truth is
always a loving truth. If you are living in it, there is no room for doubt or fear. Life is love in
action and that’s all there is to it.
The Secrets in Your Life Spread
Sacred Symbols of the Ancients by Florence Campbell and Edith Randall, What’s Your Card?
by Arnie Lein (currently out of print), and my book, Love Cards, all offer descriptions of your
Birth Card. What they really offer, however, is a description of your Life Spread. It is the Life
Spread of each of the Birth Cards that really defines the particular patterns inherent in that card.
But what are the aspects of your Life Spread that you can look at to discover more things about
yourself? Here is a list that you can start with:
1. The planetary row and column position of your Birth Card in both the Life and Spiritual
Spreads (Grand Solar style)
2. Your Karma Cards, both first and second, positive and negative
3. The Life Spread Cards themselves, from Moon through Cosmic Lesson
4. The Cards Underlying your Life Spread Cards
5. Your Planetary Ruling Card and its Karma Cards
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If you read Sacred Symbols of the Ancients, which I highly recommend, you will see that the
authors pretty much cover these bases for every card. They do not always point out the cards
they are talking about, but their interpretations point to them consistently. For example, when
you read about the various birthdays of each Birth Card in their book and compare those
descriptions with the Planetary Ruling Card of each birthday you will often find a strong
correlation. Let’s discuss these individually to make some new discoveries about ourselves.
The Planetary Row and Column position
The illustration on the next page of the Life
Spread in Grand Solar array displays the planetary
Row and Column influences. The same illustration is
found on page 48 of Destiny Cards. On pages 342 and
343 of Love Cards and in the back of Sacred Symbols
you will find both the Life and Spiritual Spreads
displayed in this fashion. Note the planetary influences
that govern the rows and columns. In Sacred Symbols
the authors generally combine the row and column
influence from both spreads to make an interpretation.
They will say, for example, that the 6♣ is the ‘Saturn
Card in the Neptune Line (Mundane) displaces the 8♠
(Natural Spread). They call the Life Spread the
Mundane Spread and the Spiritual Spread, the Natural
Spread. They mean the same thing. We can see the 6♣
in the Life Spread pictured here. It sits in what I call
the Neptune row and the Uranus column. In the
Spiritual Spread, not pictured here, it sits in the same
location as the 8♠ sitting in this illustration, that is in the Jupiter line and Saturn row. Thus, the
6♣ has a Saturn influence in each spread combined with a Neptune influence in the Life Spread
and a Jupiter influence in the Spiritual Spread. Thus, three distinct influences: Saturn, Neptune
and Jupiter. Then, in most cases, the ladies who wrote Sacred Symbols will say something about
how those influences show up in the personality or character of the individual possessing that
card. If you have a basic understanding of the planetary influences, you can learn a lot about
yourself by seeing what your planetary influences are and how they show up in your life.
For example, my Birth Card, the Q♦, is Saturn/Mercury in the Life Spread. This shows a
tendency towards mental (Mercury) pessimism (Saturn) as well as a mind (Mercury) capable of
high discipline and concentration (Saturn), both qualities of most Q♦. The Spiritual Spread
influences are Mars/Uranus. These influences cause Q♦ to act (Mars) unexpectedly (Uranus),
and to be (Mars) very independent (Uranus) in work and action (Mars). This can also represent
an affinity for occult (Uranus) work (Mars), or at least an interest in such. With these examples
as guidelines you should be able to uncover some new secrets about yourself and others. Read
what the ladies in Sacred Symbols wrote about your card and others to get a head start on this. At
first it may seem hard to understand but if you try a few examples, I am sure you will catch on
quickly.
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Your Karma Cards
Our Karma Cards are an extremely aspect of our self-understanding. I cannot over stress
their importance. I have written extensively about this in many articles the past three years so if
you want to study this more, check out the Visions books in our catalog. Their full table of
contents is found online here:
http://www.7thunders.com/Visions.html
The first Karma Card listed in my books is a card that symbolizes an area in which we have
to work on to improve over the course of our life. The second Karma Card is an area where we
are very talented or gifted, where things come easily. Learn your Karma Cards and see how they
play out in your life. As an example, take the Q♣. Their first Karma Card is the 3♥. On a
negative level the 3♥ means uncertainty in love or a fear about not getting enough love. The Q♣
typically have both. Their second Karma Card is the 10♦. Expressed positively the 10♦ gives a
natural sense of abundance and the ability to handle large-scale businesses with ease, which is
also common among the Q♣ I have met.
The Life Spread Cards
This is where there is a wealth of
information. Both Sacred Symbols and
What’s Your Card? go into detail on the
specific meaning of each Life Spread
card. Love Cards presents an overall
meaning that includes information
about the Life Spread cards without
specifically mentioning them. These are
essentially the cards in your Age 0 Year
in Destiny Cards. The most important
of them are displayed in Love Cards as
well, and includes the Moon Card.
Understanding them can be easier if
you relate to them from the following
meanings.
The Cards Underlying Your Life
Spread Card
These are not so apparent but are
referred to often in Sacred Symbols
where they discuss the various Life
Spread Cards. For example, in their
description of the Mercury Card in the
Life Spread of the Q♦, which is a 5♥,
they say, “There is a certain financial
security in the early life which is not so
dependable later on.” This is a direct
reference to the underlying 4♦. They
Card
Moon
Meaning
That which nurtures and supports us. How
our mother was for us as a child.
Sun
The Birth Card itself
Mercury How our mind is, what we think about a
lot, the nature of our communications,
things that happened in our early
childhood
Venus
Our choice in mates, how we are
romantically and things we like to have or
do in our homes. Things that happened in
our late childhood, adolescence.
Mars
What we are passionate about or how our
passionate, aggressive energies express
themselves.
Jupiter
Business and work preferences, where we
are blessed in one or more ways
Saturn
Some of our important life lessons. Health
issues of our card.
Uranus Work matters, associations, real estate
success, and some of the later years of our
life
Neptune Our relationship with foreign interests, the
last years of our life, our psychic ability.
Our hopes and fears card.
Pluto
Important life challenges and area of
transformation.
Cosmic Blessings we acquire later in life. Areas
Reward where we have blessings to give to others.
Cosmic Where we must set an example for the
Lesson
world in our actions and work.
16
could have also said something like “Q♦ have a good organization (4) mind (Mercury) when it
comes to money(♦).” Each card in your Life Spread has one Underlying Card, unless that card
is one of the three Fixed Cards (8♣, J♥, and K♠). These underlying cards not only contribute to
the meaning of the 13-year period the card governs (Mercury – Neptune only in this case) but
also to the personality traits that come with that card. So, how do we find them? This is easy. All
you need is your Destiny Cards book. Look at the Age 90 Spread, which is virtually identical to
the Age 0 Spread. They are both the Life Spread cards. Now, look at the Age 89 Spread of your
first Karma Card. Those are the Underlying Cards taken from the Spiritual Spread. So, for
example, if your Birth Card is the 9♠, you would look up the Age 89 Spread for the K♥, since
the K♥ is your first Karma Card. There you would see, in Mercury, the A♣ and in Venus, the 2♣
and so forth. The A♣ is the Underlying Card of your Life Spread Mercury Card, the 2♥. The 2♣
is the Underlying Card of your Life Spread Venus card, the K♥, and so on. In this example, the
underlying 2♣ in the Venus position could represent an affinity for partners (Venus) of high
intelligence (2♣). Even the vertical cards in your Life Spread have Underlying Cards and they
are readily seen in the Age 89 Spread of your first Karma Card. As you study these, you are
really looking at some hidden influences and many new secrets will be revealed.
Your Planetary Ruling Card and its Karma Cards
Finally, we must study our Planetary Ruling card much as if it were our Birth Card. This
includes mostly studying the descriptions of that card as if it were a Birth Card and studying its
Karma Cards for even more details. In Sacred Symbols, there is a description given for each
birthday of each Birth Card. That description, more often than not, fits a general description of
the Planetary Ruling Card. Check it out. Read the description of the Capricorn Q♦, for example.
As you read it, think about how this description easily fits a 7♣ person. “Conformists to
orthodoxy, but want enlightenment. Money much desired but always a problem. Uncertain in
faith. Fear of the future and worry over it – which interferes with work and health.” But you can
also read the Planetary Ruling Card descriptions in Love Cards and just do some investigating on
your own. Definitely look up the Karma Cards of your ruling card and see how they come into
play in your life, just as you did for your Birth Card in step two of this process. Many new
secrets will be revealed.
17
Finding the Perfect Partner Using Destiny Cards: Self
Love & The Cards
By Joseph and Sarah Malinak
Have you ever read one of the descriptions of a certain Birth Card and wished you had that
Birth Card instead of yours? It seems no matter what our birth card is, we wish we had another.
Not to mention that the traits of another first Karma Card can seem much kinder than the one we
have. In last month’s article, I introduced the topic of using the Destiny Cards to improve
relationships by becoming a better partner. I continue that discussion in this article by expanding
it to include how the Destiny Cards can assist us in developing self-love. Through greater selflove we become a better partner and create the kind of partnerships we have always dreamed
about. I’m suggesting a process of learning to love who you are and experiencing the profound
benefits that come from this process. I will admit that, for me, even though it seems simple, this
hasn’t necessarily been an easy process. And I’m not certain that the process ever ends. I now
feel that it is a lifetime process. But the benefits of even a little of this practice are tremendous.
Let’s begin again with the concept of the first Karma Card. In the last article I indicated that
the first Karma Card is our karmic weakness – or where we tend to move in times of stress. The
first critical step in the process of developing self-love is to clearly identify our behavior in times
of stress. This seems obvious and simple, but all too often it’s easy to act out with unhealthy
behavior, unaware that we are operating from a point of weakness.
If I use myself as an example, my addiction most of my life was argumentative-ness and
anger (2♣ first Karma Card). For many years I felt quite justified in this behavior. I did not
perceive it as a weakness. I self- righteously perceived my indignant behavior as an appropriate
response to a world full of people who justly deserved my rage. After many years and a lot of
self-work I began to see the harm that this type of behavior caused and to identify it as
inappropriate. During the years that I acted out my anger through rage and during the years of
self-work, when I was in rage I completely identified with that rage. I was my rage.
Through the self-work I began to recognize two stages to the rage. In the first stage I was
self-righteous about it. This was always followed by a second stage of deep shame and guilt.
Identifying anger, with the accompanying acting out of rage, as a weakness and as unproductive
behavior was my first critical step in developing self-love.
We can use our first Karma Card to assist us in identifying our weakness; however,
identifying our weakness is an important step but not enough in itself. For me, when I became
fully aware of the inappropriateness of my behavior in times of stress, I found myself locked in a
cycle of anger, shame, and guilt; which, of course, led to more anger, shame, and guilt. This
pattern is very similar to a pattern found in alcoholism: first there is excessive drinking with no
self-awareness of the extent of the drinking. When there is finally an awareness of the excessive
drinking and its devastating impact on both the alcoholic and his family, the immediate reaction
can be shame and guilt that leads to more drinking.
Working to better one’s self is not enough without the development of self-love. Here’s
where self-love comes in. Through guidance, practice, and support I learned to love myself even
when I felt and expressed anger. In the beginning I used a simple technique called the mirror
exercise developed by Louise Hay. This exercise requires looking in the mirror every day for a
specified length of time saying, “I love you.” This is very difficult for a man at any stage of the
game. But it was extremely difficult when I had just made an ass of myself through a bout of
rage. This is when it was, and is, very important for me to say, “I love you, Joseph, even when
you express anger.”
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So let’s review where we are. First we have to clearly identify where we go in times of
stress. Becoming familiar with all aspects of our first Karma Card can greatly assist us in this.
When I first started hiking with Robert Camp, one aspect of my 2♣ Karma Card that I wasn’t
aware of was “whining.” After a few hikes Robert pointed out that when things got difficult I
tended to whine and that this was a common expression of the 2♣ first Karma Card. Over time I
started seeing how pervasive this behavior is in difficult situations. So that was the first step, to
identify the behavior, which in this case was clearly an expression of the first Karma Card. I was
surprised and a little embarrassed, not only to be caught in whining at my age but also to see that
it was basically a pervasive habit.
Because I have put a lot of effort into developing self-love and embracing all aspects of
myself, I began working on the whining. One way this has been expressed is by being able to
make fun of it. So now when we hike, both Robert and I just lovingly make fun of my whining. I
haven’t tried to eradicate it. I just gently allow it to be there. It’s become something we can even
enjoy. It no longer has to have a negative impact because I am not defensive about it and we can
comfortably address it when it gets to be too much. I’m sure you’ve heard the expression, “what
you resist, persists;” or, “what you put your attention on grows.” When we attempt to get rid of
something in ourselves, we often make it stronger. When we embrace it much of the charge and
negativity is taken out of it. That’s the impact of self-love. Self-love truly allows us to embrace
all aspects of ourselves, even those that cause us pain. Self-love is the path to mastering the
negative affects of the first Karma Card.
If I am able to sit in front of a mirror and say, “I love you, Joseph, even when you get
angry,” I become bigger than the anger. In that process the anger and the need to get angry
diminish. I no longer identify with the anger. I am the container through which the anger passes.
Our first Karma Card often points us to an area where we can cultivate more love of
ourselves. By utilizing it in this way you use your knowledge of the cards to deepen your love
for yourself. Then, from this place of self-love, you are bound to attract a better partner, one that
is now a reflection of your self-love instead of a reflection of self-hate or self-punishment. Other
cards in your Life Spread, such as your Saturn and Pluto Cards, can also point you to areas where
loving yourself could have tremendous benefits. In this way, you can turn your knowledge of the
cards into real progress in your personal relationships.
The exciting thing about developing a deep, abiding self-love is that a person is then freed
up to take the cards and love themselves to the highest expression of who they are with the
information and guidance provided by the system. As in my last article, finding the perfect mate
isn’t as simple as locating a partner with the perfect Birth Card and hoping for the best. The selfknowledge provided through the Cards of Destiny is profoundly enhanced and broadened
through the practice of self-love. And the practice of self-love is profoundly supported by the
knowledge revealed through the Cards of Destiny. It’s a beautiful marriage!
Joseph Malinak is a relationships counselor and vedic astrologer residing in Asheville, NC. He
is available for relationship readings and can be contacted at jmalinak@acninc.net or at 828645-0999.
19
The Blame Game
Blame. Everybody does it. Most people are not even aware that they are doing it, but they do
it all the time. It is the cause of more problems in life that most people could imagine. It is
rampant and destructive and causes people to perpetrate the vilest acts upon each other. It is
contagious and escalates when acted out. It is a self-generating cycle of pain and suffering. And
most of us throw away a great portion of our life’s vital energies with it. It is no wonder we are
so tired and uninspired in our lives. It extends from each of our lives in a day to day basis to the
highest levels of government and political agendas. No area of society today is free of its
influence.
Exactly what is blame? How do we recognize it? And how can we stop from losing so much
of our happiness through it? Let’s start by saying that blame is the exact opposite of
responsibility. It is a state of victimization, of being the victim. For every victim there is a
perpetrator. The perpetrator is the person or situation that we blame for something in our lives. In
the world of blame there are only victims and perpetrators. You are either one or the other. When
we blame someone we proclaim to the world that ‘they did it to me’. This is a statement of
victimization. When we say ‘they did it to me’ we are saying several important things. First, we
are claiming that we are not responsible for what happened – they are. Secondly, we have no
power or control over what has happened. Thus we are unable to change it or undo it. We can
only change or control that which we have created. And finally, we are angry at ‘them’. We want
to make them pay for what they did to us. And, we feel justified to do whatever we must to get
them back. We feel that we have a good reason or excuse to perpetrate something bad upon
them, something that we feel equals what they did to us.
On its deepest level, blame is actually our resistance or reluctance to feel pain. Something
happens that causes us to feel pain. We do not want to feel this pain and so we lash out at
someone or something outside of ourselves. This is a little-known secret. Pain is rarely physical.
It is almost always mental. Pain can be described as the difference between what is and what we
think things should be. The farther the distance between reality and our concepts of how life
should be, the more pain we feel. And when our concepts about life or anything for that matter
run into the brick wall of reality, we feel great pain. It’s funny how this pain is not a body pain. It
is mental and emotional pain. But this is the kind that we suffer from the most.
In a personal relationship, blame runs the highest of practically any other area of life. Blame
is so strong in marriages and love affairs that judges presiding over divorce cases are the most
afraid of their own personal safety. Blame gets so out of hand in divorce cases that even the
judge will be blamed. Judges have been threatened murdered during and after divorce trials, by
one of the spouses. And in interviews with judges, they say that they are more afraid of divorce
cases than they are of mafia cases. The point here is that in personal relationships blame runs the
highest and it is the area where we, as a race, tend to blame someone else for what we feel.
Most of us have been so accustomed to blaming others that we are not even aware that we
are doing it. This is called denial. It may be obvious to our friends and associates that we are
blaming the world for our problems but we just can’t see it ourselves. This is the state that most
of our world is in today. And it is a sign of great spiritual growth when we realize that we are
blaming others. That realization sets into motion a cycle of spiritual prosperity and growth like
no other.
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One of the signs that we are blaming others is that we use the ‘you’ word when talking to
them. We say ‘you did this’ and ‘you did that’ and ‘you made me mad’ and ‘you pissed me off’,
etc. All these you statements are a sure sign that we are enmeshed in blame, and being the victim
along with it. If you find yourself trying to change your partner, such as trying to convince them
of why they are wrong and what they need to do about it to make your relationship better, you
can rest assured that you are blaming them and throwing your power away.
People say they want to be more powerful in their lives. They say they would like to become
more God-like and enlightened. But, in fact, no one seems to want to give up blaming others to
get there. And, the fact of the matter is that unless we can give up blame, we can never hope to
be powerful. Blame is the exact opposite of being powerful. It is powerlessness. It may make
someone feel powerful when they boldly speak out to blame someone else for their problems, but
sadly, it is a sure sign of a weak, unaware person. Blame and responsibility cannot exist together;
neither can blame and being powerful. You can have either one but not both. So, if you want to
be powerful, stop using the ‘you’ word and ask yourself what you can do about the situation.
Also, ask yourself questions like ‘Why would I create this situation?’ and ‘What do I hope to
gain out of this situation?’ These questions help us get our attention focused back on ourselves.
But they are just the beginning. The process may take a long time. We are so engrained in blame
that it may take years to start really living our own lives.
Ultimately, getting our power back will entail us being willing to feel the pain of things in
our life. A good rule of thumb for this goes like this: If you suddenly feel pain over any situation
you find yourself in, first remind yourself, ‘This is my pain. Though this pain may have been
catalyzed by an event associated with someone else, it is I who feels this pain. It is my pain.’
Then, take your focus completely off of the person or situation that catalyzed your pain and
allow yourself to just feel this pain. We go from pain to anger and blame so fast that it will take
practice. You may not even know that you are in pain when you are blaming. It may take a while
for you to even feel the pain that lies beneath the blame. But it is there. And if you make any
effort at all to get in touch with you, you will find it. Once you do find it, allow yourself to just
feel this pain. If you feel it long enough, your feelings will elicit memories of events way back in
your past, even to events in your childhood. Many of these painful reactions to events come from
early experiences in our life, experiences that were never resolved. If we allow ourselves to truly
feel our pain, we will often be lead back to those experiences automatically. The trouble is that
we are somewhat conditioned as a culture to not feel anything. So, it takes a conscious effort to
resist the urge to blame and to take that feeling within for self-analysis. And this is where the
rubber meets the road, so to speak.
What separates the conscious spiritual people of this world from the unconscious masses is the
ability to go within for answers rather than without. Blame is a purely externalization of an inner
wound that has been brought to the surface by some trigger event. The wise person will use this
painful event as an opportunity for self-growth. The unconscious person will perpetuate his or
her suffering by lashing out at others as the cause of their pain and learn nothing from it. The
mere act of blaming others has the effect of perpetuating the illusion that we are victims in a
world where we have no power. It reinforces it and deepens the habit. Only conscious effort can
change this habit and get us back on the road to inner power. Look around you. The world is
nothing but a sea of blame, anger and victimization. You can choose to let that stream of
ignorance carry you along or you can decide to step up above and out of it. But make no
mistake; the way out is one where you are the one responsible. Any attempts to place any
responsibility for your life on others is just a perpetuation of the illusion and the suffering that
goes along with it. Choose consciousness now. Choose to feel your pain rather than ignore it. It
is yours, all yours. By exploring it, you come nearer to emancipation and God-power.
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Transcending Your Cards
The science of the cards can definitely appear as a limitation when we look at it from the
point of view as being a fixed system. Many of us, including myself, do not like the notion that
our lives, or our futures, are predetermined or fixed. Olney Richmond, the Grand Master of the
Order of the Magi that published the first books on our science believed that life was completely
destined and governed strictly by mathematical law. He is not alone. Many astrologers believe
the same thing. But, there is also the belief that personal choices and initiative have a role in our
future. And this is what I have come to understand for myself. There is Karma, however, and it
cannot be avoided or delayed. Except, in extremely rare cases. Let’s explore this subject a little
deeper and learn how we can transcend our cards in the truest sense.
First of all, we must understand that our Karma is something of our own making. Much of
the events of our life are predetermined. Not by some higher being up in heaven who is making
us do things, but by our own past actions, both in this life and in previous lives. One way that
helps me see this clearly is this illustration: If I kick a ball, that ball is going to move. And it will
move as far or high as the energy that I have transferred to it by my kick. Conversely, if I see a
ball flying through the air, I know that someone or something has transferred that energy to it to
make it happen. Our Birth and Planetary Ruling Card, along with our natal astrological chart,
point to the ‘kicking’ we have done in past lives. Because we did certain things then, we must
see the results of those actions and choices in this lifetime. Our past-life patterns of behavior
cause us to react and act in this lifetime with a certain amount of conditioned responsiveness.
What I mean is that we have tendencies – ways of reacting to certain stimuli that stems from
past-life experiences. For example, a person who is a Five card, either Birth or Planetary Ruling
Card, will usually react to stressful situations by taking flight. Sixes will usually react by fighting
back against the person or situation that caused the stress. Every card has its own inherent
reactionary patterns. And these come from past-life Karma.
In addition to these patterned responses to situations, we also have to deal with some events
that will definitely occur for us due to our actions in past lives. For example, everyone who has a
Nine for one of their personal significators will have some experiences of loss and
disappointment over the course of their life. But these Nines will also have some experiences of
enlightenment, or universal consciousness. Both these experiences will be the result of things
they did in their past lives. We kicked balls, so to speak, in those past lives, and now we must
watch those balls fly here and there as a result of our actions then. Some of these past-life
Karmic events will be perceived by us to be of a positive nature while others will be interpreted
as unwanted or negative experiences. The real point here is that we have no choice now because
the choice was made in the past life and we have already acted, to which we must experience the
reaction now.
In my experience most of these sort of destined Karmic events have transpired by the time
we reach our forties. Early in life, especially in childhood and adolescence, is when we
experience the bulk of these past-life Karmas. And we often feel like we are the victim of life or
the victim of some power much greater than us. But in truth, we are only the victims of our own
past actions and choices. This is very difficult to see or understand when we are young. But that
seems to be much easier to realize as we get older.
The other aspect of getting older is that we have learned, through Saturn’s constant pressure
upon us, to be more thoughtful of others in our behavior. Saturn is the Lord of all Karma and it
is his laws that guarantee that as we sow, so shall we reap. By the time we reach our forties, two
things have happened. First, we have exhausted much of our past-life Karmic events. Secondly,
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we have become richer in wisdom and because of that we are creating less Karma for the future.
At the age of 39 we enter our 13-year Jupiter cycle in the cards. And this is when life usually
lightens up and we realize a more abundant, peaceful life. But it has been really due to Saturn’s
pressure that we wised up.
Having said all of this we can now talk about transcending our cards. Many people believe
they can just become enlightened without doing much for it. And there are many of what I call
false spiritual teachers who promise enlightenment, in exchange for your hard-earned money. I
personally haven’t met anyone who became enlightened in the company of any of these sort of
teachers. Another word for enlightenment is transcending, or transcendence. Transcendence
occurs during a deep state of high spiritual consciousness. When we achieve that, we can fully
embrace the polarities of life and thus we lose our habitual attachment to either end of the
polarity spectrum. Some call this ‘choice-less awareness’. One ancient saying about this is that
‘to a saint, a lump of coal is the same as a piece of gold.’ This is what true transcendence or
enlightenment is about – rising to that state of consciousness where we no longer pursue pleasure
and avoid pain.
Transcending our cards operates in the same fashion. When we can look at our cards, both
negative and positive, and no longer have any attachment to them one way or the other, we
transcend them. Another way of saying this is ‘when I can look at a 9♠ in Saturn coming my
way and not be afraid, or look at a 10♦ in Jupiter and not get excited, I have transcended my
cards.’ I do not think this is something that anyone can just do by deciding with their mind. I
think it takes first of all the willingness to meet our lives squarely and to experience the good and
bad that is our creation. No card will hurt us unless we bear the attachment to the physical world
that it implies. I speak often about my conquering my fear of poverty. That occurred during a 7♦
year that brought me to the point of destitution before transforming to a new way of looking at
money. Since that transformation, 7♦ cards always bring me money, not take it away. When
Sevens and Nines show up, there is always a spiritual challenge at hand. Actually it will be a
material challenge and a spiritual victory. The results as we perceive them will always be directly
due to our level of attachment.
The approach that I have adopted for my life and my relationship with the cards in my
spreads is to take each challenging card as being an opportunity to see if I can relinquish my
attachment and access the spiritual victory aspect of the cards I am facing. I can see the cards
coming in my future and I am still open to learning more about myself through them. For
example, as I write this article I have a 9♥ in Mars and coming in my Saturn period I have a 7♥.
Since Saturn and Mars are the basically malefic periods these cards will show me exactly where I
am at in my attachment (Sevens and Nines) in personal relationships (Hearts).
Most of my life I expected to be punished by such cards. But as I grow older and wiser, I
find that they reward me more and more. I guess I must be learning something.
The Charming A♦
Being my personal Planetary Ruling Card, I have a lot of experience with this card. It is a
paradox, of sorts. On one hand this is a very selfish card. People who have it are highly
motivated towards personal goals and ambitions. On the other hand, they often see themselves as
saviors of the world and seem to go out of their way to help those in need. It is an interesting
paradox, to say the least. Here we have one of the stronger Aces in the deck, which is associated
astrologically with Aries (Aries is the first sign and Ace is the first number). But when you look
at the card’s position in the deck, you discover that it is the Jupiter/Neptune card in the Life
Spread.
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Since Jupiter always creates a magnification of anything it is associated with, the Neptunian
traits are highly exaggerated in the A♦ person. And Neptune is the ruler of Pisces, the last sign
in the zodiac. So, with the A♦ person we have a curious mixture of Aries selfishness and Pisces
selflessness. The strong Neptunian and Piscean energies help the A♦ get through life with a
positive attitude in spite of so many obstacles that they have to overcome. When you think about
how all seven of their Life Spread cards are found in the Saturn row of the Grand Solar Spread,
you might think that this could be such a difficult card to be. And, in fact, there are many trials
and tribulations for the A♦. But Jupiter and Neptune combine together to give these people an
abundance of idealism and just enough escapism to get through the hard times without really
being dragged down by them.
Another curious way that their Jupiter/Neptune energies play out is that it is very difficult
for most A♦ to see just how much they are motivated by self-interests. Many see themselves as
the savior to others, even though the things they do to help them always have a payoff for them
too. If you mention to one of them just what a selfish card this is, the usual response is complete
denial. They just can’t see it. Those who have been close to them can see it though it is usually
lost on them.
I call the A♦ the Aries card in the deck. And, if you look at an A♦ person’s natal
astrological chart, and this can be someone with the A♦ as Birth or Planetary Ruling Card, you
will usually see a strong Aries/Mars/First House influence. As an example, I am a Cancer Q♦
with the A♦ as my Planetary Ruling Card. In my natal chart, I have Sun conjunct with Mars.
This alone makes me very Aries-like. But in addition I have my Moon in Aries in mutual
reception (in each other’s ruling signs) to my Mars in Cancer. This sort of makes me a superAries. And as often I tell people in my workshops, I am the most impatient person I have ever
met. I have so many Mars-like qualities and yet it took me a very long time to see just how selforiented I am. What it took was a lot of different people pointing it out to me for it to finally get
through.
Above all else, the A♦ is ambitious. This is something that is shared by all Aces and Tens.
But the A♦ is seeking their self-worth (Diamonds) through accomplishment. There is nothing
that an A♦ likes more than to make a lot of money – at least most A♦. Some will deny that
money is important at all – another one of Neptune’s illusions. But for most Diamonds, money is
a symbol of their own self-worth. In the case of the Ace, this becomes slightly exaggerated since
there is so much passion in this card to achieve. A♦s are in, in some respects, to be achievers.
They always have a lot of ideas of things to do and are usually busy achieving their goals.
Making money also gives A♦ the freedom to travel – another one of their great loves (5♥ in
Venus). And if possible, they want someone to travel with them or have someone to travel to
(more on this later). An occupation that includes travel is also very well suited to A♦ and you
will usually find that to be the case, with Birth and Planetary Ruling Card.
The drive to achieve is so strong, it makes you wonder where it comes from, what is behind
such a strong urge. Well, for the A♦, part of the answer lies in their self-worth. The word, ‘self’
is very applicable to all Aces and Tens because of the number one, which stands alone. All these
cards must explore what it means to be an individual. They are often loners, even in the midst of
crowds. The A♦ is an accomplished loner. This comes from the A♥ second Karma Card. This
A♥ gives them the ability to be very happy by themselves. They definitely get involved in
relationships but they can usually walk away from them much easier than other cards. They
really do enjoy their own company and they need a certain amount of time each day and each
week to enjoy that. The Cancer A♦, whose Planetary Ruling Card is the A♥, has this tendency
so strong that they are often recluses or couch potatoes. They just love being in seclusion and
often are.
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All of these traits make others see the A♦ as being selfish. And, from their point of view,
they are right. Anyone who fixates this much of their attention on themselves is selfish by
definition. But the A♦ sees themselves as giving so much to everyone around them. They
measure their worth by this in some ways. They see their tendency to be alone and to be very
intently pursuing their personal goals. But, at the same time, they watch themselves make
conscious decisions to come out and do things for others. And in their Neptunian way, they
choose to focus on the good deeds they are doing for others. Its all a matter of perspective.
This dynamic causes some interesting problems in personal relationships. Especially when
you consider the fact that the A♦ has a 2♦ as their first Karma Card. Having the 2♦ in a
negative karma sense, usually means having trouble seeing things from other people’s point of
view, or trouble including others needs in their scheme of accomplishments. And when trouble
arises out of this tendency, the A♦ will usually retreat and fall back on their A♥. It’s the old, ‘If
no one else understands or loves me, I will just have to love myself’ syndrome. This A♥ gives
the A♦ a lot of power in personal relationships. Because they have less fear of being alone, they
can walk away easier. A♦ males have the reputation for being charming and very outgoing. They
meet women every day and women are attracted to their boyish charm and Mars-like passion and
sexuality. Though a loner at heart, they have no fear of meeting people in unfamiliar
surroundings, or just walking up to a woman and introducing themselves. As a reader and
student of the cards for over 13 years, I have yet to meet an A♦ man who is faithful in a
marriage. I know this sounds very absolute and some would say, negative. But I am only sharing
my personal experience. But if a woman is in a relationship with an A♦ man, and especially if
this man travels, you can bet there is a woman meeting him where he goes. The only way to
avoid this is to travel with your A♦ man. That seems to satisfy the same urge in a way that is
more conducive to a committed relationship. My two favorite saying about A♦ men are: 1) ‘So
many women, so little time’, and 2) ‘Will travel for sex’. That about sums it up for many of
them.
Having said that, I should also say that any one of us could rise above the influences of our
card through self-awareness and personal determination. It is a long process and most people are
not even interested in the task. But a few are and some of those will be able to act in ways
contrary to the natural tendencies of their cards. As an A♦ Planetary Ruling Card, I am
attempting to do just that. Time will tell if I am successful. One thing is for sure, the A♦ would
have to want that to happen first. For many, there is no desire to change who they are. There is,
after all, nothing wrong with it. But those who crave a deeper, long-lasting relationship will have
to confront all the parts of themselves that have no interest in that. And for the A♦ male, that is a
lot.
The female A♦ is generally a different creature. Her career is important, for sure. But she
does not have the male’s tendency towards philandering. The most common pattern for them is
several rounds in life where they are first into a relationship followed by a period where they are
very into their careers. In my experience, the career ultimately wins out. They will have
relationships but they give them less importance – definitely a back seat to the work they are
doing in the world.
One of the biggest challenges for the A♦ is that of self-confidence and self-worth. Though
they appear very confident on the surface, they are usually seeking this through achievement.
There is often a sense of inner insecurity that they must overcome over the course of their life.
They are natural leaders but can they give themselves permission to be so ‘great’ or so
‘respected’ by others? Some of their hardest trials will occur when their peers or superiors
question their worth as an individual, or as a creator. An A♦ who is still ‘not there’ yet, will be
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easily upset by the criticism of others. This is the easiest way for them to tell if they have really
learned to respect themselves yet.
The happiest A♦ are those who have created a lifestyle that is adventurous, financially
prosperous and yet has a deeper meaning to it. When an A♦ becomes aligned with a spiritual
purpose they find much deeper satisfaction to their ‘doing’ and ‘achieving’. When their work
somehow involves helping the world they realize the truest sense of personal achievement and
self-worth – the thing (♦) they have been craving (Ace) their entire life.
A New Relationship Connection
Wow! This is exciting, at least for me. Whenever a new distinction is revealed I feel excited.
It makes me realize that there is still so much more to learn about this card system. So, without
further adieu, I would like to introduce you to a powerful, new, relationship connection. This
connection is not found in the Life or Spiritual Spread. It can happen between almost any two
birthdays. It does not depend in any way on the way your card and their sits in the Grand Solar
Spread. It can occur between cards that are really not that compatible. And yet, it causes a sense
of closeness that is akin to the Venus or Moon connection. I call it the Displacement Connection.
This connection occurs when two people displace the same card each year in their Yearly
Spreads. It has degrees of strength as well. It is strongest between people whose date of birth
(month and day) is closest together. So, the farther apart your birthday is to someone you have
this with, the weaker it is. And I haven’t researched this enough to make the full determination.
And for that reason, it may very be that only people whose birthdays are a month or less apart
actually have it. But lets talk about it a little to explain and give some examples.
I first noticed this with a friend of mine. She is a Scorpio K♣ (November 7th). Her mother is
a Sagittarius 4♦(December 1st). First of all, they do share the 4♦ card, that being my friend’s
Planetary Ruling Card. But because they are 25 years different in age, give or take a month, they
have the same Displacement Card each year at virtually the same time. Their birthdays are less
than a month apart, so they spend about 3-4 weeks in the same period as well. I believe this has a
powerful effect on their relationship. Think about it and you will see what I mean.
Our Displacement Card is very important in one respect – it determines what our Underlying
Cards are for each period of our year. These Underlying Cards often have a very powerful effect
on what happens in each period, an effect that is generally not revealed by the actual cards in the
period. If any of you are unfamiliar with the concept of the Underlying Cards, it is discussed
completely in my book, Exploring the Little Book of the Seven Thunders. Underlying Cards are
not the same as the vertical cards in your yearly spread periods. They are influences that are not
shown in the Destiny Cards or Cards of Your Destiny books. Under each card in your Yearly
Spread are usually two Underlying Cards that tell even more about what will happen in that
period. So, when you and someone you know displace the same card each year, your Underlying
Cards will be the same too. And this will cause a similarity in what happens to you both each
year. Now, if in addition to this, your birthdays are close together, you will be the same planetary
period at times. This will cause these events, which are common to you both for the year to also
occur at close to the same time period. It is my belief that this sort of connection causes a
closeness, whether conscious or not, that draws people to be together.
Since I moved to Asheville three years ago, I have made a very special close friend. He is a
Cancer K♥ (June 30, 1943). I am July 3, 1953 and though we are different cards and born ten
years apart, we have the same Displacement Card each year and the same Underlying Cards each
period. But since our birthdays are only four days apart, we are very close to being in the exact
same place all year long. Now, the cards in our Yearly Spreads are usually very different from
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each other. But since the Underlying Cards are the same we seem to be going through many of
the same issues at the same time. Very interesting!
Averting Disaster – Using the Cards for Future Planning
The cards can be used in many important ways in our life. One is what I refer to as ‘driving
at night with your headlights on.’ In this respect, we can use the cards to avoid or diminish the
negative impact of potential future influences, or to take appropriate action to side step the issue.
This is something that I have used with hundreds of clients and continue to use today. Everyone
of us often get cards that can really scare us. This happens once we realize that some of the cards
carry a huge potential for challenge, loss, defeat or disappointment. I will never forget one night
at 3:00 in the morning when I got a call from my sister who was obviously upset. “What’s
wrong?” I asked. “I am going to die” she replied. “Die?” I said, “What do you mean, die?” She
then said, “I looked in the Destiny Cards book and six years from now I have a 9♠ in Saturn. I
can’t sleep, I am so upset.” I proceeded to explain to her that these cards have many meanings,
etc. and calmed her down as best I could. As funny as this sounds you would be surprised at how
many people will have a reaction like this, especially after they realize how accurate this system
is.
This is how I personally use the cards. I have discovered that by using the cards as a spiritual
guide in this manner that I can pretty much have continual positive experiences in my life. So,
let’s talk about how we can use this information to our advantage. Just making a small effort can
often pay off in a big way.
Step One – Know the Nature of the Potential Negative Experience by the card or cards, and their
positions
First of all, you need to understand the card or cards you are looking at to see just what
might happen that you should or should not be concerned about. To begin with, cards in Mars,
Saturn, and Pluto are usually the most likely to be difficult. This is because these are the malefic
positions. There can be very challenging things occurring in other periods but that is not the
usual. It takes a very difficult combination of influences to create disaster in periods other than
Saturn or Mars, such as a 6♠ and 9♠ together. And these also must accompany special
circumstances. Here are some tips to know the potential negative impact of cards that you have.
1. The difficult cards are generally the odd-numbered cards in the deck, but especially the
Sevens and Nines. But in Saturn, any odd-numbered card can represent difficulties.
2. Saturn is the number one negative position for most people. In some cases, Capricorns and
Aquarians have less difficulty with Saturn influences. This is because Saturn governs both
these Sun signs. Cards tend to go to the negative side of their meaning under Saturn more
than in any other position.
3. Saturn also represents negative Karma from the past. This can be past-life Karma or simply
Karma from your actions at some time in your recent past. Most past-life Saturn Karma is
exhausted by the age of 40 or so. But we can continue to experience difficult Saturn periods
on account of new negative Karma we have created in this lifetime.
4. The number Six is also a Karmic influence, in any position. In Mars, Pluto, or Saturn, it can
represent negative Karma, the results of our past actions against others. Thus, if you have a
Six in Saturn, it is like having a double negative Karma situation, something very important
to keep in mind.
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5. Mars represents the results of aggressive actions. In the negative, Mars deals with anger,
blame, judgment and hostility. It also tells us what we can expect from competitive or legal
matters. If you have challenging cards in Mars, expect problems with competitors. A Nine in
Mars would usually mean a competitive loss or disappointment. A Six in Mars will usually
result in a fair resolution, though perhaps not the resolution you desired.
6. Pluto cards will confront us, challenge us and cause us to change. Pluto is like a Super-Mars.
In some cases the element of death is part of Pluto. Whatever your Pluto Card this year, you
will be faced with some issue and given the opportunity to change. Since we tend to resist
change, we experience this as a negative event.
Step Two – Be prepared, in your mind, to take the correct action to relieve the conflict caused by
that card.
Every card, even in Saturn, Pluto or Mars, has a positive expression. The problem is that
in those positions, it is more difficult to access. It takes patience, self-awareness and a
willingness to take responsibility for what is happening. Without those ingredients you can pretty
much guarantee a negative outcome. But each card has within it a specific remedy.
1. Sevens require us to be willing to see things in a more positive way. Though the situation
represented by a Seven has caused us some problems, we must realize that this is really just a
matter of perception and attitude. In fact, when presented by a Seven, there are always things
that we can be grateful for. As a matter of fact, even the challenge of the Seven is a gift. But
our attitude is messed up and we are focusing on the negative. And the Seven has come to
show us that our thoughts and attitudes are powerful. Change the attitude and change the
perception. Change the perception and change your reality. A Seven can bring us more of
whatever it is that we feel we are missing than any other card in the deck. It is the Magical
Seven that fulfills all wishes and desires. But we must be in the frame of mind of seeing the
good before this can happen.
2. Nines require that we are willing to let go of something or someone. The presence of a Nine
tells us that something in our life has gone full circle for us and moved beyond the point
where it has anything good to offer us. It actually has become poison. But our attachment and
fear have blinded us to this fact. So, we cling to it though its time in our life has past. With a
Nine we must ‘fall back’ on God and let this thing go so that we can be loved in a divine
way. As soon as we let go, a Nine will open up our awareness and help us see the divine
fabric of life and our place in it. Its called ‘let go and let God.’
3. Sixes and Saturn events can be best handled by being willing to take responsibility for
whatever is happening – full responsibility. Steven Gaskins, the leader of a somewhat famous
spiritual community called The Farm, preached the concept of ‘buying Karma.’ What he
meant was that in any situation of conflict that we find ourselves in we should stand up and
take responsibility for it and then do something about it based upon that notion. Saturn is the
gatekeeper to the spiritual planes, the last visible planet. It is only by assuming responsibility
that we enter the gates of the divine realms.
What happens when you see potentially difficult cards in your future and use the cards
appropriately is that you become more conscious. And this consciousness is self-awareness.
Difficult experiences cause us to go within, hopefully to the source of our problems, which is
always within us. By taking this approach to these difficult experiences you will accomplish
several things.
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1. First of all, many of these events will not even occur. Many of these negative experiences
were given to us to increase our awareness. Once our awareness is increased, they really have
no purpose. So, in many cases, they just do not occur at all.
2. We are often able to transform a potentially negative experience into a positive one.
Knowing how the card we have can be transformed can guide us to actually transforming a
negative into a positive. We can experience a spiritual victory, which are the most fulfilling
victories of all.
3. We can avoid a potential pitfall or take appropriate action to not aggravate a potentially harsh
situation. We can know when to lay back and when to press forward. Under negative
influences it is often a good idea to just sit back and not take action at all. Sometimes just
changing the timing of our actions can help them result in a positive way, instead of running
into a brick wall or falling into a pit.
This is the bottom line – you can know what is going on and what you need to do to turn every
negative into a positive. In this way, your cards can become a spiritual guide that is invaluable.
Good luck in transforming them all into spiritual victories!
Celebrity Couples – Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke
Uma – April 29, 1970 5♣ Birth Card A♠ PR Card
Ethan - November 6, 1970 A♦ Birth Card, 3♣/Q♠ PR Cards
She's the angelic blonde who twisted with John
Travolta in Pulp Fiction and looked absolutely perfect in
Gattaca. He was the student with a conscience in Dead
Poet's Society who met his match while starring in
Gattaca opposite this lovely, unusual beauty. Together,
they were one of Hollywood’s most handsome couples.
But that was yesterday. Today they are separated.
About Uma Thurman
• Her mother is originally from Sweden and her father is a
Tibetan Buddhist monk.
• Her family is Buddhist, while she considers herself
agnostic.
• "Uma" is named after a Hindu deity, the consort of
Shiva.
• Her father was a personal friend of the Dalai Lama.
• She is romantically linked to many actors in the past
including Nicolas Cage, John Cusack, Robert De Niro, Robert Downey, Jr., Richard Gere,
Timothy Hutton, Mick Jagger, Don Johnson, Judd Nelson, Brad Pitt. She was previously married
to actor Gary Oldman.
•
•
•
May, 1998 – marriage in Manhattan
July 8, 1998 – birth of their daughter, Maya Ray
January 18, 2002 – the birth of their son, Roan
As a 5♣, Uma is essentially unmarriageable. Same applies to Ethan’s A♦ and 3♣. It seems
inevitable that cheating, or at least fears of cheating, would be what broke them up. Ethan is now
dating a model named Jennifer Perzow. According to reports in the British press... The 22 year
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old 34-26-34 Canadian model, says "I'm no home-wrecker. All this stuff that I broke up their
marriage is just not true." The couple split when Uma kicked Ethan out because he thought she
was having an affair with Quentin Tarantino (March 27, 1963, a 9♣/K♥). Uma spent nearly a
year filming her new movie Kill Bill, which was a long time away from home. There is no proof
she had an affair with Quentin but it appears that as soon as there were, Ethan began having his
affairs too.
Many 5♣, after a marriage or two for the experience of it, decide that marriage is just out
of the question. Witness Michelle Pfeiffer, another famous 5♣ woman born the same day as Uma
in 1958. Of course the A♦ and 3♣ are no better. Now that Ethan is famous and somewhat single
again, I expect we will see him hook up with many Hollywood beauties.
Earlier this year, Uma had a 9♥ and Q♠ (Ethan’s 2nd PR Card) in Venus. Those divorce
cards are at just the right place in time (6/20/03 – 8/11/03) for this breakup. She also has a 9♥
Pluto and 3♥ Displacement in her Ruling Card’s spread this year. Will she and Tarantino end up
together? Its possible.
For his part, Ethan has a 9♥ Long Range in his 3♣ spread for the next year in his PR
Card spread. He also has a 9♥ in Saturn in his Birth Card spread. I say it is over for these two.
And we will have to see if Uma ever ties the knot again. I would be very surprised if either of
them do.
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Looking Into 2004
As we begin this New Year, we are entering a year filled with conflict. The Mars transit of
last August has initiated many conflicts, world-wide, just as it has done in the past. But this
particular transit may have been more powerful than the ones in the past because it came closer
to the earth that others for the past 70,000 years. So, this could mean more war, perhaps
eventually another world war. It seems that each day our news is filled with more conflict and
bloodshed. Terrorism threatens to strike at any moment. It is the main topic of news today. I
expect us to see more of this as the year progresses, a heightening of the stress in the world
today, largely revolving around on the Muslim verses Jewish conflict. Here are some specifics
about planetary energies this year.
Saturn is in the sign of Cancer all year. It is now affecting those born around the
beginning of July, October, January and April. This will last until about June of this year. After
that it will affect those born later in those same months, from the 3rd or 4th of those months up to
about the 16th or 17th. This effect will result mostly as having to work harder, more care needed
in personal relationships, and in some cases, health issues. Sexual and romantic involvements as
well as relationships with or around children will also require more energy and will have more
challenges to deal with. Saturn will also affect anyone with natal planets between 7 and 27
degrees of Cancer, Aries, Libra or Capricorn.
Pluto is in Sagittarius all year, between 18 and 22 degrees. This is causing a huge
transformation of a very positive nature for people born around the 8th to 12th of December. They
are given the power to make a complete change in their life and self-expression. They are
advised to shoot for the stars now as this may be one of the most important times in their life.
Those born around the 8th –12th of September, March, and June will also be experiencing this
transformation. However, for those, Pluto’s aspect is stressful which means they should expect
some major deaths in their life. When I say deaths I mean endings of all kinds, depending on the
house position of their Sun in their natal chart, along with other planets aspecting the Sun. Pluto
will bring things to a dramatic end in one manner or the other. Pluto will also affect anyone with
natal planets between 18 and 22 degrees in the signs of Sagittarius, Virgo, Pisces and Gemini.
On September 6th of this year, Pluto and Mars will make a stressful combination for four
days. These four days are likely to have some violent eruptions around the globe and everyone in
general will be more likely to take their anger to a lower level of expression. This will be a time
of caution for the wise. This aspect has also been known to coincide with things like train
wrecks, airplane crashes and other events where people die violent deaths.
Jupiter begins the year in Virgo, benefiting Virgos born around the beginning of
September to the 5th of September a lot until about March of this year. Then, Jupiter will bring
rewards to the rest of the Virgos born after the 5th until September 22nd, when it enters the sign of
Libra. Early Librans (born in September) will benefit a lot from Jupiter until the end of the year.
Jupiter brings good fortune in all areas but mostly in self-expression, relationships with children
and romantic interests.
And speaking of good days, September 22nd is one of those rare days that has many super
aspects for marriage or the beginning of a new business. Actually the good aspects extend from
the 22nd until the 24th of September so this will be a good time to plan some important
beginnings in your life that can take advantage of the positive influences. The best of them are
Jupiter conjunct Sun, Venus Trine Pluto and Inconjunct Chiron, all super aspects for marriage or
business.
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The Saturn Cards
Saturn has a pretty bad rap among those who have a familiarity with astrology. Usually,
those who know just a little about astrology will fear Saturn the most. Saturn is the cosmic ‘bad
guy’ to most people. He brings bad news, difficulties, ill health, death and other unpleasant
experiences. But like him or not, all of us have to deal with him. Everyone has a Saturn card in
their Life Spread and all of us have the planet Saturn somewhere in our natal chart, not to
mention transiting Saturn moving through our natal charts and our live. But there are certain
cards in the deck who are born under Saturn’s influence and this article is about them. Here is the
list:
Saturn line, Life Spread Q♦, 5♥, 3♣, 3♠, 9♥, 7♣, 5♦
Saturn column, Life Spread K♠, 5♣, 9♣, 2♦, 8♠, 9♥, 2♣, 6♣
Saturn line, Spiritual Spread 3♦, 4♦, 5♦, 6♦, 7♦, 8♦, 9♦
Saturn column, Spiritual Spread K♠, 5♥, Q♥, 6♣, K♣, 7♦, A♠, 8♠
These are what I am calling the Saturn Cards in this article. And because of Saturn’s
influence on these cards, they share common traits. Saturn is a teacher and often a harsh or
terrible teacher. But there is also a good side to Saturn. He does give rewards, but only to those
who pass his tests.
Every card in the deck has some Saturn areas of life, denoted by their Saturn Card in their
Life Spread. But those born in a Saturn row or column have a larger amount of this Saturn
energy. And in this respect this means they have more negative karma. Saturn is called the Lord
of Karma. He is the Lord of the Law of Cause and Effect. The Law of Cause and Effect, also
called the Law of Karma, guarantees that we will eventually experience both sides of every
possible human or earthly experience. If we have helped someone in the past, we get to later
experience being helped by another. If we have hurt someone in our past, we get to experience
being hurt by someone. This is called karma. Most people think of karma as being either good
karma or bad karma. The part where we experience pleasant things is good karma and the
unpleasant things are negative karma. But in reality, from Saturn’s point of view, there is no
good or bad to karma, there is just karma. He just makes sure that we get to experience things
from both sides. And from the point of view of karma being the mechanism that guarantees a
complete human experience, all karma is good karma.
But as it turn out, if your Birth Card is found in one of the Saturn positions in either spread,
it is most likely that you have a good amount of negative karma that you must experience in this
lifetime, from a past life or unconscious behavior. I say unconscious because it is possible to act
without creating negative karma. If we are mindful of just how our actions influence others, we
can act in a way that is unpleasant to them and yet not accumulate negative karma for ourselves
since we are already fulfilling Saturn’s mandate, of being aware of both sides of every
experience. This is why Saturn is exalted in the astrological sign of Libra. Libra is the sign of
‘the other’ in our life. Since Librans are very aware of how the things they do affect those around
them, they fulfill Saturn’s requirements and do not tend to accumulate negative karma.
Our Saturn Card people listed here have accumulated a good amount of karma from past-life
unconscious behavior. This is usually in the area of personal relationships but can also be in
other areas such as in regards to being honest or by being thieves or playing other roles that hurt
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others while disregarding how it must have been to be on the other end of that hurt. For this
reason, these cards will have many unpleasant experiences in their life, most of which will occur
in childhood and adolescence. There will be many set-backs, disappointments, tragedies, losses
and even death in the earlier part of their lives. Usually these people are familiar with the
negative side of life, the side that most consider unpleasant and unwanted. Because of their
having so many of these negative experiences in early life, their personalities will be colored by
this in many ways.
Some of these cards will just take the attitude that life is a place where you work hard. They
become hardened by their early life experiences. And they treat others harshly as well. These
people will often harbor secret or open resentment towards people who have an apparent ‘easy’
life. They have the attitude that life is meant to be hard work and little else. And, their
experiences confirm this belief. It is a fact that Saturn will reward those who work hard. He is the
planet of discipline, the confiner and the limiter of expression. But if we work hard, he will
reward us with material gain and recognition from those around us. Some Saturn Card people
learn this lesson early on. But they become one-sided about it. They just work, work, work and
their life becomes mired in struggle and work to the extent that they cannot see above it to any
other possibility. It is a fact that most of Saturn’s negative karma is exhausted by the age of 45.
So, everyone has a chance to experience an easier more pleasant life starting in their forties and
beyond. But some of our Saturn Cards, because of their early conditioning, cannot even imagine
life without hard work and struggle. And they run the risk of perpetuating this mentality and
denying themselves the ease and good fortune that life is meant to bring them. The 4♦, 8♠ and
5♥, in particular, tend to fall into this pattern. But we will find individuals among all the Saturn
Cards who have, or are, struggling for this same reason.
Other Saturn Cards will respond to their early life negative experiences by seeking escape
from Saturn’s pressure. Some become averse to any sort of authority or structure. This is true of
the Fives in particular but all Saturn Cards are suspect. These people will avoid Saturn-like
influences as much as possible, as if they could escape from him in this way. Other cards escape
by just ignoring the pain and suffering that they have experienced in early life. They often have
forgotten their childhood to one extent or another. They develop a coping mechanism of ‘not
looking’ at the unpleasant areas of their life. They can become very idealistic and well-meaning.
They get involved in helping others or in their work and set high and idealistic goals for
themselves. And many of them achieve these goals. But there is a blind spot in these people.
They often are disconnected from themselves in a way that makes them somewhat shallow and
fake in their expression. And often they will become hostile towards others who remind them of
things that make them aware of the big hole that lies in the center of their being. They will have
emotional outbursts that surprise them. They cannot explain where they come from because they
are disconnected from their own pain. But for these, Saturn has made a date. And at some point
in their life, their house of cards will meet with the winds of reality and come crashing down.
Saturn guarantees that they will eventually come around. All of the Saturn Cards will have some
of this experience in their life. And for some, it might just be too much to deal with.
Their life can go along for thirty years or more and they think everything is great. Then, in
their thirties or forties, they will have a period of time where everything changes. Things will
seem to go against them. They might have some bad experiences that they cannot remember ever
having in their life and be very confused. Everything seems to turn against them as they
experience some tragedies that they never imagined they would have. But these tragedies have a
divine function in their lives, and that is to get them in touch with who they really are. Not that
who they really are is pain and suffering. But it is only through embracing the pain of our life
that we can truly embrace the beauty of it. Any blind spots must be removed. And Saturn will
make sure this happens, whether we participate with the process or not.
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Saturn Cards tend to be hard on themselves. In personal relationships, Saturn connections
usually result in criticism. Someone who is our Saturn card in a relationship will tell us we
‘should’ do this or we ‘should’ do that. But Saturn Cards treat themselves this way, usually all or
most of the time. Again, this behavior is created in early childhood and usually becomes
unconscious as an adult. Thus, Saturn Cards are often very self-critical and not even aware of it.
They expect more of themselves than others do. They feel that they must work hard and achieve
more than others in order to be worthy of others’ love. Most of them are not aware that they are
seeking self-worth through working so hard.
These people often have a great deal of difficulty with someone else criticizing them. It will
bother them more than others and it will carry a huge emotional impact for them. They will even
imagine others are criticizing them when it isn’t happening. Some carry a burden of self-hate that
is so great that there really isn’t anything they can do in this world that would make them worthy
of love. This self-hatred poisons everything they do. It hurts their relationships, where they will
unconsciously but consistently choose partners who are abusive, or who appear abusive. They
choose jobs where others will be critical and hard to please. Basically they will attract
experiences that confirm to them that they are not good enough.
Some of these will fight back against these ghosts of self-hatred. They will become angry at
others, sometimes specific groups. They will find some outlet for their anger that gives them
justification to fight. This is a process of externalization, of projecting an inner hatred of self
outward into the world. They find enemies to battle with. The real enemy is inside but they
usually are unaware of this. But Saturn’s presence will eventually call up a reckoning. Though
they fight it, at some point circumstances will force them to see the pain that lies within them.
All the fighting must cease and the real enemy, their self-hatred, will be revealed. However,
much harm may have been done by this point in their lives, which could have created a lot more
negative karma for them to experience later, in this life or the next. At any point a Saturn Card
could make a turn around. But each individual has their unique personal timing in this regard.
Their big, lifetime turning point is known only to God.
In relationship, Saturn Cards tend to attract Saturn relationships or partners who are Saturn
Cards. Relationship is a powerful spiritual mechanism for developing conscious awareness.
Thus, the mirroring quality of a relationship can teach us things about ourselves that nothing else
can.
If you look at the list of Saturn Cards there are certain ones that stand out. Some because
they are Saturn in two places. Among these are the 5♥, 8♠, 9♥, 7♦, K♠ and 6♣. These cards
have a double-Saturn influence that accentuates the many characteristics mentioned here. The
K♠ is somewhat immune to this because of its position in the Crown line and the fact that they
are all Capricorns, ruled by Saturn in the first place. Capricorns and Aquarians tend to be
immune somewhat to Saturn’s negative influence because they are ruled by Saturn in astrology
and thus their very nature is to work hard and be responsible as well as aware of others. But the
other cards in this list have a stronger Saturn influence. We also need to add one more card to
this list. That is the Q♦. The reason why this card stands out is that six of its seven Life Spread
cards fall in the same Saturn line they are born in. It is like their entire life is full of Saturn
challenges. And it also means that nearly all of the areas of their life, represented by the cards in
their Life Spread, have Saturn lessons to learn. It is well known that they are considered to be
one of the most difficult cards in the deck to be and this is the main reason.
The 9♥ also stands out in our deck because it is the Saturn/Saturn card in the Life Spread.
The 9♥ may have the title of having the most negative relationship karma of any card in the
deck. Why the area of relationship? Because it is a Heart. This means that both the Q♦ and 9♥
experience a lot of negative relationship karma due to a lot of unconscious relationship behavior
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in past lives. In order to balance that out, they will have to experience many difficult
relationships and relationship-based chapters over the course of their life.
Many of the Saturn Cards are destined for great success and recognition in the world. Saturn
rules the tenth house in astrology and this is the house of recognition and fame, much like the
Crown Line in the cards. This is one of Saturn’s main rewards. Once a Saturn Card person
realizes that he or she must abide by the rules of engagement, as dictated by Saturn, they can
progress along in life very quickly and with many rewards along the way. Saturn’s only dictate is
that we are aware of how the things we do and say affect those around us. This awareness is the
result of all the painful and unpleasant karmic experiences we go through. We become aware, as
it was, of what is like to be on both sides of any human equation. Having learned this lesson, we
are free to act in the world without being afraid of what bad thing is going to happen to us next.
Saturn brings wisdom and working from high morality. It often brings great recognition for work
performed and character developed. It also rules the 13-year period of life that begins at age 52.
It is during this period that we tend to collect the benefits of our Saturn, hard work. So, keeping
all of this in mind, we can have more compassion for Saturn people and an understanding of
what they are going through. We do not have to excuse their behavior but at least we can
understand its origins and know the extent of the challenges they face.
When a Saturn Card person learns their lessons and meet their karma head on, they become
wise indeed. Saturn bestows the truth about life, especially the side of life that others often avoid
or ignore, due to the painful nature of looking at it. This maturity can lead to great satisfaction.
Saturn Card people walk a tightrope between enlightenment and resignation. Some resign and
give in to the pressures of their karma and are lost in a world that is out to get them on every
level. But there are many who embrace their Saturn lessons wholeheartedly and dedicate
themselves to what growth they may gain from their experiences. For these, a measure of
enlightenment, or perhaps full enlightenment, awaits them. Depth in understanding is one of their
main rewards. Life is no longer a mystery that confounds and blocks progress. It is a place where
everything is governed by a divine law that is both loving and rewarding on the highest level.
Mastery of Fear – Part One
Don’t be fooled by appearances. Everyone is afraid. Fear is prevalent in all of our lives.
Rarely does anyone experience a time that is free of fear. And in today’s world, as it has often
been in the past, the uncertainty about political and economic forces that are beyond the control
of the average individual has caused a heightened sense of fear. This uncertainty puts more
pressure upon each of us. After 9/11 for example, everyone was more afraid. The economy in
America deflated instantly. People were afraid to fly, afraid to visit foreign countries. The airline
industries suffered tremendously and this affected other areas of the economy, which are all
connected to each other. The stock market suffered as well as a general sense of uncertainty
swept our nation. As I write this, our country is still under the shadow of fear. A terrorist act
threatens to strike any day. It seems that nearly all other countries hate us for one reason or
another. It is not safe to visit many countries, many of which have their own unrest to deal with,
and who detest America for our meddling and interaction on the global scene. The stock market
is trying to come back but is still sputtering. All of these factors and more have contributed to a
general sense of uncertainty in our American world. And, I would venture to say, it is probably
the same in many other countries of the world.
This kind of basic uncertainty, which causes us to feel as though our very security is
unstable, causes people to become desperate. Like an animal that is cornered, people are on the
verge of instinctual survival behavior. When surviving is the only concern, concern for others is
35
out of the question. It is every man and woman for himself or herself. In today’s world, mob
mentality is easily catalyzed. Many are eager to plunder and take advantage of others should the
governing body lose control. I would hate to see what would happen in our country should we
have another major terrorist act occur on our shores. But the important point here is that we are
all feeling more uncertainty in general in our world today. And for the spiritually minded person,
this makes the challenge of staying in the source just that much harder.
In today’s society, most people are unaware of just how afraid they are. Instead of having any
awareness of their fear, they just go right into action to make things occur the way they want
them to. They just try and manipulate the world around them to guarantee their safety. However,
when a person is making choices and acting from a place of fear, he or she tends to make unwise
choices. Under such conditions, the individual usually makes short-term remedy kinds of
decisions and fails to see the long-term effects of these choices, which are almost always bad for
themselves and others. It is up to you to be conscious. It is up to you to be aware of your fear. It
is up to you to make good choices by not letting your fear run your life. Those whose lives are
being run by their fears experience a perpetual ‘running away from’ life experience. Like a
dream in which others, who are trying to kill you, are endlessly chasing you, they just run from
situation to situation without any relief. And each new situation is a little worse than the last.
Ultimately they must do very bad things to others in order to avoid being caught.
Fear is the basic state of mind behind all negative states, experiences, and emotions. This
includes:
1. Anger, hostility, fighting, judgment of others and blame
2. Jealousy, covetousness, envy, kidnapping, theft, rip-offs, lust and greed
3. Control, power, forcing, manipulating, abuse, murder and persuading
4. Co-dependence, victim-savior, escapism, suicide and depression
All of these experiences and behaviors have their root in fear. And anyone who experiences
enough fear will act out these things to one extent or another. Even a pious person, if pressured
enough and threatened enough, will be bound to act negatively in one of these ways. It would
take a truly and completely enlightened person to not do so when the pressure is applied.
To the extent that a person has become aware of his or her fear and to the extent that they
have learned to master it, to that extent will this person be less bound to act out these behaviors.
All of us have the opportunity to become less fear-based in our choices and actions. But only
those who have a sincere desire for the truth will actually make the effort.
There are several laws and truths about fear and its effect in our lives that can help us see what is
really going on and what we can do to change it.
1. Most fear today is imagined, not real. Few people are actually being threatened in the
here and now. Most of the fear that people have today is the fear of what might happen. It
is the mind working on perpetual problems.
2. The mind is the first tool we turn to when we are afraid. This is the norm today. We try to
figure out a solution. We mistakenly believe that our mind can help us. The fact, as we
will soon discuss, is just the opposite.
3. The mind can only give good solutions when the emotional state is relaxed and the
person is feeling safe and secure. A mind that is excited by fear will miss thing and
develop solutions based on false evidence. Therefore:
4. Solutions arrived at with a fearful mind will always lead to even more fearful and
negative situations. This one is the most important truth of all.
5. Someone acting from a fearful mind will often perpetrate ill upon others in the process.
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Anyone who makes a sincere effort can overcome the negative effects of fear in their life.
This does not mean that they will necessarily get rid of fear. In my experience we never get rid of
fear. But we can completely stop all the negative effects of fear through conscious awareness and
deliberate efforts to not act from it. The benefits of this approach are many. The first is that we
stop the cycle of going from one negative situation to another. Our life will gradually improve
instead of the opposite. The next benefit is that we can find a safe place within ourselves, a place
where we can go to eradicate any fear that may come up. One has to experience this to believe it.
But once this connection to source is made, you or I can move ahead in life and at the very least
not be afraid of what our fear may cause us to do. As Winston Churchill once said, “There is
nothing to fear but fear itself.” When we eliminate the fear of our fear, we have made a huge step
towards mastery of fear. The last benefit is that we will be free, free from the bondage of our fear
and of the fear of the world. This is an interesting perspective that can only be appreciated when
you experience it directly. When you get to this place, you will see the world around you
operating and being controlled by fear but you will no longer be a part of that world. You will be
able to experience ‘being in the world but not of the world.’ The truth is this: God loves you and
everything that happens to you is His will, and His love for you. You will be able to realize this
someday if you make the effort. It will not be just some spiritual saying; it will become your
truth.
The first step towards mastery of fear is to recognize it and to realize just how much of a
control it has over our lives. You can start by looking over the list of negative manifestations to
see if you have been acting out any of these. With self-awareness you can get to the heart of it.
If, for example, you find yourself angry at someone, for any reason, take a moment by yourself.
Feel what you are feeling. If you just watch your breathing pattern and feel what is happening
inside your heart, you will quickly see that you are afraid. The fear lies just below the anger. This
also applies to all the other negative emotions. You have to try this to realize this for yourself.
Just feel. You will first see that the breathing pattern is one of fear – short, quick breaths and a
feeling of panic in the heart center. The breathing pattern of nearly all of the negative emotions is
like this. This is because they are based in fear. They are fear turned outwards.
Make an assessment of yourself. Try to see how much of your life is being run by your fear.
It may look bad in the moment, like you never realized how bad your life really is. But this step
is critical. Without it, there can be no progress beyond. People who cannot get through this step
are in denial. They are denying that which is actually very evident and visible – that their lives
are nearly controlled completely by fear and fear-based choices. Only those who can see their
own fear can hope to master it. All the crimes that you see on television and read about in the
paper are rooted in fear that is not be looked at.
One of my teachers used to tell us to hang out with our fear. He would say, “Invite your fear
to sit down for a chat. Get to know your fear well. That is the way to enlightenment.” I later
realized just how important his words were. It is the awareness of fear’s role in our lives that
gives us the power to regain control of our lives. Most people are so afraid of their fear that they
refuse to look at it. Its like when you were a child and your mother told you there was a monster
in your closet. It would take a tremendous amount of courage to open that closet door and take a
look. But looking is what we must do. The more we look, the less fear has any power over us. It
is the light that dispels the darkness and illusion that fear creates in our lives.
To be continued…
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My Work
Robert Lee Camp December 19, 2003
As I descend into Los Angeles International Airport today in a 747, I am reminded that this
was the birthplace of my involvement with the cards, back in 1989. This is the place I was living
when I made a commitment to take this system to the attention of the world. I had been searching
for just this kind of work for over a decade. I had been successful in many areas but I always felt
as though the work that was truly mine was still out there. It was as Jupiter transited my
midheaven that I found this work and made the commitment. My initiation into the Order of the
Magi in 1991 and subsequent development of other books, software, videos, and workshops all
followed that fateful year. The books and other resources you see today are the culmination of
over 14 years of work and study.
God has been good to me. He has helped me be continually successful and to survive some
pretty hard times. He has brought me more and more information that I could share with the
world. It’s funny to me that this work of mine was born in Los Angeles, a place where I would
hate to actually live. To me, it is one of the most materialistic and ‘lost in illusion’ places on the
earth. But somehow, LA is a good place to give birth to a business or enterprise. And, so it
seems, it was a good place to give birth to this work, which I have to admit, is the work of my
life.
I consider myself to be very fortunate. I found a work that had both a spiritual meaning and
a lot that I found interesting and rewarding. I get letters every week from people all over the
globe thanking me for the work I have done. One man recently wrote, “Thank you for the work
you are doing. When I happened upon your Book, Destiny Cards, I felt as though I had found the
book I have been searching for my entire life.” I thought that was pretty amazing because that is
exactly the intention that I had when I wrote it. I wanted my book to be one in which a person
would feel this way when they picked it up. For letters like that I am very grateful and I am
reminded of how blessed I am. I can honestly say that I found my place in the world in terms of
my work. There are still areas of my life that are not so clear. But this is one in which I am
eternally grateful.
For those of you who are still searching, I offer this advice: First, never give up on your
dream. No matter how old you are or how long you have been dreaming it, that dream is yours
and yours alone. It is your rightful good that you were given that vision and your rightful good
that you should see it’s fulfillment. The moment you give your dream up is the moment that you
die inside. The world is full of people whose dreams have been abandoned, who at one time had
the highest hopes for their future but succumbed to the challenges that their life brought to them.
They are part of the walking dead mentioned in the Bible. You do not have to be one of them.
I was recently in Las Vegas and spent some time gambling on the slot machines. It was
really fun when I would win some money and really depressing when I would go through a long
period of losing. During one of those periods of losing I stopped to reflect for a while. Here I
was, fixated on the screen of this slot machine, waiting for the laws of chance to bring me a
lucky ‘hit’. I felt a little embarrassed to see myself acting so powerless. Then, I realized that
these machines are programmed to only give back a certain percentage of what goes into them,
usually around 90%. Anyone who plays them long enough is going to lose all the money they
have at risk. So, essentially, the machines are rigged for me to lose. Some people do win at the
slot machines. But that is a matter of timing. And even those that win will lose it all back if they
continue to play.
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This is a fact of the gambling world. However, this is not a fact of life. Life is not geared up
for us to lose. Life is a winning proposition. But, because of karma, many of us can feel that our
life is like an extended stay in the casinos. We can feel that no matter how hard we try that we
continue to lose. There is nothing as depressing as that sinking feeling that your life is getting
worse year after year. I know because I have experienced that myself. I am here to tell you that
this is an illusion. That is not what life is, or what it was meant to be for anyone. But you will
never realize this truth for yourself if you give up. There is a part of you that has always known
that life is meant to be beautiful and fulfilling. It was strong when you were young and it is
revealed to you in your dreams. Don’t give up those dreams. God’s love is infinite.
Next, you must be willing to take a risk. When your time comes, you will have to take a risk
for happiness. You will have to risk your security, your familiarity with the secure, but dead life
you may have been living. You will have to take a chance, a chance on love, life and happiness.
It is only by being willing to lose that you can win. Some say that opportunity only knocks once.
I do not know that to be true. I think it knocks several times in our life. But what I think is true is
that we must be ready and willing to act when that opportunity comes. And in that act we must
be willing to let go of our past and the life we have known. There is a thing about choice that is
good to understand. Choice is the act of specifying one thing from many, from distinguishing
one possibility from a field of many. Usually when we choose something, we are, at the same
time, un-choosing many other things. To choose happiness and abundance, we have to deselect
unhappiness and misery. Prepare yourself for that day. And get yourself straight with God. Make
an agreement with Him (or Her) that when the time for your opportunity comes that you will
give up everything, if you need to, to follow your path to a happy and bright future. You may
have to move to a new location, to give up some people that you now call friends, to give up
personal habits and attachments that just do not fit. Be ready.
So, be prepared. Your time is coming. And when it does, also be prepared to create a plan
for your success. There is nothing so powerful as a carefully crafted plan. By visualizing your
dreams and making your plans for the future carefully, you can essentially guarantee your
success. Most people do know have an idea of what a plan actually is. A plan is where you take
every aspect of your goals and map them out on a ten-year basis so that when you are done you
know what you need to do and focus on now, next month and next year. This sort of planning is
best done with the help of someone who does planning for a living. So, be willing to at least read
a book on planning and better yet, find someone you can hire to help you make this plan. I was
fortunate to find someone like this when I was first beginning. And the real benefit of this was
that I realized, after doing my plan, that my dreams were entirely doable. I knew that if I just did
each step in succession that my dreams would become reality.
Now, plans do have to be changed after a period of time. As you get into your dream
fulfillment, you will realize new things that affect your plan and you will have to make
adjustments. But that is also part of the process.
These truths about fulfilling our dreams have been known for a long time and written about
many times by many teachers and authors. They are not new. But sometimes, it is good to be
reminded of them. I certainly am reminded of them as I think about the last 14 years of my life
and how I made the transition from a seeker and dreamer to a finder and fulfiller of my dreams. I
wish this same experience for you on this New Year of unlimited possibilities.
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The Leo Thing
Robert Lee Camp
An article I read today, combined with a news report I saw on TV last night both confirmed
a lot about what I understand about Leos and Leo energy in general. These discoveries can teach
us a lot about ourselves as well and about our own Sun expression. Let’s explore this kingly sign
and see what we can learn.
The sign of Leo governs the natal 5th house in astrology. Most astrology books will tell you
that the 5th house has to do with romance, self-expression, children and lovers. It is the house of
childbirth and other ‘births’ in our life. It is the house of affection and affectionate relationships.
It is also the house and sign of blind love as we shall see.
I have stated for many years that the affection we feel for a baby is the same affection that
we feel for a lover. Astrology confirms this by the way we find the same house governing both.
In a Reuters Science article I got today from Yahoo.com, we find that scientists have proven just
this point.
Maternal Love Affects Brain Like Romance – Study
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=585&e=4&u=/nm/20040213/sc_nm/science_love_dc
Fri Feb 13
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Love may indeed be blind, whether it is love for a newborn or its
father, British researchers reported on Friday.
Scanners showed the brains of young mothers lit up in the same way when they looked at
their babies as the brains of people who looked at images of their lovers. And the region
activated told an important story, too. It was an area known as the reward system.
Now this is interesting. That particular area of the brain is called the ‘reward system’ area. I
have also declared, as have other astrologers, that the 5th house is the house of pleasure. Jupiter’s
transit through our natal 5th house is one of the transits of ‘great reward’. The article goes on to
say:
Parts of the brain also turned off when looking at a lover, spouse or child -- and that was the
system involved in making negative judgments, the team at University College London said.
Writing in the journal NeuroImage, they said their finding suggests that to some degree, love
really is blind to faults.
"Both romantic and maternal love are highly rewarding experiences that are linked to the
perpetuation of the species, and consequently have a closely linked biological function of crucial
evolutionary importance," said Andreas Bartels of UCL's Wellcome Department of Imaging
Neuroscience, who led the study. His team scanned the brains of 20 young mothers using
functional magnetic resonance imaging, which can show brain activity as it happens. They had
already documented how the brain responds when people see images of their lovers. The young
women were shown pictures of their own children, children they knew and adult friends, to make
sure that feelings of familiarity and friendship were not interfering.
There was a special pattern when the mothers saw their babies, and much of it overlapped
with the pattern seen when people look at their lovers, Bartels and colleague Semir Zeki found.
The areas activated were brain cells known to be sensitive to oxytocin, a message-carrying
chemical associated with sensations such as euphoria, pleasure and love. This explains the
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"power of love to motivate and exhilarate," the researchers wrote. The deactivated areas
included those involved in negative judgments and critical thinking.
This blindness is a classic Leo fault. This is not to say that every Leo individual has this
blindness. But it is a Leo trait and the more Leo planets and influences a person has in their natal
chart, the more they turn off their critical minds to the people they love, and are often blind to
any of their faults. Blind love and blind loyalty are very common in Leos and those with a great
deal of Leo / 5th house energy in their charts. There is a classic book in India called the
Mahabharata, which is actually an epic tale that spans 17 volumes. But the main story revolves
around two families, one good and the other bad. The bad family was lead by Duryadhona,
whose father at his son’s birth was warned that his son was evil and that he would cause the
destruction of the entire race. His father, in blind love to his son, ignored all the signs, portents,
and advice of his wise counselors and sages of that day. Duryadhona did indeed cause the
destruction of the race and was evil. But his father’s love was steady throughout it all, though he
lost everything as a consequence of it.
Leos are proud and mighty in their affection. They place the objects of their affection upon
pedestals. They also place themselves upon pedestals. And they see their lovers there beside
them, sharing the throne. They fulfill the ‘drama’ of their lives by writing a screenplay. Leo and
the 5th house are those that govern acting and actors and actresses. If you are involved with a
Leo, you are a character in their play. And everything takes on a dramatic hue. There is nothing
in a Leo’s life that is ordinary or boring. Everything, both good and bad, is incredibly dramatic.
Its either really-really good, or really-really bad. Being with a Leo is often like being on a roller
coaster of ups and downs. And the farther you go up, the farther you go down.
Its funny that Leo is considered the strongest of the Sun signs. What’s funny about is that
this dramatic nature has something good for all of us to realize since we all have a Sun
somewhere in our chart. Leos tend to be able to love themselves more than other signs. Now, of
course, this characteristic can be negatively expressed, such as in a Leo person who goes on and
on about their own greatness. But the underlying principle and the reason we love Leos so much,
is that of self-love, or the love of the inner child. If the 5th house rules affection, love of children
and lovers, then it stands to reason that it also governs self-love and the love of our own inner
child. And, in my estimation, the lack of this self-love is probably the biggest hurdle to happiness
in today’s society. So, regardless of what any Leo’s other traits are, good and bad, we can learn
to love ourselves more by being around them.
Leo rules the heart in the physical body and this goes on to further emphasize the
importance of love, romance, affection, etc. Leo people often die of heart trouble as well. When
problems arise for them, it is usually with relationships and their hearts, both emotionally and
physically, suffer as a result. I once had a Leo 10♣ client who told me that he could only find
love fulfillment with a Leo woman. He flat out stated that there was nothing like them. What is
funny to me is that Scorpio is often associated with sex. Because of this, most people consider
Scorpios to be the best lovers. But this is actually completely untrue. Scorpios are the ones who
most often have sexual issues. They are usually very judgmental about their own sexuality or
often will use sex to get what they want from others. So, in my opinion, Scorpio is more like the
negative sexual expression rather than the positive. Isn’t it funny that both the Moon and Venus,
the planets of affection, caring and love, are in their worst signs in Scorpio? No, in my opinion,
Leo is the sign of greatest satisfaction and positive expression in love and sex. And they rarely
have sexual hang-ups. If they do, it is probably because of Scorpio planets that afflict their Leo
planets. Scorpio and Leo are not friendly to each other in general. A Scorpio person looks at a
Leo person and will often say, or should I say, secretly think, “what makes you so special?”
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If you have any planets in Leo, or any planets in your natal 5th house, then you have some
Leo traits in you. I have met people whose Sun sign is not Leo and who have no Leo planets in
their charts. But some of these people will have four or five planets in their 5th house and they
will act and be more Leo than many actual Leo Sun signs. I always laugh when people tell me
something like, “I have no fire in my chart” or “I have no earth in my chart.” This may be true of
their planets’ signs but they may have plenty of planets in fire or earth houses, which is the same
thing. So, if you found that you relate to any of the traits mentioned so far, it is very likely that
you have a lot of Leo in your chart somewhere.
We can all learn a lot from Leos. We can learn about self-love, honor, dignity and affection.
We can learn to be more forgiving of ourselves. Did I mention that forgiveness is a major Leo
trait? Though they seem to constantly crave attention and recognition, which can be irritating at
times, we must admit that they possess something that we can all relate to. And that is that inner
love of self that most of us need and crave.
Mastery of Fear – Part Two
In the last issue, we discussed how fear runs our lives. In this final part, we will talk about how
to harness this fear for a happy future.
Some of us are much more fearful than others. All have fear and each of us has fear in
specific areas. But some people are just more fearful in general. And for them, the way out may
be harder. But this only makes the rewards of mastery all the more sweet. For a really fearful
person to find freedom from his or her fear is a life-altering experience, and one that will never
be forgotten.
Once you are aware, often painfully, of just how much fear you have in your life, there are
specific exercises that can really help you deal with it when it happens. To utilize these, you
must first realize that the fearful part of you is your inner child. Consider your fearful side to be
you at the age of four or five. And see yourself at that age when you become afraid. If you can,
get a photo of yourself when you were a child. And when you find yourself in a fearful state of
mind, look at your photo and see that this is the part of you that is afraid. The inner child is the
part of us that depends upon our inner parent to take care of us. If the inner parent abandons the
inner child by ignoring it or wishing it would go away, or by running away into some form of
distraction or addiction, the pain of the inner child grows and it becomes even more annoying
and pleading for love and a feeling of safety. But, if you, as the inner parent, will take your inner
child unto yourself at the time when he or she is needy and afraid, you can comfort that part of
yourself.
The first step when I am afraid is to refuse to act. If I am angry, fearful or upset, the first
step is simply to resist the temptation to 1) do something about it or 2) distract myself with some
escapist behavior (drugs, sex, video games, movies, books, food, etc.) or activity or 3) go out and
attack someone else for my undesirable state of mind. This step is critical. Just stopping yourself
has a tremendous impact on your life. You are now preventing yourself from getting yourself in
more trouble by acting out your fear. You are now in control instead of your fear. This step alone
will change the quality of your life.
Personally I will lie down when I am very afraid and close my eyes. I will be alone, all by
myself. I will close my eyes, feel my fear and other feelings and speak to my inner child. I will
say things like “I know you are afraid. I am here. I will not leave you. I will stay with you until
you are feeling better. It is okay for you to feel the way you do. It is okay to be angry, it is okay
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to be afraid. I am here and I am with you. I love you.” By repeating these things as I visualize my
inner child (from my photos) a miraculous thing happens. It does not happen instantly. There
have been times when the fear was so great that it took an hour or more. But at some point, a
magical thing happens. The fear dissolves and I feel this tremendous love and sense of safety.
This is the miracle of love and of our awareness, which is really the same thing. Though I have
done nothing at all to change the external circumstance that caused my negative emotions, I am
now feeling safe, centered and no longer bothered by it. It is miraculous and can only be
experienced. Our minds are so convinced of the reality of our situation. But when the feeling
changes inside, the mind’s view of everything changes instantly.
However, your ‘monkey-mind’, as they say in India, will try to prevent you from completing
this process. We, as a society, have become accustomed to using our minds to solve all of our
problems. The first thing that happens when we are angry, upset or afraid is that we get the
instinct to do something about it. And we use our minds to come up with what we need to do. So,
as you perform this method you will feel that urgency to act, along with the mind coming up
with different plans to help you solve your problem. You will have to resist the urge to get up
and act or you will never experience what lies beyond. As you start to relax, the ideas your mind
comes up with will get better and clearer. This will make it even more tempting to get up and act.
However, you must persist in feeling your heart, the center of your being. Only by doing this will
you see and experience the miracle of the power of your own attention. You will continually
move down, within yourself, to the deepest center of your being, the place where love and truth
is who you really are.
From that place, you are ready to act, if action is even necessary. Usually no action is
necessary. Without the fear the need to do something disappears. There is acceptance and
understanding. Many realizations occur and in no time I am feeling God’s love and seeing how
He orchestrated this event just for my highest and best good. This is in stark contrast to how I
was feeling earlier – threatened, unloved, and victimized. Now I am back in the flow, in the
source, and connected to my higher self. I realize, from this place, that my fear was all an
illusion. It was based upon false information. It looked real from my emotions but it was not. I
realize that if I had acted from that state of fear, I would have caused more harm to others and
myself. But now I am free, and I am clear, from the inside out.
This process is one that I have repeated hundreds of times. I expect I will go on repeating it
over the course of my life. But having been successful with it, I am now no longer the slave to
my fear. I am no longer afraid of my fear. It can come with me and be part of my journey. That is
okay. It is what God has given me and I accept it. And I have seen an incredible improvement in
many areas of my life. There are still areas that I am working on, still areas where I am caught up
in the fear before I know it. But my commitment to working on this is strong and I will not give
up.
This is the way to mastery of fear. It is a personal journey. No one can do it for you. Your
fears are uniquely your own. They are part of you and have been part of you since you were
born. If you choose, you can embrace yourself in an entirely new way. And your journey will be
filled with wonders and rewards that only you can appreciate. Some of you have already begun
this process. Others are just getting started. If we want to change this world we live in, we have
to change it from the inside out. Attempts to change the world will always fail unless we have
faced ourselves first. When we are in the state of love, all our actions and choices will bear good
fruit.
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Abiding in the Source
Robert Lee Camp
The title of this article is one that I have heard before. Many people on the spiritual path are
using or have used this expression a lot. I wonder, however, how many of them actually know
what it means. I have certainly found that a lot of them use it without knowing its true meaning. I
never really thought about the expression much myself until one day, as I was examining my
own process, I realized that it was the perfect expression to describe one of the steps in my
current spiritual practice.
Life for me has become a process lately of looking at myself. And these bouts of looking at
myself are often quite painful. Painful really because I am looking at things that I haven’t wanted
to see and have avoided for most of my life. It takes what we call unpleasant experiences of one
kind or the other to get us to see some of our darker sides. And, from where I stand now, the
darker sides of any individual are those aspects that bring up guilt, shame and self-hatred. One of
my teachers used to teach us that guilt is the number one killer of all spiritual growth. He urged
us to drop guilt the very moment we become aware of it. Shame and self-hatred are all connected
to guilt and from what I can see, all of us have it to one degree or another, and most of us have a
lot of it. However, most of us also have a habit of ignoring our feelings, especially in today’s
society where being a feeling person is not supported or even acknowledged. But if we were to
actually feel what is going on in our hearts, we would realize that we have a lot of guilt and
shame about ourselves. And the deeper we look, the more we find.
This guilt and shame stem from an unconscious place for the most part. We can feel
ourselves getting down on ourselves, working harder than hell for the approval of others,
struggling in life when we know we should be loving it. But we have a hard time tracing those
feelings back to their source. Some say they begin in childhood. That may be true for some. But
it is also possible that we bring a lot of this guilt from our past lives. This seems to be true
because we can see guilt-ridden behaviors even in very small children who have not had any
time to have collected negative experiences. But the truth is that we really don’t need to know
where it came from. It is enough just to know that we have it and to have a desire to really make
a transformation in relationship to it.
The cost of self-hatred in all its forms is immense to each individual. It robs us of peace of
mind, keeps us from receiving the love of others, keeps us enslaved in work that we do not
enjoy, causes us to attract abusive or otherwise unsavory relationships. The list goes on and on; it
is endless. Each of us has our own repeating pattern of negative choices or behaviors that have,
at their root, a sense that there is something wrong with us and that we somehow deserve to be
punished. I do not make this statement lightly. Because of lack of awareness, many of us will not
even know that we hate ourselves. We will be out there trying to change the world around us and
blaming others for our problems. We all play the victim in some areas of our life. But the truth is
that behind nearly all negative aspects of our life, our behavior, and our choices, is the unseen
anger and rejection of ourselves.
We hate ourselves for not doing good things, like exercising and eating a good diet. We hate
ourselves for the things we have done that have hurt others. We hate ourselves for not being
successful, for not meeting the expectations of our parents, and for being lazy. We hate ourselves
for the way we look. We hate ourselves for being angry and for not being loving to others. We
hate ourselves for being patient. But most of all, above all else, we just hate ourselves for being
alive. And for the life of us, we cannot figure out why or where that came from. And we try like
crazy to avoid knowing the extent of our rejection of ourselves. We distract ourselves by
working too much, drinking coffee and alcohol, smoking cigarettes and pot, watching television
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and movies, having sex, and playing video games. Whatever will take us away from the dark
feelings we have about ourselves is what we do. And we are weak for this. We can never be
strong when we are so disconnected from ourselves. When there is so much of us that we just
cannot face, how can be actually be who we are?
And we go on like this for years. And we begin to feel dead and our life seems to be getting
darker and worse each year. And new episodes occur in our lives that add to our pile of guilt,
new failures and mistakes that we just do not want to admit to ourselves. So, we go deeper in
debt, so to speak, deeper into the many addictions that we have created to avoid ourselves. And
then, God steps in. God does not want us to be unhappy. He loves each of us completely, and so
much that it is incomprehensible. In His love for us, he will create a perfect situation that will jar
us out of our vicious cycle of escapism and avoidance. Some situation will occur that will strike
us so deeply that we cannot avoid it. It may threaten our very existence, or at the least, our sense
of false security. These kinds of events are called tragedies by society. But in truth they are the
most loving things that could happen. They are designed to heal us, though the operation we
need may be quite painful. But God has a way of arranging the most unique situation so that we
cannot escape. And so, we finally get to face ourselves and reunite with the missing half.
All of this may sound pretty bad and I apologize if I have depressed you in the telling. But
this is the life condition that we all endure, day in and day out. And through the calamities of our
life, we are finally brought to a place of acceptance of ourselves. But life does not end there.
There are subtle levels of self-denial that surface as we progress. And for me, it is a daily vigil to
be watchful for them and to make the appropriate choices when they do.
It starts with a new experience that somehow upsets me. As a result, I am either irritated,
angry, afraid, or all three. The first thing I do at this point is very important. And for me, that
first thing is to not move into action against whatever it is or was that upset me. I have learned to
take pause and reflect, and to wait before acting. I do, at this point, have strong inclinations to
take action to correct the problem. But at this stage, I am very much in rejection of my feelings. I
just want it to end. And usually I am blaming someone or something and wanting external things
to change so that I can feel better. And in my anger, I am really not feeling the depth of what is
going on inside of me. Anger is a very surface feeling. There are many layers beneath it, far
more significant and powerful. Most people in the world today will never take this pause that I
speak of. They will do what I consciously choose to not do. And in doing at that stage, they
unconsciously perpetuate their suffering. If know that this is what you do, you are not alone.
And, please do not use this awareness to feel bad about yourself. But know that there is another
way and you can do it.
Taking pause gives me time to feel more deeply. I have techniques that I won’t go into here
to help me get in touch with my feelings. I have several things that I do to start an inner healing
process within me. I begin this process in a state of blame and of being a victim. I end it in a state
of inner power and peace. At the end, I see my part in it and in taking the ownership, I am
relieved to realize that I can change it. The pause stage usually leads me to an inner fear, and
often to an inner sense of shame, guilt or self-hatred. For me, the self-hatred ones are the hardest
to get in touch with. They seem to run very deep and resist exploration. But even so, my
persistent nature wins out in the end. It just takes longer and seems harder. But once I have made
the effort, and that usually involves some praying too, by the way, I often have what I call a
‘spiritual breakthrough.’ These breakthroughs leave me in a more powerful, clear, and happy
place. And most importantly, I feel connected to myself on a much deeper level. That alone is
worth the price of the pain I suffered to get there times a thousand.
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And, at that moment in the process, I am there, abiding in the source. I have faced a part of
myself that I didn’t want to see, but one that was necessary to experience this deeper sense of
connectedness. And now I realize that the experience that upset me so much was actually
perfectly designed and soaked in God’s love for me to rise up to a new and higher level of living.
And, I have realized that the more a particular experience upset me, the greater was the gift that
was given to me at the end. Knowing this as I do now from going through this process many
times makes it easier for me to be steadfast in my resolve to not act out when I am upset but to
go within.
Be easy on yourself. Be loving to yourself. Don’t let anything you learn or hear from anyone
become a new way to judge and condemn yourself. Get in touch with your own rhythm and
cycles of growth and change. The world around you is designed by the Creator. And his designs
are all fashioned for the elevation of consciousness and the ultimate victory of love.
A New Way to look at Yearly Spreads
I was thinking today about my cards during this period. I am going through what I would
consider a difficult Saturn period with a 7♥ and 3♦. Heavens! So, as tough as this period is for
me, I was thinking, what card has the 7♥ in Saturn in their Life Spread? Quickly I realized that
that would be the Q♣. 'Wow', I thought, 'this Saturn period I am having must be what it is like to
be a Q♣ person!' That gave me a lot of compassion for the Q♣ people, and more understanding
of them and their pattern.
Then it dawned on me that this would be a great way to look at our yearly spread cards in
general. Whatever card you have in a certain period, see what Birth Card has that card in their
Life Spread in the same period. For example, if you had the 9♠ in Mars, that would be the card
that the 5♠ person has in their Life Spread Mars position. So, during that period, you could
think, "I am experiencing what it is like to be a 5♠ person right now."
You may have to practice to get to the point where you can find which Birth Card has your
current period card in their Life Spread period of the same planet. But, that would be good
practice as well. So, let’s see, after Saturn I have a 4♠ in Uranus. That’s the same as the 6♥ has
in their Life Spread. So, at that time, I will experience something of what it is like to be them.
Then, in Neptune.... I think you get the point. I think this is a cool way to get us to think more
about the different cards. It might even inspire compassion and more understanding. And we can
all use some of that!
A Deeper Look at Personal Relationships
I was recently talking with an old friend of mine. This woman is very beautiful, vivacious
and very successful in her life. However, her marriage is terrible. Her husband is constantly
telling her how ugly she is and basically married her for her money. She used her money to get
him started into a very successful business. Listening to her story, it was very easy to see how
my first impulse was to have a lot of pity for her and a lot of resentment towards her terrible
husband. But I know better than that. I have seen this sort of thing all too many times in the
readings I do. And it is a trap that most of us fall into, that is, pitying the poor victim of an
apparently abusive relationship. The part that is easy to overlook is that this person is making a
choice, every day of their life, to stay with this abusive person. The reasons for this can be many
and complicated. But we must never forget that this is where they want to be. If they wanted to
be anywhere else, with anyone else, they could be, in an instant. That is the power of choice.
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And this is true of all of our personal, most intimate, relationships and us. We are there by
choice. And knowing the power of that choice can set us free. When I heard about my
aforementioned friend, I saw that everyone took pity on her and hated her husband. But would
she do what it takes to get rid of him? No way! And do I blame him for his actions in
relationship to her? Or should I congratulate him on a job well done? At least he is making
conscious choices and getting what he wants. He is not complaining. And herein lies the secret of
relationships, the secret that is so hard to see but is true in every case. That secret is that our
partners treat us the exact way we treat ourselves. The other part of it is that our partners are a
mirror of ourselves. They represent a part of us that is important and needs to be seen (by us). So
why is this so hard to see?
It is the degree of intimacy that we achieve in an intimate relationship that blinds us. When
we open up to another, and especially if sex is involved, we become vulnerable to a high degree.
We actually take our partners into us, and make them part of us. We want them near us. And,
even though we are unaware of it, we begin to treat them as we treat ourselves. If I am hard on
myself, I will naturally be hard on my partner. In the ways that I am nice to myself, I will also be
nice to my partner. I will want to give them the nice things that I give myself, and share with
them the good things that I have discovered for myself. This is a natural process. The only time it
does not occur is when we really do not open up to our partner. This can occur, for a number of
reasons, but this is not the usual case. And when we are so close to our partner and loving them
the way we love ourselves, we are also very sensitive to things they do and say. We become
hyper-sensitive, actually. After opening up so deeply, the things they say and do really have an
impact on us. We are wide, open to receive more loving and pleasurable things from them, and
expecting them. So when they say something that we interpret as being hurtful, it hurts much
more than otherwise. And our reaction, to their apparently hurtful actions or words, is often
extreme. And, more importantly, in this state of being hurt so deeply, it is very difficult to do
anything other than blame them. And this is where we lose conscious awareness and lose touch
with any recognition that the pain we feel is actually about us. This is where we become the
victim. And this is where the sad stories, like the one about my friend, begin.
You see, when the pain is so great, so out of the ordinary, and when it comes out of the blue
like that, it just makes sense that it must be their fault. Since before we met them, we never
experienced pain like that, coming on so suddenly, etc, the logical mind deduces that logically, it
must be them. And all of our powers of mental reasoning support this theory. And, the more
logical a person we are, the more likelihood of us falling into this false interpretation of events.
The mind just has no other way to interpret it. But this is a very important mistake. And, let’s
face it, this is a mistake that most of the world is making day in and day out.
The main problem with falling into the blame thing against another person is that we lose
touch with ourselves. For the time we spend thinking they are the problem is lost. Sometimes we
just have to let our anger subside before we can begin to explore the truth. If you notice, anger
usually lasts a day or so. Sometimes it lasts longer but rarely longer than a week. Once it begins
to subside we can start to see what is really going on. Some of us, however, are not even aware
that we are angry when we are. We all have to start somewhere and we always can only get to a
new place in our life starting from where we are right now. If I am unaware that I get angry at
my partner, my first step is going to be to do what it takes to discover how angry I am. And this
step alone can take years if my denial is a deep pattern. There are techniques that can help us
realize where we are. I remember one person told me that a good way to determine whether or
not you are still angry at your parents is to ask yourself if you would allow them to raise your
children. If you have hesitation, doubts or resistance to this idea, then you are still holding on to
things with your parents. I am sure some sort of similar litmus test could be developed for
helping us tell if we are still holding onto things with our partners.
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There is an ultimate truth to all relationships, a truth that we will all come to realize if we are
interested in knowing it. That truth is that our relationships are nothing more than mirrors of
ourselves. Our partners simply act out areas of ourselves for us, hopefully so we can see
ourselves better. The exact way that they mirror us or show us parts of ourselves can differ from
one couple to another. But they are always a mirror. And this one truth can really set us free if
we choose our relationships to be the vehicle of spiritual growth that they are. I have often been
quoted as saying that personal relationships are the final frontier of spiritual growth. You can
meditate until you disappear. You can practice affirmations, chant mantras, eat a pure diet, do
yoga, pranayama, and take a spiritual pilgrimage to the far corners of the earth. You can speak
with God in whatever spiritual practice you are doing. But until you can have a successful
personal and intimate relationship you have not truly faced yourself and your dark side. One of
my teachers used to say that we can do so many things to elevate ourselves, to take us to God, to
heaven. But, he said, if we just pay attention to what happens in our day to day life, and life our
lives in the best way we can, following higher principles, being loving and patient, we will not
have to strive to get to heaven – heaven will come down and get us. In my mind, that is the
highest path we can travel.
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Celebrity Couple Shakedown
Who’s Hot and Who’s Not!
On behalf of my publisher I have been a guest on some radio shows lately talking about
celebrity couples and how the cards can tell what is going on a why. Here are some of my
findings, for your entertainment. Celebrities, especially Hollywood types, have always been
known to push the boundaries of social norms. Elizabeth Taylor for example, had a public affair
with Richard Burton while she was still married. At that time, this was shocking. So, they
continue to shock us, even now. There is a lot of Leo energy in celebrities and Leos are the
lovers, but not necessarily the husbands and wives, of the zodiac. So, we have come to expect
many changes in lovers, short-term relationships, broken marriages, etc. I expect this pattern will
continue as long as actors and actresses remain.
Lets begin with a very popular couple, Jessica Simpson (7/10/80 5♦/7♣) and Nick Lachey
(11/9/73 J♣/ 2♣/2♠). They recently married and are the stars of their own television show.
These two are very compatible on a lot of levels. And they appear to be the dream couple on and
off camera. However, I see trouble down the road. Why, you may ask? Mostly because Nick is a
J♣. J♣ men have very fixed ideas of how a woman should behave as a wife. As soon as marriage
takes place, they impose these ideas, which were never even discussed before, on their wife and
they can be very controlling and unyielding about it. In this honeymoon stage of their marriage,
all seems well. Jessica was recently quoted as saying that “Nick just loves my adventurous (5♦)
nature.” I predict, however, that Nick will really attempt to control Jessica until one day she will
have to escape. She is a 5♦, by the way, and they stand for freedom. It will be fun to see what
happens.
Ben Affleck (8/15/72 J♣) and Jennifer Lopez (7/24/70 4♣) I already predicted what has
already happened. When I wrote about them last year, there were no marriage cards in either of
their spreads in the foreseeable future. I am certain it was a highly romantic relationship while it
lasted. I just doubt that Jlo will ever get married again. She has tried it several times now. Ben,
another J♣ like Nick Lachey, seems like he still has some playing around to do before he ties the
knot. J♣ are one of the more marriageable cards, however. And he has a 4♥ in Venus this fall.
Lets see what develops.
Reese Witherspoon (3/22/76 A♦/ 3♣) and Ryan Phillipe (9/10/74 A♦/Q♦) Check this out,
they are both A♦! When people of the same Birth Card hook up, it is the Planetary Ruling Cards
that tell the whole story. In this case, Reese is Moon to Ryan’s Q♦ ruler and Reese is Venus and
Mars to him as well (3♣). This is a very compatible couple. But there is a catch, you know. And
that is the fact that Ryan is Q♦/A♦. Both these cards have trouble staying married. I give it 4-5
years tops.
Tom Cruise (7/3/62 Q♦/A♦) and Penelope Cruz (4/28/74 6♣/Q♥) and Nicole Kidman
(6/20/67 10♣/ 8♦) It is not news that Tom and Penelope have parted ways. When you think
about it, he sure hooked up with her a little too fast after breaking up with Nicole, don’t you
think? This is called a transition relationship by many psychologists and transition relationship
are always short-lived. Is Tom back with Nicole now? It sure appears that way. He has a 4♥ and
8♦ right now and underlying the 8♦ is the 10♣. So, I say they are back. But I also say it will
only be temporary. Tom has the same cards as Ryan Phillipe above, just reversed. And though he
was married for ten years, he has a lot going against his settling down for very long. Tom has
good connections with both Nicole and Penelope. I don’t think there is anything troubling about
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either relationship. I think the main problem is his uncertainty about what he wants in the love
department.
Courtney Cox (6/15/64 2♦/J♠) and David Arquette (9/8/71 3♦/A♠) People wonder how
these two can be happy together because they seem so different. But look at the great Moon
connection they share, a perfect marriage connection. David is the one more likely to cause a
breakup, if it ever happens.
Ashton Kutcher (2/7/78 5♠/K♦) and Demi Moore (11/11/62 9♣/K♥/J♠) With 16 or so
years between them, people wonder if this could possibly work. Ashton, though younger, is a
very strong willed guy with his K♦ Planetary Ruling Card. Demi is Venus, Jupiter and Saturn to
him. He is also Jupiter to her. Demi has strong marriage cards right now and I am predicting it
will happen. How long they will stay together is a question for the future.
Brad Pitt (12/18/63 K♥/2♦) and Jennifer Aniston (2/11/69 A♠/9♠) Brad Pitt played around
so much earlier that it surprised everyone that he got married and apparently has stayed married.
In truth, his birthday is very marriageable. These two are very compatible and have a strong
karmic tie. Apparently there has been a lot of talk between them about having children. Now,
here comes the rub. Both Brad and Jennifer have strong K♥ energy (Jennifer’s 9♠ PR Card has
the K♥ as a Karma Card). Both will want to be the one to decide about children and once the
child is born, they will both take their parenting very seriously. I think when this happens, their
relationship is going to change drastically. Ask any woman who married a K♥ about what
happened after the children showed up. We’ll just have to see if it affects their relationship
adversely. Usually, the romance is over and it is time to move on to raising the kids. And usually
one or both will feel romantically unsatisfied and that could eventually break up the marriage.
Again, we will see…
Charlie Sheen (9/3/65 8♦/K♠) and Denise Richards (2/17/71 8♦/5♣) new baby (girl named
Sam) born March 9, 2004 (2♠/K♠) married in June 2002
This is an interesting matchup. Both Charlie and Denise have the same Birth Card, the 8♦.
Charlie gets to lead because the 8♦ is Moon to his K♠ Planetary Ruling Card. That’s all good.
But what woman could have helped him finally settle down? Well, Denise’s 5♣ ruling card is
Saturn to his K♠. I think it took a woman who was a little Saturn to him to tame his wild side.
And being that they are both 8♦, they understand each other’s wayward tendencies. My feeling
is that this one will last a while. What is really interesting is their daughter. First, they gave her a
man’s name, Sam. Next, her ruling card is the same as her father’s the K♠. This, of course,
means that she will be much more like her father than her mother. It will be interesting to see
what she is like when she grows up.
Salma Hayek (9/2/66 9♦/7♠) and Ed Norton (8/18/1969 8♣) just broke up. I am not
surprised. First of all, Salma, having a 7♠ ruling card, is very strong-willed and determined. Ed
is a strong Saturn Card to her. And he, being a fixed Leo 8♣, is basically a take him or leave him
kind of guy. In other words, he is just as you see him and he is not going to change. But besides
the fact that they really had no strong connections, the Saturn thing was probably the main focus
of their relationship. She is also Pluto to him. I bet that these two had some lively disagreements!
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The Twelve Colors of Life
For everything that you are, there is something very different. For everything you are, there
are things that are different, and yet, harmonious to you. And there are also things that are so
unlike you that you cannot harmonize with them. And even though you cannot harmonize with
them, someone else can and does. And though you are different from them and they are different
from you, there is nothing bad or wrong about either of you. This is the lesson that astrology
teaches us, a lesson that we could all benefit from.
Each of us has a Sun sign, plus eight other astrological bodies or more, all in various signs
and houses at the moment of our birth. We are, in a word, the unique combination of those
various forces, symbolized by our astrological natal chart. Some of our planets are stronger and
others weak. Some are well-positioned, being in a powerful sign or house, while others are more
or less exhibiting the negative nature of their signs by being positioned badly. Your Sun’s sign
and position in the chart are only the beginning. Most astrologers consider the Moon, Ascendant,
Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, Pluto, Chiron and the lunar Nodes. All
of these represent aspects of who you are. And among your planets, some harmonize with each
other while others fight or compete.
Some people have a lot of one sign or the other. I recently talked to a woman who had six of
her planets in Leo. Imagine having six of the ten or so all being in one sign. A person like this
can only see life from one point of view, in this case Leo. There is nothing wrong with Leo
energy. It is one of the twelve and has its place. But there are eleven other signs, all just as valid.
We all make the mistake, at one time or another, in thinking that our way is the only way of
looking at something. Harmonious to Leo are the signs of Sagittarius, Aries, Gemini, Libra and
even Aquarius (sometimes). These five other signs can resonate well with Leo’s urge. But Leo
does not harmonize well with Taurus or Scorpio. Put a strong Leo person together with a strong
Taurus or Scorpio person and they are going to have problems agreeing on things and getting
along. They actually speak different languages. A strong Taurus, Leo or Scorpio will fight for
what they hold dear. That is unfortunate in a way because they may be fighting with the
universe. There is nothing
Harmony with
Discord with
wrong with either of their Sign
Aries
Sagittarius,
Leo,
Aquarius,
Gemini
Libra, Cancer, Capricorn
points of view. Each has a
Taurus
Virgo, Capricorn, Cancer, Pisces
Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius
place in life, a place where
Gemini
Libra, Aquarius, Aries, Leo
Sagittarius, Virgo, Pisces
it is a loving and good Cancer
Scorpio, Pisces, Virgo, Taurus
Aries, Capricorn, Libra
thing. But when you are Leo
Sagittarius, Aries, Gemini, Libra
Taurus, Leo, Aquarius
coming from one of the Virgo
Capricorn, Taurus, Cancer, Scorpio Sagittarius, Gemini, Pisces
Aquarius, Gemini, Leo, Sagittarius Capricorn, Cancer, Aries
conflicting signs, you have Libra
Pisces, Cancer, Virgo, Capricorn
Taurus, Leo, Aquarius
a hard time seeing the Scorpio
Sagittarius
Aries,
Leo,
Libra,
Aquarius
Gemini, Virgo, Pisces
beauty of the other. All
Capricorn Taurus, Virgo, Scorpio, Pisces
Cancer, Aries, Libra
you may be able to see is
Aquarius
Gemini, Libra, Leo, Sagittarius
Leo, Taurus, Scorpio
how that other expression Pisces
Cancer, Scorpio, Capricorn, Taurus Virgo, Sagittarius, Gemini
is
inappropriate
or
negative.
In the table on this page are your harmonious and inharmonious signs, in case you do not
know. You can use these for any planet in your natal chart.
For example, if you have a planet in the sign of Libra, that planet would be incompatible
(usually) with planets in Capricorn, Aries and Cancer. This is a general rule. To be specifically
accurate you have to know how many degrees your planets are in their respective signs before
you can determine their harmony or lack of harmony. The two planets being compared must fall
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within a certain range of similar degrees, called the orb, to qualify as having an aspect. There are
30 degrees in each sign. Most astrologers will use an orb of no more than seven degrees to define
an aspect. So, it is very possible to have two planets in discordant signs that are not actually
discordant, if their orb is very large, But, as a general rule, this table can help you make some
basic determinations.
We could all avoid a lot of conflict if we realized that every other point of view is actually
just as valid as our own. In certain situations, there may actually be one point of view that is the
best for all concerned. But in order to know that we must first be willing to acknowledge all the
others, realizing how they see the situation, and then make a choice with all their points of view
in mind. This process of acknowledgment is really a powerful expression of self-awareness. If I
realize that I am not the only person in the world, and that my opinion is only one of twelve
possible, then I can take myself less seriously and see the whole picture, instead of only the one
my mind is tending to project. All I have to remember is that my point of view is only one of
twelve. And the other eleven are just as valid as mine!
Every sign has its opposite. Opposites attract, they surely do. But opposites can never think
they can change their opposite to be like them. They must allow their opposite to be as they are.
But above and beyond that, when opposites are brought together, there is an opportunity for
balance. Balance simply means equal weight to each opposite. In astrology, opposing planets are
pulling in opposite directions, each wanting to be fully expressed. But because of the presence of
their opposite in the form of another planet, there is a tug of war. In this case, and in the case
when you meet someone whose planets oppose yours, there is a need for balance. Both of you
must pull, but you must pull in equal amounts. Otherwise balance is lost and there is a negative
expression present.
Looking at this another way, just look at yourself for a moment. If anything that you
represent is pushed too far in one direction, you will upset the balance of life. Then, your
opposite is bound to come in to rectify things. So, no matter what your point of view, there is an
equal and opposite point of view to it. It is very interesting to look at any situation with this in
mind. It gives us a new perspective on life.
Each of us has a mission to accomplish in this lifetime involving opposites. And that is in
regards to our North and South Nodes. These nodes always oppose each other. And your Nodes
tell the tale of some area of life where you have favored on side of the equation (the South
Node’s side) over the other (North Node). In one manner of speaking, we are all seeking balance
between these two nodes in our chart. It is wise to become familiar with your Nodes and learn
what meaning they have for you. Any half-decent astrological chart will reveal their sign and
house location. We sell two books in our catalog that tells you what they mean. I am sure you
will be enlightened by what you read. I find that many of the readings I give others center around
the lessons these nodes have for them. They are often the very heart of the matter.
So, as you go about your day, remember that for everything you do or say, there is an
opposite and other points of view that are compatible with yours and some that are not. Nothing
is either good or bad here. But the rainbow is composed of many colors. All have their place.
And the beauty of life is the way these various vibrations are expressed in combinations at
various times. All the colors are beautiful.
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The Most Common Misconceptions
I have often said that the definition of pain and suffering is the difference between what life
is and what we think it should be. And this statement is true. Most of the pain we feel is actually
mental pain, that is the disappointment we feel when things do not go as we planned or
imagined. Some call this expectations or attachments, it is all the same thing. It is the mental
structures that we build in our minds that cause us the most suffering. Not that building mental
structures itself is a bad thing, but mostly because we build them with false foundations. We base
our structures on false beliefs, attitudes and notions that make them unstable and prone to being
torn down by the winds of reality. If we are ever going to be able to use our minds effectively,
We have to get our thinking based upon reality. Now, there is nothing wrong with dreaming. I
would never recommend anyone to give up their dreams. But even dreams must be weighed
against reality to see if they are just fantasies. We can easily achieve our greatest dreams if these
dreams are in harmony with the laws of the universe and truth.
In our current society and culture there are some prevailing myths and falsehoods that I see
that tend to cause the most pain and suffering. If we can eliminate only one of these from our
minds, we can be just that much freer to create the world we truly desire in our heart of hearts.
Check out my list and see where you might do a little mental ‘house cleaning’.
1. I am afraid I might hurt someone (which could be you, their husband, girlfriend, ex-wife,
sibling, etc.).
When someone uses this statement, especially in the context of personal relationships,
they are usually lying to themselves. It’s a little hard to see but if you look closely, you will see
it. First of all, we really cannot hurt others. If you realize that our pain and suffering are caused
by our expectations, you will see that everyone’s pain is their own. It is their expectations that
bring them pain, not you. If you do not meet up with someone else’s expectations, they will feel
pain for sure. But you are not the cause of their pain – their expectations are. If you feel that you
are to blame for their pain, you are just trying to hurt yourself for some other reason. However,
there are many that find it very hard to be around people who are feeling pain. These people are
typically somewhat psychic or empathetic. They will often go out of their way to avoid causing
others pain because they can feel the pain of others so acutely. So, they will say, “I did it that
way so that I wouldn’t hurt them.” But the real truth is “I did it that way so that I wouldn’t feel
their pain, because I can’t stand to feel others’ pain.” So, even that act of avoiding the pain of
others is actually selfish. The truth is most of our motivations are selfish. And no one is really
afraid of hurting others unless they are just afraid of the consequences of upsetting the other.
Don’t be fooled by what seems to be selfless love. If you find yourself using this expression,
become aware of it and stop using it!
2. They(he, she) made me do it.
Unless someone has a gun or a knife or somehow threatens your life, they really cannot
make you do anything. You always have a choice. Even when your life is threatened, you have a
choice, though the choice seems obvious. God gave each of us the power of choice and we use it
every day of our lives. The very fabric of your life or my life is the choices we make each day.
Look around you right now and you will see the result of all your choice. If you find yourself
using this expression, stop using it right away. You are throwing your power away just saying
these words!
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3. I will be happy when I find the right person.
This myth is perpetuated by our pop culture, especially by songs and movies which
describe the great happiness that some feel when they fall in love. The truth is that until we learn
to love ourselves, no matter who we are with, we bring our unhappiness with us. Our inner
happiness or unhappiness does not really depend upon external circumstances at all. They
depend upon our relationship with ourselves. This is a lesson that few will ever realize in their
lifetime. It is a deep, spiritual lesson that comes to those who really seek the truth of the soul. It
is very hard to fathom the notion of self-love to begin with. How do we love ourselves? Who am
I loving when I love myself? Am I two people, one who loves and one who receives love? These
are questions that can only be answered by direct experience. But each of us will have a string of
unhappy relationships until we begin to see that our partners are merely reflections of ourselves,
and that it is ourselves that need our love the most.
4. I am waiting for them (he, she, etc,) to change, or, I think I can change them.
You meet someone and it is nearly perfect. There is just this one or two things that are
glaringly wrong. But so much else in the relationship seems great. You begin to think, '‘they can
change, I know it.’ So, you wait and pray. You can see their faults but you forgive them. But
they do not even see their faults at all. And when you even mention anything about the faults you
see, there is a fight, or even worse, they just ignore or you or leave. This happens all the time, to
all of us at one time or another. The real truth is that most people do not change or have any
interest in it. Changing even one significant personal trait can be a lifetime proposition. It is
harder than climbing Mt. Everest. It takes dedication, commitment, self-awareness and help from
the divine. People who really want to change show signs of it.
You will see them admitting they have problems, see them reading books, seeking out
help or doing things every day to work on themselves. From one point of view, change involves
five steps. Depending on the strength of the issue, each step can take up to a lifetime to
accomplish. The first step is denial. And many of us will be in denial of our problem our entire
life. Until one gets beyond denial, there is really little hope for any change, especially when you
consider that there are four more steps to go. If you know someone who is in denial about a
significant character flaw or behavioral problem, do not hold any expectation of them changing.
To do so would be an act of self-hatred on your part. My basic attitude is that people do not
change, with rare exceptions. And I am delighted when I meet someone who is truly interested in
self-transformation. But I am rarely surprised like this.
5. I don’t have time, also, I can’t afford it.
These two are the same actually because they deal with resources, even though the
resources are different. The principle is the same. We’ll start with time. Everyone on the planet
has the same amount of time. How you use it is your choice. You always have enough time but
you only have time to do the things you think are most important. The same thing applies to
money though most people do not see this one at all. The truth is there is plenty of money in the
world for everyone to have everything they want. Even people who are classified as poor usually
get the things they really want somehow. To repeat either of these statements is a negative
affirmation that will ultimately contribute to your negative situation rather than improve your
situation. Instead of saying, “I don’t have enough time”, say “I prefer to spend my time doing
other things that are more important to me.” Instead of saying “I can’t afford that”, say “I would
rather spend my money on something else. I don’t want that thing as much as I want other
things.” These are true statements that encourage a sense of prosperity. They affirm that you can
have whatever you want and that you have the power of choice, which you always do.
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6. Trying is Lying
Whenever we use the word ‘try’ or ‘trying’ we are at conflict within ourselves. I have
written about this many times. If say ‘I am trying’ to do something, here is what you can know is
true: First of all, there is a part of myself that does not want to accomplish what I say I am trying
to accomplish. Read that over again so that you get it completely. I have two parts of me that are
fighting about it, one that wants it to happen and another that doesn’t. But in addition to this,
when I use this expression, you can also know for a fact that the part of me that doesn’t want it to
happen is greater or stronger than the part of me that does. This is a significant piece of
information. If you catch yourself using the ‘try’ word, check in with yourself. This can
drastically change your level of self-awareness. Just ask yourself what part of you doesn’t want
this to happen. As soon as you see it, you will stop using the ‘try’ word and get back to getting
things done in your life.
7. My children need me.
Perhaps, but probably not as much as you need them. Many parents today develop nasty,
co-dependent relationships with their children. There are many ways this can show up. But
usually the parent feels the need to constantly take care of the child, even though the child is
nearly grown or fully-grown. Many parents do not realize the value of allowing their children to
face problems on their own. If the child never has to face their own problems, many of which
they created, how will they ever learn what their own self-worth or the power they have to
overcome challenges? Some parents deny their children finding their own power, usually
because they are afraid to lose them, or lose control over them. It’s a disgusting pattern. On the
surface the parent feels as though he or she loves their child.
But in fact, this supposed love is just masking a fear of abandonment or of losing control,
or of losing one’s identity. Parents need to allow their kids to try and fail. They need to allow
their kids to have their own pain. They need to realize that though their kids came through them,
they are not them. Each of us was a child at one time and we had our own unique karmic
package that became our life. Though our parents reflected some of this, they did not create our
karma. And each child in a family will either be a failure or a success depending on their own
mettle and not the achievements of their parents. The healthiest thing a parent can do is to set an
example of happiness for their children to follow, and never step in and try to solve their
children's problems for them.
There are more of these false concepts but I have covered the ones that I see most often.
If we can eliminate a few of these from our vocabulary, at least our own world will be a better
place to live. But we might also have a positive influence on those around us.
Between Wanting and Having
The state of lacking something is primarily a mental state. This is a very important thing to
know and understand because truly understanding it could completely eradicate lack from your
life. No one likes to be without. Being in lack is a fearful state of mind. There is no rest because
there is a problem. And usually, that problem lacks a solution. I have written at length about
prosperity, even written a book called The Big Money Book. But today, I received a new
inspiration about lack as I was hiking the mountains in North Carolina where I live. For me, the
lack I was feeling was not about money but about love. Having a 7♥ in Saturn right now, I have
a good excuse for feeling that way. But there really is no excuse since this is something that all
of us can overcome. I have completely overcome my sense of financial lack. And I thought,
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many times, that perhaps I could apply the same technology to overcoming my sense of lack in
the relationship department.
But, for whatever reason, I never actually did. It was an idea, but I guess its time had not
come yet. It took a 7♥ in Saturn, combined with a 3♦, to help me see the truth. And again, God
has been so merciful and loving to me. For those of you who study the cards, the 7♥ is my
lifetime challenge card (Age 52 Environment Card) and the 3♦ is my first Karma Card. So, one
could say that these two cards probably represent the biggest challenges of my life. And they are,
together, in Saturn! And honestly, I was getting pretty depressed with the issues that were
coming up in my life. But I can see now that the issues that came up for me during this period
had a divine design behind them. They put enough pressure on me that I could not avoid the
inner fear that has plagued me my entire life.
I was hiking down the mountain, after climbing up, a climb that takes over an hour and is
quite an exertion. My mind was going ninety miles an hour, thinking of my problems, rehashing
it all over and over again with no solution in sight (7♥/3♦ in Saturn!). Then suddenly I slipped
on a wet and slippery rock. I nearly fell down, but managed to recover my balance and keep
going. If anyone had seen me at that moment they would have seen what looked like a crazy man
dancing an Irish gig down the trail as it took several seconds to regain my balance. Once I got
back on track and realized what had happened, I immediately rewound my mind. ‘What was I
thinking about the moment I slipped?’ I thought to myself. I realized what I was doing, the
eternal mental quest for a solution. Then, I immediately thanked God. I thanked him for
recovering from the fall (I have fallen before and it is not fun). But at the same time, I thanked
God for waking me up. It dawned on me at that moment that I was in a deep state of lack in
regards to my personal relationships. I can’t explain it exactly but the awareness I had of it
showed me just what I was doing wrong. And just like my experience that I described in The Big
Money Book where I had an epiphany regarding financial lack, I had another epiphany regarding
lack in the love department. I saw clearly that I was focusing heavily on the love I didn’t have
rather than the love I did have. I was perpetuating my lack. And at the same time, I realized that
all I had to do was focus on the love I had. That was my only job and I haven’t been doing it. I
immediately felt better and realized just how much love I have in my life, right now. And though
I am not out of Saturn yet, I feel that I have passed the test.
As I hiked on down the mountain that day, several other realizations came to me, all related
to this same issue. I first realized that the spiritual technology that transformed my lack in the
financial area can work in every important area of my life. This means love and money but also
health, success and any area of personal happiness and fulfillment. Money and love have been
my two biggest areas but some people have similar, if not greater, challenges in health or other
areas.
Another realization came in the form of a one-line truth. “Good things can come to us in life
to the degree that we are in a state of having as opposed to a state of wanting.” While I am in a
state of wanting, the mental state I spoke of at the beginning of this article, I am literally
blocking the flow of the universe. It never feels right to be in that state of mind. The reason it
never feels right is because we are out of the flow. The natural flow of the universe is the state of
having and appreciating what we have. Anyone can verify this for himself or herself. Just see
how you feel when you are in the state of wanting as opposed to the state of having. There is a
book that I often recommend for prosperity consciousness development by Stuart Wilde called
The Trick To Money Is Having Some. I would like to amend that title to read The Trick to Having
Everything in Life is Having Everything in Life. I now see that it is all connected.
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Imagine a life without lack. Could you be at peace with that? Would you be comfortable?
The truth is that you probably already do have everything in life. Unless you are literally dying
from starvation, thirst or lack of oxygen right now, you are truly blessed. But how much time do
you spend appreciating what you have? When a Seven appears in your spreads, you may be
seriously challenged to discover just that. And you will be given an opportunity to transform
yourself and move back into the flow.
As a side note, and especially to all of you who have read my Big Money Book, this year I
will be teaching, for the first time, a 3-day seminar on how to completely transform your
relationship with money, personally and professionally. The details of the two dates I am
teaching it and what will be included are on my web site.
World News Update
The economy is heating up. Interest rates are starting to climb. Things seem to be getting
better. But somehow, it appears that we have become more ignorant of what is happening around
us. Globally, things couldn’t be more stressful. Last month we lost more American troops than
ever in Iraq. And it seems like no one really cares. Tensions are mounting around the globe.
Terrorism is striking out, nearly once a week, somewhere on the planet. And we, the U.S., seem
to be involved in every incident on some level. I think that our false sense of security and
recovering economy is based upon our becoming numb to the new levels of tension that have
been created since 9/11 and Iraq. Somehow, all of that is okay, we still have our MTV, right? We
still have our What’s New at the Movies?, our celebrity news, and our American dream. We can
ignore the potential for world disaster if we just make it through our day. Unfortunately, there is
little that any individual can do about the current state of affairs in our nation and the world. It is
all just the play of our collective illusion playing itself out. But we can be aware. And I believe
being aware means just to realize that all it would take is one, small terrorist act on American
soil to deflate all our notions that we are a growing, thriving economic power. In other words,
our security is very precarious. What I am recommending is just to be aware of this. If the Al
Qaeda make good on any of their threats, well, you can see the potential for that and what could
happen. Do not be lulled into the complacency of the media and think that all of our questionable
involvement in foreign affairs will not bear fruit. It already has, and still we persist in our
intervention policies in nations where we probably don’t belong.
Common sense dictates that there is a strong likelihood of more from intervention our end and
reactions in the form of terrorist acts from theirs.
Astrologically, at least, we don’t have any Pluto/Saturn aspects to deal with for a while.
But this fall, actually right on September 11, 2004, Pluto will square the Sun and Mars at the
same time. This might be the timing for a new chapter to be played out on the world stage. Those
aspects are not considered to be as bad as the Saturn Pluto we had on 9/11/2001. But still,
prudence dictates caution in light of the current international situation.
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Celebrity Couple Update
Well, Jennifer Lopez has done it again! She is married, this time to
Latino crooner, Marc Anthony, (9/16/68) an 8♣ and 6♦ Ruling
Card. And the latest rumor is either that she is pregnant with child
or planning to have a child with him. Funny, when Joseph and I
first looked up their cards we noticed that the baby thing looks like
a done deal. Both of them have lots of baby cards coming up. But
what of their marriage? Sports bettors in London will give you three to one odds that their
marriage will not last one year. So, if you would like to make some quick cash, this could be a
opportunity! But the bookies in the UK do not have the benefit of the cards as we do. And they
may not have realized that a baby is in their future. Babies have a way of extending otherwise
short marriages, at least for a couple of years.
Jennifer usually picks powerful men, which she can fight with. This time, she ended up with
a Fixed Card, the 8♣, which also happens to be her direct Mars Card. I predict that they will last
more than a year, but it going to be hard. They both show up in Saturn in each other’s spreads
next year. But I still think they will stay together at least that long.
The Magical Cards in Your Yearly Spreads
There are hidden, magical cards in your yearly spreads, cards that you probably didn’t think
much of at first but which offer you some invaluable information about your personal and
spiritual growth. From one perspective, each of our lives is really a set of core issues that we
must come to terms with over the course of our life. Your Birth Card, Planetary Ruling Card,
Karma Cards and Life Spread cards will all help identify what your issues are. When I read for
someone, I help them to identify their core issues in a non-judgmental way. I help them to see
what holds them back and what helps them progress. I help them see the things they can change
and the things that must be accepted and embraced. Cards in our Life Spread offer some really
valuable insight into our issues and can also tell us when these issues will be coming up in a
more prominent way for us to look at. And when these cards appear in our yearly spreads, it tells
us when we will deal with those issues. So, in a way, finding these key cards in our yearly spread
is like having a calendar to our own spiritual growth. They can tell us when we will be faced
with some of our core issues, otherwise known as opportunities for spiritual advancement.
Let’s first talk about the key cards in our Life Spread that can tell us a lot about ourselves.
Every card in the Life Spread is significant but some tend to hold more importance to each of us.
But the following ones tend to be important for everyone.
The First Karma Card: The first Karma Card represents an area of our life in which we tend to
express negatively rather than positively. It is often referred to as the negative or bad Karma
Card while the second Karma Card would be the good Karma Card. Since every card in the deck
has a negative and positive expression, it is fairly easy to look at our first Karma Card and derive
from it the pattern that it represents in our life. My first Karma Card is the 3♦, for example. I
tend to worry about money, the negative expression of the 3♦, as most Q♦ Birth Card people do.
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Another example would be those people who have a King or Eight as a first Karma Card, like the
7♠ and 9♠. They tend to have arrogance and domination of others as one of their issues, which
is one of the negative expressions of the powerful Kings and Eights. All of us but the Fixed and
Semi-Fixed Cards have a first and second Karma Card. This is an extremely important identifier
of a life-long issue.
The Saturn Card: Our Saturn Card represents another negative karmic area. It is often an area
of limitation, struggle and hardship, and an area that we find difficulty in expressing in a positive
way. It has positive expressions as well but as far as personal issues are concerned, our Saturn
Card always identifies one soul trait that requires upgrading, much like the first Karma Card. For
example, Q♣ people have the 7♥ as their Saturn Card. This implies that they have abandonment
and betrayal issues in regards relationships of many kinds, something they must work
consciously on if they hope to overcome the tendency to create the negative in their lives.
The Pluto and Result (Cosmic Reward) Cards: These two cards, and especially the Pluto
Card, define an area of our life that we must make a huge transformation in. This implies
bringing the energy of that card from a lower expression to a higher. However, with Pluto, the
energy is more intense and often the transformation is deeper in nature. When we meet someone
who is our Pluto Card, for example, we are often taken by surprise at just how intense our
reaction to them is. The Pluto card is often a deeply engrained pattern that will be hard to
dislodge, one that we will spend the majority of our life becoming aware of and changing as we
are able to become aware of it.
The Lifetime Challenge Card (Age 52 Environment Card): This card is not written about in
Destiny Cards but is extremely significant. It represents another area that we must bring into
positive expression. Again, the Fixed and Semi-Fixed Cards do not have one of these. However,
they may have one through their Planetary Ruling Card and that may be just as significant. Study
your Age 52 Environment Card to see how that represents an area where you live in a poverty
consciousness. The Lifetime Challenge Card is often mastered by age 52 but not always. To
interpret yours, look at the lower expression of the card and see how that can fit. It would signify
an area where you need to be fully self-expressed on the positive side.
Beyond these key cards, any odd-numbered card in our Life Spread can present areas of
challenge and spiritual growth. To give a good example, look at the Q♦ Life Spread. Q♦ is often
considered one of the hardest cards to be and one of the reasons for that is all the odd-numbered
cards in its Life Spread. Q♦ has the 5♥ in Mercury, the 3♣ in Venus, the 3♠ in Mars, 9♥ in
Jupiter, 7♣ in Saturn, and 5♦ in Uranus. The only truly ‘grounded’ card is their Neptune card,
the Q♠. Odd-numbered cards represent change-able-ness, uncertainty and basic instability. They
can also represent creative gifts but the individual must make a conscious effort to get the high
side of these cards as they usually want to be expressed on the low side. The two Threes in
Venus and Mars mean that the Q♦ has lots of uncertainty in the areas of love and work and these
tend to create problems of many kinds. So, even though these are not the Saturn or Pluto Cards,
because they are odd-numbered, they point to key issues that must be dealt with.
Having reviewed these cards, lets point to specific examples of how they might show up in a
yearly reading, as well as some other magical cards that might reveal hidden information in your
year.
Your Planetary Ruling Card appears in your Birth Card’s yearly spread or vice versa
In order to get the meaning of this, you must first know the difference between your Birth
Card and Planetary Ruling Card. These two represents different aspects of your personality. You
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must be familiar with each card and what part of you it represents in order to derive some
meaning from their appearance in your spreads. This coming year, in my Q♦ Birth Card spread,
I have the A♦ as my Long Range Card. The A♦ is my Planetary Ruling Card. What this tells
me, above the usual meaning of the A♦ as the Long Range Card is that I will be dealing a lot
with the issues of the A♦ part of my personality. Whenever I see this happen in someone’s
spread, and it does happen frequently, I then look to the other card’s spread, in my case the A♦
spread, to see what that part of me will be experiencing this year that is so important that it
becomes my Long Range Card in my Birth Card spread. In my case, my A♦ spread has a 9♠
Long Range card this coming year. This 9♠ Long Range can be interpreted many ways. Some
would say it is a disappointment, a year full of setbacks and roadblocks. But I have learned that
Nines like this can often bring fulfillment. That 9♠ Long Range for my A♦ could be the
attainment of some important goals that I have sought for many years. It could also represent my
A♦ having finally found its match, personally, since it is such a strong card for having multiple
relationships. These are some of my theories about it as the new year approaches. In any event,
having my A♦ Planetary Ruling Card as my Long Range means a huge focus on that part of me,
as opposed to my Q♦ personality, which is very different from my A♦ personality. Each have
their own issues and traits.
This principle can apply for these cards appearing in any position. The only difference is
that when they appear for just one period of the year, the influence is shorter and not as
significant as when they are one of the five year-long cards. So, when your Birth Card appears in
your Planetary Ruling Card spread or vice versa, you get both the normal meaning of the card
plus the hidden meaning that comes from the fact that it is one of your personal significators.
Your first Karma Card appears in your yearly spread
This will show that you will be dealing with the issues implied by your first Karma Card for
whatever period of time the card appears. This year I had my very own first Karma Card, the 3♦,
in my Saturn position. I had a really difficult Saturn period this year and this card was only one
of many that appeared there that held special significance for me. But here I was, experiencing
my own uncertainty about values and a lot of fear, often associated with Threes, in my Saturn
period. I felt like I had nearly all of my negative traits thrown right into my face the whole time.
It was difficult but enlightening. The good news was that it only lasted for 52 days.
Your first Karma Card can appear anywhere in your yearly spread. When it does, think
about what your first Karma Card tells you about yourself and expect to have that experience at
that time.
Your Saturn Card appears in your yearly spread
I think by now you are starting to get how this works. A couple of years ago I had my Saturn
Card, the 7♣, in Mars. I knew I had to make a conscious effort at that time, to elevate my
thinking to a more positive level, or I would experience many problems. When your Saturn Card
appears in any position, expect to see an appearance of that trait which you need to elevate to a
higher expression, and one in which you usually feel limited by or that you tend to express on a
more negative side. If my 7♣ had been in Venus, for example, it would be a definite message to
me that I need to think more positively about relationships or about something going on in my
home or family. You might even have your own lifetime Saturn Card appear in Saturn in a
particular year. Most of us will have that at age 45 but sometimes it happens in other years as
well.
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Your Pluto or Lifetime Challenge card appears in your yearly spread
Either one of these carries the same basic message as the previous cards listed. But each of
them has a specific message for us personally. Again, we need to be very aware of each of these
cards and their meanings to us personally if we are to utilize this special information they bring
us when they appear in our yearly spreads. I am always on the lookout for these key cards. I look
for them in my yearly spreads and I look for them in people that I meet. Both are significant. In
the Saturn period I spoke of earlier, my direct Saturn Card in my Birth Card spread was my
Lifetime Challenge Card, the 7♥. So, I had my Lifetime Challenge Card as my direct Saturn
Card and my first Karma Card as my vertical Saturn Card. Now you can understand why that
period was so hard for me. If they had appeared in Mars or any other period, I do not think it
would have been so difficult. The issues would have surfaced but they would have not been so
difficult to be with.
Having any of the above cards in your Saturn Period
Any card in Saturn tends to be more challenging. If there are things about that issue that you
have tried to avoid looking at in the past, having a card in Saturn will cause it to be ‘in your face’
and unavoidable. This is actually a good thing in that it helps us to come into a deeper
acceptance of ourselves. But rarely does anyone actually enjoy the process. Saturn will magnify
the things that you don’t like about it enough that you cannot avoid really seeing it for what it is.
Having any of the above cards as your Displacement Card for the year
The real function of the Displacement Card each year is just to get us to look at something
and come into a fuller acceptance of it. It doesn’t have to be negative unless we just want to
ignore it or avoid it. When your Displacement Card for any particular year is also one of the
above cards, which are generally considered difficult to begin with, it will probably be harder to
just ‘be with’ the issues associated with that card than it would be if it were some otherwise
unrelated card. This can represent a significant year in which you get more familiar with that
issue through direct experiences and come into a deeper acceptance of yourself or of the part of
yourself connected to that issue. For example, if you were a Q♣ person who is 59 years old, you
would be displacing the 7♥, which also happens to be your Life Spread Saturn Card. That year
would likely have a lot of challenging 7♥ experiences, for the purpose of getting more in touch
with the abandonment issues associated with it.
Having any of the above cards as your Environment Card for the year
This happens too. And when it does, you will find that what is normally a difficult issue for
you will be easier to deal with and produce more positive results. This could be the result of
Jupiter transit in your natal chart and it is considered a gift. The same might be true if one of
these cards showed up in the Jupiter period but the Environment Card lasts all year and so, is
more powerful and significant. Consider it a gift and allow yourself to receive its blessing. You
may have noticed that at age 44, our Environment and Displacement Cards are switched. We
have our 2nd Karma Card as our Displacement Card and our 1st Karma Card as our Environment
Card. This is a very interesting circumstance and is all part of the PreBirth pattern of the Age 44
spread and the cycle of self-reflection that begins that year. Unless you live to be 89, that is the
only time this occurs.
The way the yearly spread cards lay for each of us is perfect in the manner in which our life
unfolds. If we look at the cards that signify some our important personal issues and track their
appearance in our yearly spreads, we can know the timing of our own personal and spiritual
development. Knowing this, we can harmonize ourselves to God’s will and participate more
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fully in our own spiritual progress. This information can be useful for you or for anyone you are
reading for.
The Results are Consistent with Me
I once did a reading for a 5♣ man who had some real money problems. No matter what
he tried, he could not seem to manifest having financial security or the amount of money
that would make his life comfortable and fun.
Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you keep trying to achieve something but
you fail? Or maybe there is something you really want but can never seem to get it? These sorts
of experiences can lead us to believe that we are powerless and ineffective. However, that is far
from the actual truth. The truth is that we are all-powerful, as we are made in the image and
likeness of God. But, unfortunately as it may be, we are generally unaware of this power and
how it is being used, day in and day out, to create the world we live in. It is this lack of
awareness that is the real problem, not the ‘not-getting’ of what we want. If we could see the
whole picture, we would see that it is us that is stopping us from getting what we want. There are
many reasons that we might prevent ourselves from getting or having something, someone, or
some experience. The main ones are:
1. We feel that we do not deserve to have it
2. Having it would go against our sense of right and wrong or conflict with some other
cherished beliefs that we have from our past.
3. We would not feel ‘right’ about having it.
4. Having it would cause conflict in our current life, such as problems with family
relationships.
5. Guilt that we would put ourselves above our loved ones if we had it, as if we had
betrayed them.
There are many reasons like this, though usually it will fall under one of these listed. The
point is, there is a side of us or a part of us that is committed to our not having it. And now, it is
stopping us. But, for whatever reason, we have lost touch with that part and we feel like God or
the universe is denying us what we want so deeply. But in all cases, the results we achieve in any
endeavor are consistent with what we are on the inside. If we really want to get what we say we
want, we may have to go inside and do some exploration to remove any obstacles. The funny
part is that we have put those obstacles up ourselves. We just don’t remember doing it.
My 5♣ client confided in me that just a few years earlier, he had tremendous wealth. He had
made a lot of money and had the freedom to do most anything he wanted. He owned a million
dollar house, drove expensive cars and lived a high lifestyle. He was a rich, globe-trotting
yuppie.
It is a considerable job to find out why we are stopping ourselves, especially if you have been
denied having this for a long time. In those cases, you can bet that you are out of touch with your
self to a great degree. This usually means that it is going to take more effort to find out how and
why you are blocking its fulfillment. But, you can rest assured that if you are having these
symptoms, that is not being able to manifest something that you desire, there is some part of you
that just doesn’t want that to happen.
This is the beauty of being self-aware. Once you can get into an awareness of why and how
you are blocking your own creation, you will regain the power to create. Actually, you never lost
the power. You were creating ‘not having’ it all along. But because we often are unaware of
what our deepest motivations are, we think that we are just having bad luck or that someone or
something outside of us is keeping us from what we desire. That just isn’t true. What is true is
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that we are incredibly powerful beings who are constantly creating the world we live in. And
everything we create is coming from our will connected to God’s will. The things we are
thinking and feeling today are creating our tomorrows. And, most importantly, the limitations
that we place upon ourselves, for whatever reason, are the boundaries within which we can and
do create. We can never create something, for example, that we feel we do not truly deserve to
have. Our level of deserving is one of the filters through which our creating must pass before an
external manifestation can occur.
We actually have many of these filters, mostly from the list you see above. We pick these up
in a variety of places. It could have been, and usually is, the result of something or someone from
your past. It could be something you learned when you were a child, some ‘should’ or ‘shouldnot’ your family handed that down to you. It might be something you learned or read from a
book. It is amazing how easily we take in things that we read in books. Many of us just drop our
otherwise critical mind, and take in whatever we read as the truth without challenging its
validity. Some of our beliefs about life were acquired in just this manner.
I asked my client, well what happened to you when you had all this money? He replied that
he had become arrogant and acted basically like an ‘asshole.’ In the process, he had hurt
many people that he knew and loved. This caused him tremendous grief and inner conflict.
Sometime later, he lost all of his money.
Having the thing we want may cause separation from those we love. For example, if there is
something you want that your parents never had, you may feel some guilt about having it. Your
act of getting it could be perceived (by you) as disloyalty to your family or lineage. Family
loyalty is very powerful and usually subconscious. This is just one of many reasons that may lie
below the level of your conscious perception that is blocking your ability to manifest something.
The good news is that you can see, hopefully, that you are being blocked from creating. If
your desire is constantly withheld from you, you have to know that there is some part of you that
is against having that. If you follow that train of thought, you can begin the process of asking
yourself the right questions so that you can get in touch with that which is, for now, unconscious.
Oftentimes, just the act of asking is all we need to do to get things moving forward. Here are
some questions you can try out:
1. Is there anything about having the object of my desire that would cause me to feel guilty?
2. Would I be betraying anyone I love by having this experience, person or thing?
3. Do I feel there is something inherently ‘wrong’ in having this desire fulfilled?
4. Would I feel comfortable and at ease having the object of my desire?
5. What are the benefits of not having this thing, experience or person?
6. Did I have this thing at some point in my past and do something that I regretted in having
it?
7. Can I be at peace with the notion of having this wish fulfilled? In other words, can I be at
a level of consciousness where having or not having it would be the same?
These questions can help get you started on the journey within. That journey should take you
to the deeper recesses of who you are, where you will find decisions that you made long ago
which now act as boundaries for your creation. Once there, you can either accept your
boundaries or change them. Yes, you may actually realize that you feel okay about the
boundaries you set up for yourself. You may have had good reasons for setting those at the time
and you may feel that they still apply.
So, then, I mentioned to him that perhaps he was afraid to have money again because he
believed that if he did, he would hurt others again. Immediately, he saw the truth in that. And
in that instant, he realized how he had been preventing himself from having money again.
And he had to ask himself whether or not he could be trusted to have money again and not
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hurt others. His answer was yes. That realization was all that it took. Within weeks he was
again making lots of money and enjoying wealth and luxury, as he had before.
Then again, like my client, you may realize that the boundaries you set for yourself no longer
apply and that you can release them to allow for the creation of the object of your desire. In any
case, you will no longer be in a conflict about it. You can either accept your self-imposed
limitation, or remove it. Either way, you will again be the master creator in your life.
The Money Cards – part one
There are many good money cards in the deck. And they often show up in our yearly
readings, if we are ready and able to take advantage of them. I say this because sometimes we are
neither ready nor able to take advantage of them. A person on a fixed income, for example, is not
likely to realize the benefits of a millionaire’s card coming up in their reading. So, it is important
to realize that just having good money cards is not enough to make it happen. We have to
cooperate with the cards if we are to fully realize their benefit. We have to be willing and able to
take a step towards the potential wealth that is being offered to us by universal cycles and
principles. As it has been said before, ‘God helps those who help themselves.’
Having said that, here is a short article on the various money cards and how to maximize
their benefit to you when they appear. Let’s start with basics about the location of money cards
in your spread.
Money cards in Mercury generally mean money made quickly. Usually the amounts are
not as large as in other periods. But money can also be made through use of your automobile or
through phone work or other forms of communication.
Money cards in Venus often represent money made through the arts, through beauty
products, adornments or objects related to the home and women. Venus itself is a benefic planet,
like Jupiter and so tends to bring out the better sides of card that fall in it.
Money cards in Mars mean you may be aggressive about your pursuit of money. It can also
mean money made through legal or other competitive activities or money made in association
with men or men-dominated professions.
Jupiter is obviously the best place for money cards, especially for business success. Our
Jupiter card each year, even if it is not a Diamond card, can tell us which direction or directions
are likely to bring the most prosperity. This past year, for example, I had the 10♠ in Jupiter. I
made money by working hard and working a lot (10♠)!
Saturn will also mean having to work very hard for the money. But it can also represent
money coming in through others ill health, death or misfortune. Generally though, Saturn just
means we will have to work, work, work, to make our due.
Uranus money cards can often mean money made through real estate. If I were investing in
real estate, I would definitely look at my Uranus cards each year for indicators. Real estate is
nearly always a good investment by itself and is already related to the money sign Taurus in
astrology. Uranus can also mean money made through computers, radio and television or other
forms of the media.
Neptune money cards generally refer to money made in foreign countries or money made
through shipping, drugs and alcohol, or the movie industry, all of which are ruled by Neptune.
Generally, though, it is our yearly hopes and dreams card. A big money card in Neptune means
we are dreaming about having it. The question is, will it actually happen?
Pluto usually represents the desire for something, not necessarily having it. A big money
card as Pluto may motivate you to do what it takes, and especially to change whatever needs
changing within yourself, to make more money.
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The Result Card is nearly a guaranteed blessing. If it is a money card, it is nearly a sure
thing that you are going to come into the money described by the card.
The Displacement Card is the card we need to pay attention to. By paying attention to it,
we may indeed get the rewards of the card itself. A 4♦ Displacement would mean that we have
to pay attention to having a sound sense of values if we are to achieve financial stability (4♦).
The 8♦ and 10♦ Displacement have very significant specific meanings themselves that are not
necessarily financially related. Read about them in Chapter Eight of Destiny Cards (or Cards of
Your Destiny) for the Pinnacle and Most Blessed years. But even so, they usually carry financial
success with them.
The Environment Card, like the Result Card, is nearly guaranteed to bring the positive
money side from any money card placed there. Even a 9♦ or 3♦ would bring financial success in
this position. Of course, the 10♦ or 8♦ would probably be more powerful. But the bottom line is,
‘there is no such thing as a bad Environment card.’
The 7♦ in Jupiter - This card is the traditional millionaire’s card. And it has the highest
potential of reward of all the card positions in the deck. But, as in all cases, it is not without its
conditions. The first thing to realize about this card is that what it really means is spending a lot
of money. The 7♦ card generally indicates money going out, at least according to most sources.
So, the theory is that if a lot of money is being spent, it must have come from somewhere. Thus,
in a reverse fashion, it means making a ton of money. Now, how much a ton of money is
depends upon your relative sense of wealth and value. A ton of money might be $100 to one
person and $10,000,000 to another. Money is relative to you and who you are. And since the
cards are more subjective in their meanings, much will depend upon what wealth and prosperity
mean to you.
I have found the 7♦ to be the best money making card in the deck. But that was only true
after I had mastered my sense of prosperity by working on my inner relationship with money.
Before that, the 7♦ seemed to always bring me money problems. The same could be said for this
millionaire’s card. It will, in some ways, depend upon your level of spiritual maturity in the area
of finances. Personally, I have made the most money in one period when I had the 7♦ in Mars.
But I haven’t experienced the 7♦ in Jupiter yet, at least not as the direct Jupiter card in my yearly
spread, which is where it brings the best results.
The 7♦ in Jupiter will usually only occur once in a lifetime as the direct card. It will occur
again, 45 years later, as the vertical card with the 9♥ as the direct Jupiter. Since it is one of the
semi-fixed cards and will only be in Jupiter when you displace either the 5♣ or Q♦, it will not
occur in the yearly spreads of any fixed or semi-fixed card.
Other Occurrences of the 7♦ - I believe now that the 7♦ can bring tons of money in any
position, except perhaps Saturn. A 7♦ in Saturn would be very difficult to realize the positive
expression, though not impossible. I will let you know after I have it at age 60 in ten years. Or
you can let me know if you have already had it! But in every position, its effect will be
determined by your relationship with money and prosperity. Any position could also bring you
money problems if you are still walking around with a poverty mentality. It is a magical card that
simply magnifies your inner state of well-being or lack of.
The 10♦ in Jupiter and other positions - The 10♦ is already the Jupiter/Jupiter card in the
deck. So, it already has blessing power associated with it, regardless of what position it appears
in your spread. Realizing this, it is interesting to note that one of the biggest issues for 10♦
people is their inability to receive from others. That same inability to receive also prevents them
from having as much financial success. Here they are, the most blessed card in the deck, acting
as if everything in their life had to be earned the ‘hard way.’ The inability to receive is a major
issue with most everyone who is experiencing money problems. And when the 10♦ appears,
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your ability to receive may limit its expression. I had the 10♦ in Jupiter and it paid off in a big
way. The basic meaning of this card is ‘expand your business and financial opportunities’ so that
you can receive more money. The bigger you can expand, the more money you can make. And
this means expand by serving more people, creating more products and services. Of course, I
have seen people win the lottery with the 10♦ in Jupiter as well. So, there are other ways for it to
be expressed. This is one of the few cards that I would actually recommend someone playing the
lottery with, or even gambling with.
The 10♦ is the big business card. If you can think big when you have it, you will benefit
more. But it also is a wish-fulfilling card on other levels. What that means is that it has the
potential to grant you some cherished wish or wishes, even if they are not money-related. This is
especially true when it is the Displacement Card since that is the year that you are sitting in the
Jupiter/Jupiter position yourself. You can prepare for this card by creating a way for people to
give you more money. If you are in business, offer your customers more variety of things to
purchase and make sure some of them are more expensive. The 10♦ can mean a large sum of
money that you do not possess. That isn’t much fun so make your preparations to have this
money be all yours! In whatever period it falls, be prepared to harvest. What I tell me students
about the 10♦ is that it is going to start raining money. Be certain you have very large baskets to
catch it because how much you get will depend upon how large your baskets are.
The 10♦ or 8♦ in Saturn can mean money coming in from another’s death or misfortune
such as an estate settlement.
The 8♦ in Jupiter and other positions - The 8♦ is very much like the 10♦ in financial power.
Though not as large a number as the ten, it still is very powerful. What makes it different is that
the 8♦ usually appears when we are ready to make a large purchase of some kind. Again, what
large means to you is dependent upon your value system. But generally the 8♦ would appear
when you are going to purchase a house, a car or some other high-ticket item. It represents the
‘power to buy’ and can bring this power in any period or position. Even in Saturn, it has a way of
bringing money, though usually through lots of hard work.
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Unsolved Card Mysteries
Many new distinctions and discoveries about the cards have come out in the past 15 years. Some
by me and some by others, as we continue to use this magical system, we see more and more as
we marvel at its depth along with its simplicity of use. I thought it would be a good idea to list
some of the mysteries of the cards that have yet to be explained or discovered. There are a few
that I know of and perhaps some that you know too.
The Fixed and Semi Fixed Cards
What I have discovered is that these cards have a relationship with each other that is unique. It
places them in a special family. And, as rare as some of these cards are, we find them together in
families or as friends, lovers, etc. They seem to be a magnet to each other. One example is the
2♥. As rare as this card is because there is only one birthday, most will find themselves in a
close relationship with some other Fixed or Semi-Fixed Card (A♣, 7♦. 9♥ J♥, 8♣ and K♠). Just
why they are attracted to each other is a mystery. Another mystery is what is the nature of their
connection. I get a sense of karma between them. But what is the nature of the karma? Does
anyone owe any other, as in the other 45 cards in the deck? And finally, what is it about this
family of seven cards that sets them apart from the other 45 in the deck? These are questions that
remain to be discovered in the future. Perhaps you have a clue.
Some common, but unexplained, pairings
There are some cards that are often found married together or in significant relationships for
reasons that do not seem to be explained by the connections we know of. Here are a few that I
am aware of.
The 9♣ and 6♦ - Yes, we can say, they are Karma Cards, that is why they so often find each
other. But, I ask, why are not other Karma Card couples found as commonly as these? I see these
two ending up together so often, that there is some other element here that eludes me.
The 2♣ and A♠ - This is another Karma Card couple that seems to me to occur a lot more
frequently than others.
The 6♣ and J♣ - Here is a couple that would not seem to have any reason to end up together.
They are not Karma Cards and their first connection is that the 6♣ is the Cosmic Lesson Card of
the J♣. That connection is not enough, in my estimation, to account for how often these two end
up together. I think there is some undiscovered element that draws them together.
The 7♦ and K♥ - Another mystery to me. The K♥ is the direct Uranus Card of the 7♦. The
outer planet connections, from Uranus on, are not the kind of connection that accounts for
marriages and significant relationships. And yet, we find these two together frequently. They are
in the same general area of the Grand Solar Spread. But Uranus?
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The Mystery of the Queen of Spades
In the Life Spread there are two very significant cards, the 8♦ and 10♦. The 8♦ falls in the top
center position of the Grand Solar Spread. It is the Sun Card, bearing the distinction of being the
highest, top-most card in the deck. In a way, it literally ‘shines down’ on the rest of the deck. The
other is the 10♦, which falls in the very center of the Grand Solar array of the Life Spread. It is
the most blessed card being located in both the Jupiter line and column. These two cards are the
Karma Cards of the Q♠. The Q♠ itself sits in the Uranus row of the Mercury column in the
Grand Solar array. Its placement does not seem that significant. But its Karma Cards occupy
these two most distinctive places. What is the meaning of this? What does this tell us about Q♠
people? What does it mean for us individually the year that our Birth Card displaces the Q♠?
These and other questions arise at this unique marvel.
The Mystery of the Ten of Spades
The 10♠ also has a unique configuration with it’s Karma Cards. If you notice its position, first of
all, in the Grand Solar array of the Life Spread pictured here you see that it sits just below the
8♦, in the very center of the first complete line of cards. What is interesting is that its two Karma
Cards, the 4♥ and Q♥, sit in the left and right lower corners of the spread. In a way, these Karma
Cards seem to be the basis of a triangle that the three of them form together. This is the only card
in the deck that displays this unique configuration, where it and its Karma Cards form a
symmetrical geometric figure. Not only is it symmetric, but it appears to be significant since the
Karma Cards are the very ‘corners’ of the spread. What is also interesting is that whenever our
Birth or Planetary Ruling Card displaces the 10♥, we find our Karma Cards also sitting in these
lower corners. This happens, for example, to the K♥ at ages 25 and 70 and the Q♣ at ages 36
and 81. Just what the message is to the 10♠ and anyone who displaces the 10♠ in any given
cycle is unclear. Since the 10♠ has a major issue between their work and home life, I would
assume that anyone displacing it would also have to deal with that issue during that year. But
there may be more to the story.
The Age 43 and Age 88 Yearly Spreads
At first glance one would not notice anything special about these two years. But, on closer
inspection we discover a peculiar pattern. In those spreads, are found many occurrences of the
same card number in threes. Here are some examples you can check this with. This would be
noticed in the yearly spreads of certain cards at ages 43 and 88.
The K♠ and others will have the A♦, A♣ and A♥, all in a row. (88)
The 5♣, 5♦ and 5♥, and others will have the 8♠, 8♦ and 8♣, all in a row (43 and 88)
The 2♣ and others will have the 5♦.5♣, and 5♥ together all in a row. (43 and 88)
The 9♣ and others will have the Q♠, Q♦, and Q♣ all together in a row (43 and 88)
The three Queens just mentioned will each have the 3♠, 3♦ and 3♣ all together in a row (43 and
88)
The A♦ and others will have the 4♠, 4♦ and 4♣ all together in a row (43 and 88)
The 6♥ and others will all have the 9♦, 9♣ and 9♥ together in a row (88)
The 9♠ and others will each have the K♦. K♣ and K♥ together in a row (43 and 88)
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These patterns of three cards together can be best seen while looking at these spreads in the
Grand Solar Array, such as in The Advanced Oracle Workbook or Exploring the Little Book
of the Seven Thunders. If we consider the Karma Cards of some cards, there would also be
groups of three Twos and Sevens as well.
Just what the significance of this is or what this means for individuals who have these 3-card
patterns in their yearly spreads is not known.
Your Pinnacle Year
This is the year that your Birth Card displaces the 8♦. Looking at your spreads in the Grand
Solar array, your Birth Card would sit at the very top center of the entire spread. We already
know much about the Pinnacle Year, how it represents a big life-changing year and often a year
of recognition or fame. You can read all about it in chapter eight of Cards of Your Destiny. But
I believe there is much more significance to that year and the cards that are located in various
positions in the Grand Solar Spread for that year of your life. To play with this you must be able
to see that year in this array, which you can find in The Advanced Oracle Workbook,
Exploring the Little Book of the Seven Thunders, and some of our software programs such as
the Path of Destiny, Book of Destiny 2.0 and Little Book. If you look at your Pinnacle Year’s
spread take note of what cards are located in other significant locations in the spread. For
example, which cards are found in the spaces normally occupied by the 10♦, 10♠ Q♥ and 4♥.
How about the 3♥ and A♠? All of these spots are significant because they are corners and
centers of the Grand Solar Array. I believe that these cards may tell us something about
ourselves, much like the cards in our Life Spread do.
How marriage changes an individual’s karma
Olney Richmond says in The Mystic Test Book that nothing changes the fate of an individual
more than marriage. He discusses how each person can be represented as one of billions of
‘Magic Squares’ or ‘Tarots” as he also calls them. Though he does not detail how to create these
individual four by four grids, or ‘birth tarots’ that symbolize each of us, he states that if an
individual is married, it actually changes some of the values of the numbers in the squares. He
states that the very electromagnetic energy of the person is changed in the process of getting
married. However, he does not tell us how this information can be applied to our cards or in
relationship readings in any meaningful way. I sense that there is something very important here
to be discovered.
The Greatest Mystery of All
Published accounts of interviews with Olney Richmond describe a demonstration he performed
for several newspaper reporters in Grand Rapids, MI. In this demonstration, he would hand the
reporter a sealed envelope and a deck of cards and ask him to shuffle and cut the deck on precise
intervals. Finally, he would have the reporter lay out the entire deck onto a zodiac cloth, face
down, placing in a random fashion, four cards in each of the houses of the zodiac and four in the
very center (4 times 13 = 52). After this, the reporter would roll a pair of dice and take the four
cards from the house by the same number appearing there. The reporter would look at these
cards and subsequently open the envelope. In the envelope was a piece of paper, which stated
exactly which cards the reporter would pick from the deck.
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This was one of many so-called ‘mysteries’ that Olney performed using the cards, proofs as to
their authenticity and to the fact that nothing on earth was random but obeyed exact
mathematical laws. Olney would often show the reporter the exact equation by which he had
used to determine which cards the reporter would choose. That equation took into account the
date and time of day, along with the birthday of the reporter. When you think about this
particular demonstration, it becomes apparent that this was a bridge between the physical and
metaphysical. The knowledge of how he performed this mystery would be of great benefit to the
world. However, this information was never published. There are bits and pieces of this
knowledge in The Mystic Test Book, but not enough to perform the mystery above.
This example points to the fact that much of the basic, mathematical foundation of the work that
Olney Richmond did has been lost after his death. There is much behind the Grand Solar
Spreads, the Magic Circle, The Mystic Triangle and ‘the Word’ that is discussed in The Mystic
Test Book but not fully explained. There is also a lot that is fairly well explained but not given
any practical application. For example, I have been able to figure out Olney’s calculations for
determining the card of the hour and minute of the day. But what can we actually do with this
information? And, he never shows us just how to calculate our personal hour and minute card,
which is something that we might find immediately useful.
All in all, much of The Mystic Test Book remains a mystery. But, little by little its secrets are
being revealed. With time and God’s grace, all of it will be known and understood. And if we are
very fortunate, all of Olney’s lost and unpublished books will be found and shared with the
world.
The Thing About Aces
In Poker or Blackjack, Aces are considered the highest card in the deck. So, when you tell
someone that their Birth Card is an Ace, they usually get very excited, thinking that they must
somehow be the best of the cards in the deck. And this tells you a lot about Aces and their
cousins, the Tens. Both Aces and Tens have a driving need for recognition. They act as though
being recognized for their greatness is very important to them. And this appears to be true to the
observer. However, there is much more to the story, much that goes deeper than this external
appearance. For the purpose of this article, we must also consider people who cards are one of
the four Tens as being similar to Aces. Aces and Tens share the common 'One'. For this reason,
they display similar personality characteristics, and personal issues.
The Ace is the one. It stands alone. All people who are Aces or Tens must, in one way or the
other, stand alone and prove themselves. They do not do this for the recognition of others per se.
However, recognition from others may be a byproduct of their accomplishment, or even proof of
it. But deep inside, all Aces must prove something to themselves. They must prove their
capability to achieve, to accomplish goals, to realize dreams.
The Ace, you see, is a creator, endowed with the divine creative spark in abundant capacity. The
Ace is a vessel through which God gets things done. Being an Ace ruling card myself, I was once
given a channeled reading, which stated, "You were born to achieve, together (with God), we
shall achieve much." So, you will notices in most Aces a high degree of ambition, of a desire to
attain some high goals they have set for themselves. They will not be happy with things as they
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are but will always seek to accomplish something they find worthwhile, something they dreamed
up and have decided is worthy of their time and effort. But underneath this 'goal-oriented'
behavior, the Ace person is out to prove that he or she is worthy of having received this divine
gift of creation. On some level, every Ace has a personal mission. That mission involves finding
their worth in the eyes of God through accomplishment.
For this reason, Aces will want to do things alone. Even a child who is an Ace will often refuse
any help. They may want to be shown how to do it but will not want you to do it for them. If you
understand this basic drive of theirs, which in many cases is the most potent passion in their life,
you will step aside and let them make the attempt. Failure does not stop them. They will pick up
and try again, until they succeed.
The un-evolved Ace will be cocky and arrogant. They will be overly selfish and self-centered to
the point that they alienate others around them. They will have difficulty seeing things from
anyone’s point of view other than their own. The arrogance they display is largely a function of
their insecurity. The more insecure they are, the more they need to proclaim and have others
agree that they are great. And they will often need to put others down in order to feel that they
are okay.
The Ace who has evolved a bit does not need others' approval to create. It is the young (soul)
Ace who seeks others approval for his or her actions and then seeks to get it. The Ace who is
accomplishing in order to get others' approval or recognition has not yet found his or her self.
Many Aces go through a stage of ambition for the sake of getting others to like or approve of
them. But they eventually grow beyond that, especially once they realize how fruitless this effort
is. They may even accomplish the goal and be given a lot of praise by their family and peers. But
that really does not satisfy the hunger, which is really coming from themselves. Some Aces
become arrogant at this stage, self-absorbed and self-righteous. But that is just part of the
growing process, a part that is destined to someday end.
Every Ace eventually realizes that his or her mission is only to satisfy the self, to be fully
realized in his or her expression of divine creation. And they no longer seek or need other's
approval to do what they do. This realization is the beginning of true self-confidence. And selfconfidence is probably the most important quality that an Ace is seeking along his or her
journey. It is usually lacking at the beginning of their journey. Though the young Ace will act
confident and does display a certain amount of courage, they will not usually find their true selfconfidence until after many trials. And they will often argue with others who seem to be
criticizing them or putting down their choices. They will blame those in positions of authority
who have 'held them back.' These are all the symptoms of lack of self-confidence. And this selfconfidence is not achieved by simple accomplishment, per se. It is eventually realized when the
Ace stops needing others approval for their actions and choices. Then, the Ace can step forward
and live their life by their own rules, which is their birthright and namesake.
Tens exhibit much of these same qualities since they have an Ace within them. However, they
generally have more self-confidence to start since the '0' after their '1' represents having
completed a full cycle of experience. This is why Tens are often more immediately successful
than Aces. But this does not relieve them of any issues. The Tens still have to accomplish and
they still must stay on the path of self-realization and self-satisfaction.
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Aces and Tens are the astrological goats and rams, ruled by Aries and Capricorn, and the first
and tenth houses, respectively. These pairs share much in common. And both will have a life of
accomplishment and realization of goals. Whether they receive public recognition or not is really
not important. What is important is that they find themselves through the act of creation.
Why a Fellowship?
By Joseph and Sarah Malinak
“With great power comes great responsibility"
Spiderman
The task of a Destiny Cards reading is to meet the needs of the clients. The best readers learn to
recognize when they are operating from their own needs so that they can remove their needs
from the session and get back to the needs of their clients. The best readers are present with their
clients to assist them in discovering their next step. Whether that next step is spiritual or
physical, the task of assisting another in finding the next step on that soul's journey is a powerful
spiritual act. With that power does come great responsibility. Balancing the power and the
responsibility is what the Fellowship is all about.
The Magi Fellowship has been designed with two major objectives. The first objective is to assist
Destiny Cards Interpreters in the acquisition of the knowledge of the cards. The fellowship offers
profound support to individuals who desire to master both the knowledge of the Cards and to
master the delivery of interpretation. The adage "knowledge equals power" is acutely accurate
for Destiny Cards Interpreters.
The second objective is to assist members in developing the deep self-knowledge that allows
them to recognize when their needs are getting in the way of the client's needs. Meeting this
objective provides members with profound empowerment for leading a life filled with self-love
and self-awareness, the kind of empowerment that makes one a master of one's life. Working
together in the Fellowship to increase self-knowledge creates a field of momentum that
encourages and assists one on the path of enlightenment. Together the process of self-knowledge
becomes more effective for each individual.
All too often the kind of knowledge available through the Destiny Cards is used by the reader of
the Cards to enhance his or her own ego. Readers and Healers in any discipline are often
motivated by the need to make themselves feel like good people. Most likely each of us has been
on the receiving end of feeling that we were meeting our healer's needs more than our needs
were being met. Most of us, when being honest, can recognize those times when our clients have
suffered at the expense of our needs rather than getting their own met.
Many of us who help others do so, not only out of love for the other, but also from a sense of
inadequacy. Some of us even help others to appease a sense of guilt. If an reader of the Cards
feels inadequate, but he or she is able to tell a client some profound truth about the client based
on the Cards, that reader can find meaning in life for giving such a good reading. Then the client
leaves, some time passes, and the inadequacy bubbles to the surface again, undermining the
reader's peace of mind and soul. It is always easier to look at other people's lives and assist them
than it is to look at ourselves and take responsibility for what we find there.
The brilliance of the Fellowship is that not only will we increase our knowledge of the cards
exponentially; we will also increase our self-knowledge and our ability to take responsibility for
our lives exponentially as we gather together as a group. We will bring to light and embrace
both the darkness and the light that reside inside us. Then we will be able to move to a pure state
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where we will be able to be a good tool for another soul. Within the Fellowship we will develop
the habits and discipline necessary to be able to maintain and return to the purity that comes with
self-knowledge.
Most of us have created environments for ourselves that are very comfortable places for hiding
out. We tend to go in cycles of acting in ways that do not work, taking time to justify our actions,
and then going back to acting in ways that do not work. The environments we create and the
cycle of acting/justifying/acting help us continue to hide the inner darkness from ourselves. In
the Fellowship an environment is created where bringing the darkness to light is not so
frightening a prospect. In the Fellowship an environment is created where knowing and
embracing the self is easier and gets to be a habit. As the Fellowship supports us in the habitual
process of self-knowing, we find that when we go out from the group back into our individual
lives we are now more naturally in the habit of self-realization and that the process of
enlightenment continues. The Fellowship seminars are not a matter of "I'll feel like a master of
my life for the first two weeks after the seminar and then it will peter out." Rather, the
Fellowship seminars bring about a process of personal empowerment that is available to be
experienced in all aspects of our lives and is practiced regularly in our Interpretations of the
Cards with our clients.
When a client comes to you and pays you money for a Destiny Cards interpretation, whether that
person wants to know more about him or herself or about what the Cards say about the future,
that person is not paying you to meet your needs. You are present to meet his or her needs. The
task of a Destiny Cards reading is not for you to receive praise, acceptance, or approval. Those
things are the icing, not the cake! The task of a Destiny Cards reading is to meet the needs of the
client.
Are you today truly able to be fully present with the needs of your clients who come to you for
readings? Would you like to grow and develop in enlightenment like a well tended and nurtured
tree? Are you a seasoned Destiny Cards Interpreter who would like to go even deeper in the
knowledge of the Cards as well as grow in self-knowledge? Are you new to the Cards and desire
to come on board the Fellowship to get the whole package from the very beginning of your
journey as a Destiny Cards Interpreter? Come be a part of the Magi Fellowship. It is the
beginning of an empowering journey as an Interpreter of the Destiny Cards and the next step of
your journey of self-realization.
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The Escape from Being
“It is harder for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a man to enter the kingdom
of heaven”
The Bible
Here in America no one is taught the art of being. Our country is proud of its accomplishments
and the media idolizes those who have done a great deal, accomplished great goals, amassed
great amounts of money, etc. Doing is worshipped here as it is nearly everywhere on the planet
today. We are a materialistic world, driven largely by the lust for power and money. And there
really isn’t anything wrong with doing. It is an absolutely essential aspect of life for each of us.
But as in all things, too much of anything can be unhealthy. In the case of doing, there is an
opposite, being. Doing is an active, masculine state. Being is a receptive feminine state. Too
much of either one, without the balance of the other, is unhealthy. In our particular day and time,
we have over accentuated the doing part to the exclusion of our being side. We are not taught
how to be, only to do. When someone has a problem, the first thing they think about is, “what do
I do about this?” No one even takes the time to be with the problem before going into doing
mode. We just immediately go into doing. Thinking is also part of doing. Thinking precedes
action. It is an action on the subtle level, just as thoughts are subtle objects. Thoughts are preobjects and pre-actions. When we are thinking about our problems, we are already engaged in
doing, whether we are aware of it or not.
We have become ill as a society and as a planet on account of our non-being approach to life. To
stay balanced we must have both being and doing. Our doing suffers for lack of being. No one
wants to be anymore. No one wants to sit and be with anything – their feelings, a problem, a
situation. They just want to get away from these things and get into action. And because we lack
this important other half of life, we are shallow human beings. I am not even sure if we can call
ourselves human beings. Perhaps we should rename ourselves ‘human doings.’
A big part of being is feeling. Taking time to feel our feelings is critical. Without the information
that we get from feeling, we cannot really know exactly what to do. When we go to the doctor
with a problem, the doctor will usually ask us, “Where does it hurt?” We have to feel in order to
give him the answer. He requires that answer in order to diagnose our problem. In the same way,
our wonderfully gifted minds cannot come up with a good solution to our problems without the
element of our feelings, feelings that fill in important pieces of information that our mind needs
to come up with its plan of action. Deprived of feeling input, our minds just make a ‘stab in the
dark’ about how to solve our problems. And these stabs are usually off the mark and often cause
us to end up in a more problematic situation than we started. Feelings often reveal the real
reasons for our discomfort or pain. Feelings can take us back to the source of problems. But in
order to have these wonderful things happen, one must be capable of being with their feelings.
This is something that is mostly lacking in today’s culture.
Usually we will do everything in our power to escape from being. Most of us are very
uncomfortable in the state of being. Our minds, which we have become greatly identified with to
the point that we actually believe that we are our minds, are afraid of losing control and are
afraid of the unknown. To be in a state of being is to be in a state of non-control. There is no
guarantee that we will feel a particular way. Our minds cannot control our feelings. Thus, there is
a natural avoidance by the mind. And since we have given most of our power to our minds, we
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are at the mercy of its whims. And it does not like to relinquish the stranglehold it has upon our
attention. And herein lies the paradoxical problem. Without the feelings the mind is ineffective.
Yet, it avoids the very thing that it needs to be more effective. What that means for most of us is
that we are sort of stuck in a perpetual hell. Many of us are nothing more than what I call
‘walking heads.’ Our bodies and all of our activities are merely slaves of our heads. They only
exist to get our minds where they want to be.
I know this all sounds very extreme but sadly it is often true. It takes very dramatic and often
devastating and disastrous experiences to pry our attention away from our heads and allow us to
be and feel. Its not that we need to give up thinking and doing altogether, we only need to have
balance. Too much being can be just as bad as too much doing. It can cause laziness,
procrastination and fear of taking action. But to get back into balance in today’s culture requires
most of us to learn how to be again, how to feel, and how to receive what is all around us. We
must become more feminine, which is just as powerful as masculine. In America today most
women now have become more masculine. They have applied themselves to becoming better
doers, often to compete with men who seem to keep them in some form of patriarchal slavery. So
now we have women competing with men in most every area of doing. And many of them have
proven they can be just as competitive as men. The trouble is that many of them have lost much
of their feminine birthright. They have forgotten the power of the feminine, the power to be and
to attract to themselves what they need. This causes them innumerable problems in life, just as it
does anyone who cannot operate effectively on both sides.
To be truly effective in life we need a balance. Regardless of whether we are male or female, we
need to be comfortable with both doing and being. To develop a high level of self-awareness is
mostly a product of being. Being allows us to explore ourselves, and the deeper mysteries of life.
Having grounded ourselves in a strong state of being, we are then ready to act effectively in the
world, our actions being guided by a keen awareness of all the factors surrounding any situation.
This, I think, is what is meant, by entering the kingdom of heaven.
In a previous newsletter I predicted that Bush would either win or lose depending upon whether
he decided that he really wanted to win or not. Loyalty to his father would dictate that he would
lose since his father lost his second election. However, at the time of the election this year,
Bush’s 52-day card sits in the 10♦, or most-blessed spot. This means that his dream will come
true, whatever that may be. The latest news from the Republican convention and other areas
seems to indicate that Bush actually does want to win this election. That being the case, I would
say his success is assured, even though by winning he will be disloyal to his father by outdoing
him and having two terms.
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The race for the presidency is still up in the air. As of today, Bush is slightly ahead in the
polls. But Bill Clinton has finally come out to aid Kerry and his influence could make a
difference. The cards cannot really give us a clearly defined winner or loser this time. Poor
Kerry. He has a 3♣ right now in Neptune. I bet he is fraught with worry and anxiety. I just don’t
think he is going to win. But with their cards being so close, I would not be surprised if we have
a big dispute over who wins, as we did in the previous election. Florida is using the new
computerized voting machines, without a required paper trail. This could cause a dispute over the
winner. But even if the actual results were delayed enough to get Kerry into his next year (His
birthday is Dec 11th), his card in the next year are not so great that we might consider him to win
in that case. They are not bad, though. So, here we are again with ‘anything is possible.’
Choosing Your Relationships
Using The Cards As Your Guide
The two most popular topics in readings are love and money. I am sure that you are
interested in both or you have clients who are. In this article I will present all the various aspects
that you can use when helping someone, or yourself, choose a new relationship. I might start out
by saying, however, that even though you may be able to use the cards to find a birthday or card
that is perfect for you, there is no guarantee that you will be attracted to them or that they will be
attracted to you. There is a fair amount of mystery surrounding our choice in mates. And some of
may not even want to remove that mystery. Sometimes love is all the more enjoyable going into
it just from a heart perspective and leaving all the analysis behind. But, I am called upon every
week to perform such analysis and hence I will share it anyway. Hopefully, this information will
help you, one of your loved ones, or a client, make a better choice.
The First Step
Most people jump right into how compatible they are with someone and miss out on the
most important first step. That first step is critical. It can make or break a possible relationship. It
involves getting to know each of the two people for this possible relationship. Here are a couple
of things we want to look at:
1. Are both/either actually available?
2. Are they ready for a relationship?
3. Are they capable of having a monogamous, committed relationship? (The marriageability factor)
Who is Available?
Ok, let’s jump right in and cut through any relationship bullshit we often encounter. The first
item on this list is critical. Some people are not really available for a relationship of any depth.
There can be many reasons for this. And there is no shame or harm in it. But it does need to be
recognized and acknowledged. Here is a list of people that are probably unavailable.
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1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Anyone who is married.
Those who just got divorced or just broke up from a long term relationship.
Those who are married, but thinking and talking about getting divorced.
Those who are still legally married, even if their spouse and they have been separated for
years.
Those who have an ex that they are ‘taking care of’ or somehow still entangled with,
even if they are divorced.
Anyone who is having sex with someone else at this time.
Those who, for whatever reason, are not ready for relationship yet.
Those who are over 40 and have never been married.
You can see from this list that it eliminates a lot of people! You might think this is funny but
you would be surprised how often a client comes to me wanting a relationship from one of these
unavailable types. Please take this list seriously, people. It can save you lots of heartache and
time. Trying to make one of these unavailable people become available or wishing that they
would become available is a waste of your time and your heart. If you want a true relationship
with someone, just pass these folks by and keep looking. Watch carefully to see if your mind is
making up exceptions to this list. Perhaps you are interested in someone who is one or more of
these types above. You really want it to work and you are telling yourself, but he or she is the
exception. Careful! Love has a way of causing us to fill in the missing pieces in the object of our
affection. Make sure you are not deluding yourself. Finally, if you truly find that you are highly
attracted to someone who is unavailable, then relax. This just means that you are not available
either. So, you can enjoy this shallow relationship with the other unavailable person until you
become ready for something more substantial.
Are You Ready for a Relationship?
The next factor is being ready. You may be available but just not ready yet. So might the
person you are interested in. Assuming that most single people were in a relationship before
now, it usually takes some time to make a transition to being ready for another relationship.
There are many who, because of their great fear of being alone, will jump right into another
relationship at the first opportunity. This is always a bad idea and has bad results. One of the
golden rules that apply here is that any choice we make from fear will put us into some kind of
prison. If we choose a relationship out of fear of being alone, our new relationship becomes a
prison in some way. The other very distinct possibility is that we get into a co-dependent
relationship. If you cannot be at least somewhat happy by yourself, you need therapy, not a new
relationship.
People who have just ended a relationship of 6 months or more are in transition. Transition
people usually do find someone to be with. However, their transition relationships rarely last
beyond the transition period. Usually, once the transition period is concluded, so does the
transition relationship. This makes complete sense when you look at it from their point of view.
As they end one significant relationship, there is no way to know what sort of relationship would
work best for them. That takes time, the time of transition, which can last up to a year or more.
But once they do get over the transition period, they are able to sort out where they are going and
who would be best to be with them. It is very rare for that to be their transition period person.
This is important to realize. If you are falling for someone in transition, you can bet that it is not
going to last. If you yourself are in transition, the same applies. It helps to just keep this in mind.
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Marriage-ability – oh so important!
On page 329 in the Love Cards book is a section about who is marriageable and who is not.
This is such an important section but I think sometimes that most people overlook it. Not only
does it rate every card but it explains the common reasons why that card may have difficulty in
maintaining a long term relationship. The procedure is explained in the book. But I will remind
you that you must consider both the Birth Card and Planetary Ruling Card in the equation. I will
give an example. The Q♣ Birth Card is not very marriageable. There are many factors. However,
the 10♠ is a very marriageable card. Therefore a Gemini Q♣, like Paul McCartney, for example,
is fairly marriageable. This is especially true when we consider the fact that most of us identify
with our Planetary Ruling Card more than our Birth Card. Therefore, when using the marriageability table, I would give slightly more weight to the Planetary Ruling Card. In the case of the
Gemini Q♣, I would say they are better than half marriageable. I often sum up a person’s
marriage-ability as a fraction, like three quarters marriageable or 1/3 marriageable, based upon
the marriage-ability of their Birth Card and Planetary Ruling Card combined.
What is sort of a cosmic joke is that many of the most marriageable birthdays are strongly
compatible with unmarriageable birthdays. I guess God wanted to keep things interesting here.
But the main point here is to understand when you first meet someone, just what yours and their
marriage-ability is. I will say the following under strict conditions: It is possible for someone to
rise above their lack of marriage-ability. However, the requirement is either that they have to do
lots of spiritual work on themselves and the causes of what keeps them the way they are OR old
age. Yes, as funny as it sounds, old age makes people more marriageable. The person who may
actually be more marriageable, even though they score very high as being unmarriageable would
be the person who first of all acknowledges that they have a serious problem with commitment.
Anyone in denial about it is a lost cause. The person who acknowledges it is way ahead. Next, he
or she is actively pursuing help to make the internal changes. You will see them reading books,
attending classes or getting professional counseling. These are the symptoms of someone who
could actually overcome their problems with commitment. If these are not present, forget it.
The other thing to consider is that some people are just happier not having the bounds of
commitment in their life. Many of the freedom oriented cards, like Fives and Jacks, are often
better off not trying to make themselves fit into a social structure involving commitment and
monogamy. Keep this in mind. There is nothing wrong with someone who just isn’t suited for
commitment. They will have love in their lives too. It will just take on a different form than the
usual.
Finally, you may find yourself strongly attracted to someone who cannot make a
commitment. This again, means that you are not ready yet, or that you are one of the
‘unmarriageables’ too! Two unmarriageable people can often do well together. But wouldn’t it
be that much more fun if everyone was just up front about it?
The Moon Connection
Okay, now that we have gotten that out of the way, we can start talking about the
connections you share with others. Even this step, however, will cause you to take a look at
yourself. I suggest that if you want to seriously look at any relationship’s connections that you
get a print out from our Love Cards 3.0 software. It can list up to 25 or so of the connections
between two people. And it does not miss any while integrating both the Birth Card and
Planetary Ruling Card. If you do not have the software, find someone who does and have them
print out for you the connection list at least. It can tell you a lot at a glance.
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The Moon connection, in particular, is very important. I consider it the most important. And
it is usually found there somewhere in significant relationships. It is very important because it
describes who will lead the relationship. For example, I am an A♦ Planetary Ruling Card. As the
Ace that I am, I always want to lead. It is my nature. I may find fascination with a woman who I
am moon to, like a Q♦ or 2♦, but I would be asking for trouble if I got involved because my Ace
nature would be in conflict with the natural energetic direction of the relationship. Essentially my
Ace would never be happy with following someone. And the Moon connection is strong. I have
experimented with this many times and watched hundreds of clients’ lives. I have never seen
anyone be able to change the direction of a Moon connection. This is very important if there is
only ONE Moon connection or if all the Moon connections between you go one direction. Often
there is more than one. Usually when this is the case, there will be one going each way, which is
a balanced situation that can work well. Even if you are a leader type, if there is at least one
Moon connection where you can lead, you can be happy in a relationship where some other
Moon connections have you following your mate.
The bottom line is, when Moon connections are found, do they go the direction that fits both
you and your other’s personalities? People who are strongly career and ambition-driven usually
need to lead whatever relationship they are in. These are usually people who are Aces or Tens or
have strong Aces and Tens in their Life Spread.
The Moon connection is the most common one found in long-term relationships. It
engenders a sense of intimacy and a feeling of partnership that is unequalled in other
connections. It is desirable for any relationship providing that the above considerations are met.
The Saturn Connection
The next connection to understand is Saturn. Saturn is notorious for representing problems,
limitations and challenges. However, many marriages and other relationships have it. And, a lot
of Birth Cards have it within themselves. Capricorn and Scorpio Sun sign people usually are very
Saturn to themselves. Therefore, in relationship, they will also be Saturn to the person they are
with, even if no Saturn connection is present. There are other cards, like the 8♠ and 6♣, and
others found in the Saturn line of the Grand Solar Spread. This includes the Q♦, 5♥, 3♣, 3♠,
9♥, 7♣ and 5♦. All these cards and a few others tend to be Saturn to themselves and will often
attract Saturn relationships. So, sometimes, you just cannot avoid Saturn. And it can be very
difficult, or it can be very constructive. It is all a point of view. The first thing I want to mention
here though is that despite what the Love Cards book interpretations say, a Saturn connection in
the Spiritual Spread is not at all like a Life Spread Saturn connection. When you meet someone
who is Saturn to you in the Spiritual Spread, you will not find him or her criticizing you or
putting you down. The normal Saturn expressions are just not present. They will play a helpful
role in your life but not by being your critic. So, we can eliminate the Spiritual Spread Saturn
connections from the list of undesirables.
Now, if you are attracted to someone who is Saturn to you in the Life Spread, it is a different
story. They will play a father role in your life. They will use the ‘should’ word with you a lot.
They will know all your faults and weaknesses and will have the opportunity to be your best and
strongest critic. However, they will not always choose to play that role with you. They may have
all this awareness of your faults but choose to just remain silent and loving. That is within their
realm of choices. This is not usually the case, however. Most people with Saturn relationships
are being criticized and judged constantly. Some are abused by their Saturn person. The real
bottom line is that if we are attracted to someone who is Saturn to us, it means that deep inside
that we do not approve of who we are. We choose a Saturn person to remind us of our
shortcomings because, for whatever reason, we are unable to consciously tell ourselves the truth
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about how we feel about ourselves. A Saturn person will only treat us as we are already treating
ourselves, whether or not we are conscious of it or not. They are just a reminder of how we are
inside.
Some Saturn relationships can be very constructive. However, for this to be true, you must
take on your Saturn person as your teacher in a conscious fashion. If you can say to them, “I
want you to teach me,” all the better. A Saturn person can show you the way, literally, to a more
successful, responsible you, one more deserving of recognition and praise. They can also help
you with your career.
The Mars and Pluto Connection
Mars is good in small doses. Too much Mars means fighting all the time. Sex is great if you
like the fight and make up kind. One Mars connection is usually enough. Two or more within the
first five connections in the list are usually too much. Past-life (Spiritual Spread) Mars
connections are slightly less of a problem than Life Spread Mars. They usually tend to manifest
more positively. The only exception to this ‘too much Mars’ rule is when the two of you are very
active physically or working together. With a common goal, or common enemy, your Mars
energy can be put to constructive use. Even then, though, you need some time apart so that you
do not turn on each other. Mars must be handled carefully. Remember, it is a malefic planet, like
Saturn, just less malefic.
Also keep in mind that if there is a direction to the Mars connection, the person who is
receiving the Mars energy is the one responsible for how the energy gets handled. This is
important because this is the person that has the power to keep the Mars energy going in a
positive fashion. If you are my Mars card, I am the person with the power to make it a good Mars
experience, not you. I am the one who is most affected and the one who has the power to
transform that stimulation into positive experiences.
Pluto is like Mars but on a much more intense level. We can become obsessed over someone
who is our Pluto Card, especially in the Life Spread where it is always stronger. We can want
them so badly that we become addicted to them. A Pluto person has an influence on us that often
brings up our deepest feelings, often feelings that we didn’t even know we had. In a Pluto
relationship we may find ourselves feeling things so abruptly and suddenly, and so deeply, that
we are in completely unfamiliar territory. Because of the suddenness of it, and the fact that we
never felt it before, it is natural to go into a state of blame on the Pluto person. ‘It must be them
because those are not my feelings!’ The truth is they are our feelings but we are not used to
having them so strong and deep. It is often sexual in nature, like Mars. But the intensity of it
often brings us to the point of life and death. Without some degree of self-awareness a Pluto
connection can have you doing and saying things that you never thought you would do or say. It
is definitely something to look out for. Even in the Spiritual Spread, the Pluto connection can be
very confronting and challenging. Like other connections, however, it can be constructive with
the right amount of awareness and intention. But not many people have enough awareness to get
something good from it. It is best avoided by most. There is a positive side, of course. The Pluto
person is helping us, though not by their own design, to make some important changes in our
life. They stimulate a death and rebirth in us, which will ultimately result in a much-needed
transformation for us.
Ah, Venus and Jupiter!
Venus connections are so nice. They really are the compatibility connection above all others.
You really need some of these in a relationship. Without them, you do not know what you are
missing. True friendships are often built upon Venus connections. They support ease and
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harmony in your relationships. You will have much in common that you can share on a day-today basis. The importance of this cannot be overemphasized.
Jupiter is likewise a big boon to compatibility. It operates more on the financial side if it is
Life Spread Jupiter connection and more on a philosophical or spiritual side of life if it is a
Spiritual Spread connection. Life Spread Jupiter is great for marriages. It keeps the prosperity
flowing between you. Marriages need money and this one helps keep it flowing in. And there is
something wonderful about either wanting to naturally give to the other or have them feel that
way about you. It creates lasting bonds.
Uranus and Neptune
I have already spoken enough about Uranus connections in the books so I will not add much
here. Just to say that you might find a true friend with someone who is your Uranus card. You
may not be together much but when you are, you will usually have a good time and you will feel
like you can really be yourself with them. That is Uranus’ gift.
Neptune must be considered carefully. It is very hard to be in a relationship with a Neptune
person and not fantasize about them, romantically speaking. We all have some dreams of love
and a happy life lived together. When we meet our Neptune card, we just naturally want them to
play that fantasy role for us. We usually do not even care if they really are that person or not,
because we are so high on just being with them. We let go of our rational minds a lot in Neptune
relationships. That gives us that nice, ‘high’ feeling of being in love. But it also sets us up for a
big letdown when the dream clashes with the truth, which it generally does after a while. No
matter what we do, we cannot help but put our Neptune person on a pedestal. We see them in our
highest light, often overlooking their faults and shortcomings.
If the Neptune connection is not the first or second it adds a nice romantic aura to the
relationship that can keep the romantic feelings alive for the life of the relationship. However, if
it is the first or second connection, you should take a hard look at it. Look at it with someone else
too. That helps because we have such trouble being objective when Neptune is involved. Also
keep in mind the direction of the Neptune connections. If they are your Neptune card, you are the
one who is fantasizing. If the reverse is true, you may often feel like they do not even know you.
It is nice to be worshipped by someone else, to be told how wonderful you are over and over
again, but while this is happening, you also realize that it is conditional upon your continuing to
play the role they want you to. Like I said earlier, a little of this is okay. But too much actually
creates separation between you. Therefore it is best if it is not the first or second connection.
Fifth or higher is just about right.
The Cosmic Reward Connection
This connection does not have much of an impact on a personal level in a relationship. For
those who meet someone who is their Cosmic Reward card and are under the age of 40 or so, this
connection is more likely to manifest itself like a Pluto Card. This card has the potential to be the
‘one we were meant to be with.’ After all, it is our life-long Result Card. If this happens, though,
it is usually after age 40 or so. It usually takes any of us that long to meet the challenges of our
Pluto card. I have seen a few relationships where one was the other’s Cosmic Reward. And it
really did manifest that way. Both people felt like they were meant to meet someday and finally
did.
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Past Life or Present Life?
This works especially well if you have the connection list from the Love Cards 3.0 program.
Looking down the list of the first 10-15 connections, how many are Life Spread verses how
many are Spiritual Spread connections? A predominance of Spiritual Spread connections tells
you that this relationship has very strong past-life ties. This may be just a continuation of what
went before, and the connections themselves might tell you something about what you did in the
past lives that is being carried over into this one. I have seen relationships that are nearly all
Spiritual Spread connections. In this case, there is a strong sense of destiny about it, both parties
feel that ‘I already know you’ or ‘I have known you before’ quality. That feeling is highly
desirable as far as love goes because the planet Venus is exalted in Pisces and Pisces is the ruler
of these past-life affairs. On one level, we all want to feel as though the love we have for another
is timeless. And Spiritual Spread connections make us feel that way.
If most of your connections are Life Spread, then this is likely a new relationship and your
connections will tell you what you will have to deal with energetically. You are just starting with
someone and the canvas is clear and ready for you to make a painting of your love as shared with
him or her. Make it the best you can!
So, who is right for you?
Now, the only question that remains is what is the perfect relationship for you? Probably the
most accurate answer is ‘the one you are with right now.’ God works in mysterious ways but
always to help us. And even though our current relationship may present us with challenges, it
has to be perfect for us on some levels or we would not have chosen it.
It is my intention that this article clear up a few things about how we can use the cards to
look at our choices in love. I hope you got the main drift of this article, and that is that it is
mostly about you and where you are at, and where you are going. The one you end up with will
hopefully be a good fit for the life you have created for yourself. If you keep all these little things
in mind, I guarantee that you will choose better.
Legally Speaking
Personally I despise our legal system. I avoid legal matters at all costs and it wasn’t until this
year that I ever had to appear in court for a legal matter. Appealing to our legal system is a lasteffort, in my opinion, only something that is done when all else fails. That having been said,
there are times when we must appear in court or deal with a ‘fight’ with someone else and have
to resort to our legal system. In this regard, the cards can be very helpful throughout the process.
I hope to divulge some information here that may be helpful to you if you find yourself in some
sort of lawsuit.
Keep in mind that our current legal system is not fair. It is also victim of human failures of
all sorts on the parts of all members, including judges, attorneys and plaintiffs. But whether or
not things seem fair to you or whether or not the process is polluted by less than honest
participants, the ultimate outcome is always fair since that will be what is best for you, from
God’s point of view. It is nearly impossible for any of us to understand the workings of destiny
when we have so little information about what has gone before and why things are happening as
they are. But I have learned that God’s will is always done. Combine that with my knowing that
God loves us and I can say with assurance that whatever happens is ultimately for love and truth.
Some of us escape the immediate karmic results of our actions. But karma is absolute and will
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always be met, though that meeting may occur later, even in another lifetime. Even the reason
for why someone would apparently ‘get away’ with something now and have delayed karmic
retribution is in God’s hands and has a divine purpose. Thus, when approaching a legal matter, it
is always better to have this in mind. Have an attitude that goes like this: I will do my best to do
what I think is right. However, if things turn out against me, I will accept this as God’s will and
seek to understand. Ultimately I will know why.
Now, to the cards. The first thing to consider in a legal situation you are involved in is what
your basic legal karma is in this lifetime. Your Birth Card determines this and the Mars cards in
your Life Spread. Some Birth Cards have great legal karma and others have poor karma in this
area. The card with the best legal karma is the Q♥. The Q♥ has the K♠ as their Life Spread
Mars card. A K♠ in Mars is nearly a guarantee of success in all legal undertakings, because the
K♠ is the most materially powerful card in the deck. In one of the legal matters I was in recently,
my opponent’s lawyer was a Q♥. I did not discover this until after the fact. Needless to say, I did
not do so well in court against him. My personal legal karma as a Q♦ Birth Card is not good to
begin with. I have the 3♠ in Mars. Any Three or Five, or Seven or Nine in Mars represents
relatively poor legal ability. I would only be successful if I hired a powerful attorney. But with
my basic legal karma being so poor, I probably would end up with a not so good attorney in spite
of my best efforts. You see, our basic legal karma may be the most important deciding factor and
you must keep this in mind first. Know the birthday of your opponent and their attorney. Look at
their basic legal karma and yours. Who has the best card in their Life Spread Mars? That is the
first thing you should look at, and the most important. Other cards that have very good or
excellent legal karma are the 4♣ (who has the 8♣ in Mars), the 4♥, the 6♣ and 6♠. There are
many others but these stand out as being the strongest. Know your karma and that of your
opponent.
Even if your basic legal karma is not so good, you may be successful if you are doing your
legal stuff in a year in which you have good legal karma. If you have an Eight, Ten, or King in
Mars this year, and this is best if it is the direct card in your Birth Card spread, you have good
chances of winning in a legal situation. If you have a Seven or Nine, forget it. Try to delay the
matter until you have better influences. I recently talked with a client whom I advised to wait a
year for a legal matter. He waited because his Mars card was a Seven. The following year he had
a King in Mars. He did as I suggested and was successful. OJ Simpson displaced the Q♥ the year
of his first trial. This is absolutely the best position anyone can be in if facing a legal matter. The
next best would be displacing the 4♣. This is because both those positions give you a powerful,
fixed card in your Mars period. OJ won even though it seemed like an open and close case. He
lost his civil suit however, a couple of years later while displacing the 4♥. The 4♥ has a good
card in Mars, the 8♥. However, in Saturn it has the 6♠ and 9♠. It was in his Saturn period that
OJ lost his second trial. Knowing which cards you have in Mars the year you are involved in a
legal matter, and the cards that your opponent has can help you know what to do and when to do
it.
In the last 6 months I have made predictions about the legal affairs of Martha Stewart, Kobe
Bryant and Michael Jackson. So far, all of them have come true. Where was I looking? In their
yearly spreads for their Mars cards primarily.
There are other cards that can bring success in legal matters. Having a K♠ Long Range
Card is about as good as it gets. One friend of mine had a K♠ Long Range and won several legal
battles throughout the year. It was as if he was omnipotent! Other strong Long Range Cards will
add to the possibility of your success. Difficult cards in the Long Range position or in Saturn
may spell your failure, or the failure of your opponent. Look at all of these when considering
how and when to act. A powerful card in Saturn can represent your overcoming of challenges.
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The year you displace the K♦ you will have the 8♣ in Saturn. That is a great card to have. The
year you displace the 6♣ you will have the K♠ in Saturn. That is even better. The 6♣
displacement is perhaps the best of all because your Mars card will have the Underlying Card of
the 10♣ and the 8♦ underlying your Jupiter card. These are all great cards, especially when
combined with the K♠ in Saturn. An Eight as a Result Card indicates success, especially the 8♣
and 8♠. 8♦ Result would indicate a favorable money situation that could have come from a legal
matter, but not necessarily.
The information above can help you decide if you should wait or proceed. Sometimes you
only have to wait a short time. Let’s say your opponent has great cards right now but their
birthday is a month from now and next year they have a Seven or Nine in Mars. What should you
do? Delay the proceeding until after their birthday. This will definitely act in your favor. The
important cards are the ones in effect before or during the actual legal process. If they have
already passed, they may not have any impact on your trial. For example, if you are currently in
Jupiter, your Mars card has less impact than when you are in Mercury, Venus or Mars. The best
is to have the legal process coordinate so that it occurs during your Mars period when you have
great Mars cards.
How to choose your attorney
Choosing an attorney is also something that can be done more successfully using the cards as
a guide. For this to be helpful you need to know your opponent’s birthday and his or her lawyer’s
birthday, if possible. You probably cannot go wrong having a Q♥ or 4♣ attorney. Their overall
legal karma is so great that they will usually win. But that may not be enough sometimes. What
if, for example, your Q♥ or 4♣ attorney is having a bad year? All cards, no matter how powerful
they are, will have bad years and failures. So even having a strong card for an attorney is not a
definite winner. You need to know that they are at least having an average year. If they are
having a great year, you can count on your success, especially if other indicators mentioned here
are positive. There are other Birth Cards that have favorable legal Karma. The 8♣ and 6♦ are
fairly good. The 6♣, K♣, and 2♠ are good as well. Just explore the Life Spreads of the various
cards and you can see which cards have good Mars and Saturn Cards. There are quite a few.
Here are some other pointers. Pick an attorney who is the same Birth Card as your opponent.
This works especially well if your opponent is a very disreputable person up to a lot of tricks. If
your attorney is the same card, he or she will know what to do. This is what happened to expresident Bill Clinton. Both Ken Starr and Paula Jones were the same card as he (7♣). Paula is
the only one that won anything against him. Ken Starr may not have won but he definitely gave
the press a run for his money and caused him innumerable troubles. This is because being the
same card, both Paula Jones and Kenneth Starr knew what Clinton was capable of and how to
counter it.
Another very good strategy is to pick an attorney who is the Life Spread Saturn card of your
opponent or his or her attorney. If your attorney is your opponent’s Saturn card, they will
instinctively know your opponent’s weaknesses. He or she will know how to attack your
opponent at their weakest places. Oh, how much fun that could be, just sitting back and watching
your opponent sweat under the pressure of his or her Saturn card! Everyone has a Saturn card,
except the Joker. The odds are very slim that your opponent or their attorney would be a Joker
(thankfully).
I hope you never have to be involved in a legal matter with someone else. Wow, wouldn’t that be
great. But if you do, perhaps this information will help you deal with it better.
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From the December, 2004 Newsletter
Your 2005 Astrological Outlook
By Robert Lee Camp
Astrology is an exact science. A complete chart requires your date, time and place of birth. As
such it is not possible to make specific predictions for everyone born during a 30-day period of
any year, which is what a lot of astrology columns attempt to do. All we know from your Sun
sign, is which of the twelve Sun signs were in effect at the time of your birth. We know nothing
about the other nine planets in your chart or how the planets today are affecting you because of
them. Still, knowing your Sun sign, astrologers who know how can deduce some effects of the
other planets on your Sun that will accompany certain kinds of experiences you are likely to
have. Having said all of that, here are my predictions for your 2005 based upon your Sun sign.
Aries – In general, Aries people are receiving support from two powerful planets that will, on
one hand, cause them to have to become more self-disciplined this year, and on the other, able to
make some big changes in their life. Creative projects will require hard work but ideas brought
into form will also tend to be more successful. There will be additional responsibilities with their
children if they have them. Relationships will be a key area of good fortune this year. Single
Aries will meet better people than usual and one could be the ‘right one’. Married Aries may find
that their relationship improves and that their spouse’s financial success increases as the year
progresses. Some Aries will receive support from people in higher places at their job or in their
profession. The year begins with lots of energy to accomplish things, Take the initiative and be
bold.
Taurus – As the year begins, Taurus people are experiencing benefits on the job and through coworkers. Health has probably been better than usual as well. But as the year unfolds their good
fortune shifts to the relationship area, like the Aries above. Those looking for someone new may
be surprised at the people who show up. Limitations and responsibilities in the areas of home and
family will continue for a few months in 2005 and gradually ease up. After that, expect
challenges with children and romantic involvements. Taurans born between the 1st and 6th of
May are undergoing a fundamental change in who they are, what they do and how they express
themselves. Life is somewhat confusing for them at this time but it results in a new personality,
much more aligned with the things you have learned in life.
Gemini – Early Geminis, those born around the 23rd - 30th of May, are going through a
tremendous change this year. The key word is to expect the unexpected, especially in the realm
of career. Many of these changes are initiated just as the New Year begins so fasten your seat
belt. Gemini’s born around the 11th of June are likewise facing important changes, this time in
the area of personal and professional relationships. Some people in your life are playing the role
of obstinate obstacle. These will fade over time but you may have to let some people go who just
cannot allow you to be yourself. Single Geminis of all birthdays will enjoy this time of great
enjoyment, especially romantically. A lot of good also comes from starting new creative
endeavors and spending time with children.
Cancer – Crabs like me finally have Saturn leaving our sign, which is a huge relief. Over the
past year Saturn brought us a lot of introspection and an increase in fears and worries, combined
with doubts about our own self-worth. That is passing away now. However, we have to still be
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cautious on the financial end of things. Try to spend some time each day appreciating just how
lucky you are. Good things happening around your home should help engender these good
feelings and give you things to be grateful for. This is a great time to either move to a new home
or expand/remodel the one you are in now. Money coming from joint ventures and partnerships
is still a keynote for this period. Keep those relationships growing and healthy for continued
financial success.
Leo – With Saturn moving into the sign of Leo early this year, it is Leos that will be taking stock
of themselves and digging in. Be careful not to work too hard or to overdo anything for the sake
of ego. Normally the most self-loving sign in the zodiac, this year will find you facing feelings of
inadequacy, sparking you to do more to make your mark in the world. It will inspire you to work
harder and become more career conscious. Indeed, the work sector of your life will be going
great. Creating writing is especially favored for the year ahead, as well as relationships with your
siblings. It is also a great time to purchase a new car. You will find the perfect car at a good
price. It won’t be long till you will be moving as well. Start dreaming about where you would
really like to live. You may also receive some unexpected money through an inheritance or some
past or existing relationship.
Virgo – A good or even great financial year awaits you, dear Virgos. If you are in business,
consider expanding to take advantage of the favorable influence. If employed, looked for ways to
get a raise or to get promoted up the financial ladder. If you have any subconscious fears about
anything, try not to act on them. It is just things being played out in your psyche and they will
amount to nothing if you do not react. Some relationships will seem a bit unpredictable. If you
are single your love life will also seem that way. Just go with the flow and all will turn out well,
though any attachments and expectations will be challenged from time to time.
Libra – Librans will enjoy Jupiter, the planet of all good things, transiting their sign this year. Its
sort of like having a birthday that lasts a year. Make it a point to go out and be with people
socially. You may find that everywhere you go, you have a great time. This is also a favored
time for meeting someone new. You will also find that your finances will begin to improve as the
year progresses and by next fall, you will be making more money than you have for a long time.
Be open to new lines of work or new ways of approaching your work and career. Some of the
best may be things you never considered. For some of you, especially those born around the 3rd
of October, a strong romantic involvement will bring a lot of pleasure and fulfillment. What else
could make a Libra so happy? Married Librans will continue to find great enjoyment in their
children and grand children.
Scorpio – The scorpions will begin this year with major drive towards making more money and
can expect success from those actions. Conditions are favorable for all contracts and business
related communications during this initial part of the year. Speaking of career, you will find that
this is the area where much of your attention is focused this year. Plans and past actions have
lead you to this point where many of your dreams will be realized. Be prepared to work hard and
press forward, even though at times you will feel overwhelmed by it all. Also do not let
situations that develop cause you to lose faith in yourself. All will work out in the long run. The
latter half of this year will bring you a boost in personal power and others will find you
irresistible. Maybe one of them will be the one you have been waiting for.
Sagittarius – Horses will find people in high places, lending a hand and pulling them up to new
heights. Friendships and groups are also very favorable this year. Allow yourself to enjoy the
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social occasions that arise. You start this year with tons of energy. You might want to change
your wardrobe or get involved in outdoor activities. Whatever you go after with passion will
yield good results. You will be given a considerable amount of will power and self-discipline this
year to make progress in your career and the achievement of your goals. Actions taken this year
will culminate in your achieving some of your highest ambitions in the years that follow. Be
willing to shoot for the stars. You will, at the very least, reach the Moon.
Capricorn – One of your favorite topics is your career. Well, how nice that most of your
blessings this year are in this area. If you are starting a new one or even thinking about it, you are
favored to move forward with assurance that it will turn out well. Some of you will be introduced
to something new that is much better than what you have been doing. Be open and willing to
follow the red carpet that is laid out for you. The problems you have been experiencing this past
year in relationships is fading out but you can expect that joint ventures will be financially
challenging. Focus your energies on how you can make money instead of how others can make it
for you. If married, your spouse’s income may decline some while your own earning potential
increase. This is just a cycle that will come and go so be willing to let it be.
Aquarius – Lately most Aquarians have been drawn towards the pursuit of their dreams. This is
as it should be and this year brings some progress in that area, and confirmation that you are on
the right track. You have, or will be given the message. Be prepared to follow. This may be the
one that guides your life for many years to come. This promises to be a very special year for you,
especially since you value your circle of friends so much. You may make new friends or luck
into a group that fits you perfectly. What more could an Aquarian ask for? Perhaps love? Well,
love is another matter. You will have to take that subject more seriously this year. A personal
relationship requires more from you than usual this year. The keywords for love now are ‘being
willing to work for it’ and ‘responsibility.’ That shouldn’t be too hard, just a reminder.
Pisces – All Pisces people are overdue for a huge shift in their lives, a fundamental change in
their self-image and relationships. This is coming to all, but this year it occurs to those born
before the end of February. The remainder of the birthdays will have their change in the next two
years that follow. This change will be for the better in all ways, though you will have to stand up
for your own uniqueness and be willing to let go of anyone who does not support the new you. If
married, expect your spouse to bring more money into the family this year. All business
partnerships are favored for financial success now, as they have been this past year. The only
area of caution is work and health. Try not to work too hard or you will be unable to work at all.
Balance your work load with periods of relaxation and be sure to eat well and take care of your
body. Following that, there should be no problems.
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Letters and Testimonials
Dear Fellow Students of Life,
I believe the timing of the Universe is a wondrous thing. Not always easy to swallow, though
Divinely orchestrated. I was in a 24-year marriage and business partnership with a man I'm still
friends with. ( I'm a 8 Clubs/he's a Ace of Clubs ). After that, I went into a relationship for 2+
years with a man who is an Ace of Diamonds. Before I met this man I briefly came across Cards
of Your Destiny. Hindsight is 20/20. I had many little taps on the shoulder that this relationship
wasn't the highest path to choose. I did not listen & of course we go from little taps, to medium
knocks to full blown two by fours over our heads and hearts.
After the relationship ended, I was presented with the entire system, and a reading by Robert.
Also, right after the relationship dismantled, I received Vol.13 -Nov. 2003 issue of The Voice of
the Seven Thunders newsletter. In it is an article on "The Charming Ace of Diamonds". All the
information anyone could ever want, after the Universe so beautifully granted my intention of
being with this person, they showed me 'you asked for it, you got it'.
I have been studying astrology, and spiritually based teachers & their works for many years. I
have never seen a system more accurate than this one. Never. With this relationship I last had, it
did not end well and continues to bring deep healing & growth to myself. My guidance had been
calling me for a while to find a new home location. I mustarded the strength to go for what I
really wanted and moved to Victoria, Canada. Just the other day, while living here I was told
that, 2 months after we ended our relationship, he got married.
So here I am, in a beautiful, safe place, great for healing, inspiring and loving, to be able to
receive more information for my growth. Ah, the Universe is so amazing!
This system helps with understanding relationships that can often be very difficult to understand.
I highly encourage anyone who really wants to take ownership of what & who they bring into
their lives to look into this system, it is an absolute blessing.
Sincerely,
L. J. Z.
I have had four sets of these books and have done over 400 readings and have only had 3 people
say that it did not sound like them. i use these books all the time and am still learning from them.
They have truly changed my life and the lives of many -, many others who I have had the
pleasure of reading. Thank you Mr. Camp for making such a positive difference in my life path.
Gratefully, M.T.
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The Current Age of Darkness
According to the cosmology of the Vedic culture of India, we are now experiencing the effects of
the Kali Yuga, also known as the Age of Darkness. There are four Yugas in all and Kali is the
darkest and most difficult of all. It began in 3102 BC or around 5000 years ago just after the time
in history when Lord Krishna walked the earth. Krishna, an incarnation of Lord Vishnu, came to
earth at the end of the previous Yuga to rid the earth of the demons. According to ancient
literature, Vishnu always incarnates at the end of each age to rid the planet of the demons.
During Krishna's life there was a great battle, described in the book, The Mahabharata, in which
millions upon millions of men were killed. It was shortly after that battle that the Kali Yuga
began.
Our current age of Kali was foretold and described in detail in several ancient texts and their
descriptions were accurate. The overshadowing nature of the Kali Yuga is a lack of
righteousness and dharma and the prevalence of 'adharma' or ill conduct. Basically it means a
lack of morality and truth and a preponderance of lust, greed and amorality. The ways this
immorality can be expressed are nearly limitless but we see it today as commonplace. Some
examples are:
1. Governments bought and controlled by financial interests.
2. Stealing and theft on a grand scale.
3. Sexual misconduct of all kinds, including rape, incest and others.
4. Family members killing each other over money and property.
5. Justification of all kinds of immoral acts.
6. Lack of honor, loyalty, charity and other noble traits.
Tens of thousands of years ago, accurate descriptions of the coming Kali Yuga were given:
Vivid descriptions of the Kali Yuga are found in the ancient Indian texts, especially the
Vishnu Purana. A terrible picture is painted of Kali Yuga, which is considered to be the age of
decline and degeneration of human values. People in the Kali Yuga are seen to be wicked,
quarrelsome and beggar-like. They also eat indiscriminately, much like pigs and live in cities
filled with smoke and thieves. It is truly the age of darkness, where the people are oppressed by
their kings and by the ravages of war, calamities, diseases, fatigues and anger. There is distress,
anxiety, hunger and fear…
According to the Vishnu Purana, one of the most ancient Indian texts, during the Kali Yuga,
"property confers rank, wealth buys virtue, passion the only bond between husband and wife, sex
the only means of enjoyment, falsehood the source of success and ceremonial trappings are
confused with reality".
The lifespan of men and women is different in the different ages. The Puranas indicate that
in Krita or Satya Yuga (the Golden Age) the average life-span is 100,000 years;
In Treta Yuga ( Silver age ) it dropped to 10,000 years;
In Dwapara Yuga ( Bronze age ) it further dropped to 1,000 years.
At the beginning of Kali Yuga ( Iron age ) it came down to a mere 100 years and
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At the end of Kali Yuga it could be expected to last no more than say, 22 years.
Keep in mind that these things were written many thousands of years before this age actually
began. How accurate these descriptions are! Also, keep in mind that that there are three other
ages, all of which are much better than the Kali. Fortunately the Kali Yuga is the shortest age of
the four.
Basically, in this age, greed and lust predominate and we see a sort of negative evolution of
these into lower and lower forms each year. We experience a continuous decay of morality,
higher values, and goodness and continuous growth of evil deeds on all levels.
I was reading an article written by a man in 1870. In it, he describes the decay of our
society. He said, our government is being bought and paid for by special interests, etc.
Everything he said is exactly what one would say about our situation today. So, what is a unique
quality of the Kali Yuga is that at any time in the Yuga, we will experience this sense of decay of
righteousness and morality on a grand scale. Now, here is the kicker: The Kali Yuga will last
another 427,000 years, as it is 432,000 years long.
It has been true for the last 5,000 years and it will be true 20,000 and even 200,000 years
from now. People alive at any given time in this age will say, "These are dark times when people
do atrocious things to each other. And, it is getting worse."
This is really what is experienced in this age, a continual sense of 'things are getting worse.'
In my own lifetime, I can say that things have gotten worse and worse. Not to me personally, but
to our society. I do not remember a time when the world at large is getting better. Nowadays,
instead of Leave it to Beaver we have The Osbournes. If you do not define that as decay, I do
not know what would qualify. In our country, our education is getting worse each year. There
seems to be more and more dishonesty in government and businesses, more theft, rape, incest,
pornography and the people in society that we hold as role models, such as politicians and movie
stars, seem to act out more and more in dishonorable ways. Now we have serial killers who are
as popular as politicians and movie stars. I would assume that anything our government is doing,
whether here or internationally, is all based upon greed and the lust for power. In other words,
there are no higher values that we are making decisions upon. There really isn't anyone around to
hold up as a positive role model these days. I imagine the same will be said a hundred years from
now, and thousands of years from now.
During the past 20 years or so a lot of people got excited about the coming Age of Aquarius.
There was a happy sense that things would get better, somehow because the Age of Aquarius is
somehow better than the Age of Pisces from which it evolved. Every astrological age, each of
which lasts 2,000 years, has its unique characteristics. However, during the Age of Kali, all of
these astronomical ages will be expressed in the most negative fashion imaginable. Now in the
Age of Aquarius, instead of people doing horrible things to each other in the name of religion
(Pisces), we have people doing it in Aquarian ways, such as high technology, the internet, etc.
You might as well expect the worse expression of Aquarius: that is what we will get. Well, here
we are. We are in the Aquarian Age now. Has anything improved?
I say expect more of the same because it has been my experience that it is much better to be
aware of the real nature of the world around us as opposed to holding some dreamy expectation
that all of a sudden people in the world are all going to miraculously wake up and start acting
better. Some would say I hold a negative perspective on the world but actually I am an optimist. I
just want to make sure that my optimism has a firm foundation in reality. Optimism only meets
with success when it is grounded in reality. Otherwise it is a fantasy that will someday cause
much pain and suffering. Having accepted the conditions of the world I am living in, I can now
make the best of it.
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I believe it is very important to those on the spiritual path these days to realize that they are
the minority in the extreme. I do not know what the exact numbers are, probably no one could
know. But those who are conscious and living a life based upon principles and morality are the
rare exception today in this age of darkness. Everything we see today in the news is all a
reflection of the consciousness of the majority. Those who are ‘in the world, but not of it’ are
few and far between and do not dictate the rules of society. One must realize that all the
governments, media and societies of all countries are affected. All are being led by people whose
main motivations are fear, greed, and lust for money and power. And this is how it will remain.
And that is not the end of the story. The Kali Yuga is regarded by enlightened masters to be
the best possible time to incarnate. The reason for this is because under such circumstances, an
individual has a greater possibility of evolving and attaining enlightenment. Thus, in this age, we
find some individuals who become enlightened. Of course, many fall. Like the many teachers
and gurus who have succumbed to the lure of power, sex and money, many climb high only to
fall back. But that is also part of the spiritual path. We must all be lead into our own temptations
and come to terms with them before we can finally be set free.
This is considered a special time to be born, a precious time to be here. And just the fact that
you and I are here now is an indication of a spiritual favor being bestowed upon us. If we can
realize how precious our time here really is, we can remain more focused on self-development
and less caught up in the alluring drama of the illusion (Maya). This is the time of the greatest
illusion and thus, the greatest danger. But it is also the time of the greatest opportunity.
When Kali ends we go directly to the highest age of all, The Satya Yuga or Age of Light.
There will be nothing but purity and dharma in that age. But we must keep in mind that this age
is going to be around for a long time. You and I will incarnate again and again in this age, unless
and until we reach personal enlightenment and forgo the need to incarnate again. So I say lets
make the best of it while we are here. You must admit we do live in interesting times!
The Karma Cards In-Depth
The more I study the Karma Cards, the more I see that they are so powerful in what they can
tell us about ourselves. In a way, I feel like I have overlooked them for so long. Lately, though, I
find myself observing them and watching how their characteristics show up in everyone I meet.
In astrology there are some important ‘points in the sky’ called the lunar nodes. Some people
have contacted me suggesting that the nodes perform a similar function as the Karma Cards. The
lunar nodes do have to do with past-life Karma and present life directions. But they are not the
same. What’s more, everyone, every birthday, has lunar nodes. But in the cards, there are seven
cards that do not have two Karma Cards that perform the function I will discuss here. Those are
the three Fixed Cards (8♣, J♥ and K♠) and the four, Semi-Fixed Cards (A♣, 2♥, 7♦ and 9♥).
Their particular functions are different too. Though each of us has two lunar nodes, which
describe a past-life imbalance that will be rectified over the period of a lifetime, they both
together would, at best, only describe certain negative issues that need to be made positive. The
Karma Cards, however, describe both a weak issue and a positive trait, something the lunar
nodes do not.
Lets take a deeper look at these mysterious Karma Cards. They have much to teach us. In
some ways, they might be the most important indicators among the cards that tell us about
ourselves. When I meet someone new and I have the opportunity to tell them something about
themselves, I now think of their Karma Cards before I speak. Recently I met a highly successful
businessman, a Capricorn 7♠. I knew he had a 4♦ Planetary Ruling Card so I started by saying,
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“You are a very good organizer, especially with business and money. In some ways, you help
others provide the foundation for a good or successful business to others. You are extremely
practical and know how to get things done.” He and his friends who were there were very
impressed because I had just described exactly the kind of work he does. Among other things, he
is a ‘turn-around’ man who takes companies who are ailing and puts them back on the road to
success. He also makes startup companies more successful with his natural business acumen and
experience. But I decided to take it one step deeper and say something more personal. So, I
looked at him and said, “At times you can be too powerful. You have had to deal with a tendency
towards arrogance in your dealings with others. You sometimes have trouble seeing others’
points of view.” This caused him to become very quiet, but I could tell that I had hit a bulls-eye.
After that, he did not doubt that this card system had something to it. That was something that no
one could know on a casual meeting. In that instance I was referring to his first Karma Card, the
K♦.
Our first Karma Card always represents a quality or set of characteristics that we express
negatively and learn to express more positively over the course of our life. Usually it takes us a
while to get it right. And we will find that we express it negatively more often than positively
until we become aware of it and work on it. It is easy to interpret the first Karma Card. Just look
at it in its negative expression and there you have it. Its not that we always express it negatively,
we just tend to. With awareness, we can turn it around. Its actually not that difficult to do. But
for most of us, the habitual tendency to express the qualities of our first Karma Card negatively
are unconscious. We just do it but do not see ourselves doing it. Therefore you can assume that
most people you meet will still be doing it and you will rarely be wrong. However, those you
meet who are truly practicing self-awareness and self-responsibility have a higher chance of
expressing their first Karma Card in a positive fashion.
The second Karma Card comes to us like a gift from the past. We just naturally, and usually
unconsciously, tend to express that card on its highest side. It is something that we do easily in a
positive way, which is nice because it is always good to have something that we do well that also
tends to help others. And this is how the second Karma Card is usually expressed. It is generally
expressed in a balanced and helpful way for the benefit of others.
Knowing just what you have read so far, you could easily do a pretty interesting reading for
anyone you meet just by explaining the meaning of their Karma Cards. I have done this many
times and it is quite amazing how it pegs people and some of their deepest issues. So lets explore
some of the particular Karma Cards to see how they show up in real life.
Every number and suit combined together represents something that can be expressed either
positively or negatively. Actually it is a matter of vibration. When I say positive what I am
actually saying is that it is being expressed in a higher manner, or more from a place of love as
opposed to fear. Negative is simply an expression from fear. Fear is an illusion and so negative
expressions are also illusions. As such, they produce confusing results, and a tendency to
perpetuate the negative condition.
Take the number Three for example. Positively it is creativity, an active process of getting
new idea upon new idea, always adding to what is there and giving the end result a new wrinkle.
It is also self-expression, the desire to share what and who we are with the world. Negatively the
Three is worry, indecision, uncertainty and an unending list of questions. Will there be enough?
Must I choose or can I have both at the same time? Am I safe? What shall I do next? Now, who
are the cards that have a negative Three influence? These are the ones that have a Three as a first
Karma Card, the Q♣, Q♦, J♦ and K♦. These cards will express the negative side of their Karma
Card until they realize the tendency and bring conscious awareness to that department of their
lives. On the flip side we have the A♥, 5♦, 6♦ and 6♥ who get the positive side of their Three
Karma Card. These people may not seem to have any reason to be creative in a positive way, but
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they are. And they can be just as successful as artists, inventors and authors as any Three Birth
Card person since this is their gift.
The Aces are an interesting lot. That is true mostly because one of them is the A♠, which
has such an important distinction. Being the primary death card, this creates the fear that we find
in 2♣ people. For them, the A♠ is their first Karma Card. It is an underlying fear of death,
transformation, being alone, or the unknown that is responsible for some of the psychotic
behavior associated with 2♣ people. Honestly I do not meet that many 2♣ who have such
extreme behavior. But the fear seems to be present in all to one degree or the other. The 7♥ has
the A♠ as a second Karma Card. For them, transformation comes easily. The Aces are primarily
concerned with self. Since the 3♥ person has the A♥ as a first Karma Card, their weakness is
self-love, or finding a sense of safety within themselves. The A♥ in turn, has the A♦ as its first
Karma Card. They must find their own value or worth if they are to find contentment and will
seek it outwardly through material accomplishment until they realize that it is not found there.
Having a two as a first Karma Card usually means the individual needs to learn the value of
cooperation and partnership in order to find success and balance. The cards that have these
include the K♥ (2♣), K♣ (2♠) and A♦ (2♦). In one way or the other these three cards need to
learn to work with others to find their highest success. For the A♦ it is sort of obvious since
Aces tend to be loners. The K♥ has more to learn about mental cooperation as well as avoiding
some of the argumentative and fear based thinking of the 2♣. The K♣ is learning how to be
successful in working partnerships or shared living situations.
A four as a first Karma Card indicates a need to pay attention to practical matters and
matters of security and stability. In some cases, the emphasis must be adjusted the other
direction. The 10♠, 6♥, 5♥ and 4♥ each have fours as their first Karma Card. Among them, the
5♥ is the one that really must develop an appreciation for stability and security, especially with
regards to money as their first Karma Card is the 4♦. The 10♠ must realize the value of family
and marriage (4♥) as opposed their work. The 6♥ must learn the importance of routine and
organization (4♣) while the 4♥ is one might be overemphasizing the security thing. For them I
believe the challenge is to let go of some of their security stuff instead of developing it.
Fives mean expansion from the stability of the four. The cards that have a Five as their first
Karma Card must learn to keep exploring new avenues and realms lest their life become routine
and dead. Two of the cards that have fives as first Karma Cards are fours, the 4♣ and 4♦. For
them, it is obvious that they need to keep moving away from structure to some degree and be
willing to take some risks in order to be in balance. The 5♣ is already so freedom loving, you
would think that they are the ones least needing a five as a first Karma Card. But in fact they
have the 5♥. But sometimes these Karma Cards are there for us to look at from the opposite
point of view. I believe for the 5♣ this is true as I think their 5♥ first Karma Card tells them that
they need to look at such an overpowering need for freedom that it often precludes any
significant relationships in their life. In their case, their restlessness emotionally (5♥) is the
weakness itself. The 3♣ has the 5♦ as its first Karma Card. They have to deal with a constant
state of dissatisfaction and fears of not having enough money as a result.
Six is a number of responsibility. Positively expressed it is person who considers their
actions and their effects upon others. When they see that they have caused harm or
inconvenience to others, they will step forward, admit the fault and do whatever they must to
make amends. It will be natural for them to be responsible in their given area, determined by
their suit. This group includes the 4♣, 9♣, 8♠ and 9♠. Interesting, isn’t it? All of these cards
have a Six second Karma Card. How about those who have a weak sense of responsibility? Who
are the cards that have to work on this issue to get it right? That would be the 3♦, 2♦, 3♠ and
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2♠. Another interesting group, don’t you think? Especially when you notice how we have two
Twos and Two Threes of only two suits. Now, another manifestation of a negative responsibility
issue would be to make too big a deal of it. For example I know a 2♠ guy who is actually too
responsible at work, so much so that his health suffers from it. But he also has trouble being on
time for things.
Sevens are the numbers of spiritual freedom, or freedom from earthly attachments. Those
having a seven as a first Karma Card must learn this lesson until they get it right. They include
the A♠ (7♥), J♠ (7♣) and 8♥ (7♠). These cards all need to learn faith as their first Karma Card
tends to represent an inner fear that drives them to unwanted behavior patterns. The suit of the
seven will tell you what area those fears are about.
A similar situation exists for those with a nine as their first Karma Card. The nine in this
context usually means having to learn how to let go. Here we have the 6♦ (9♣), 5♦ (9♦) and 6♠
(9♠). Interesting that two of them have Karma Cards in the same suit as the Birth Card. There
will be disappointments in the lives of each of these cards according to the suit of their nine first
Karma Card until they learn to let go of whatever it is they are holding on to. I would imagine
that among these, the 6♠ has the hardest row to hoe as the 9♠ is such a strong card.
All the cards that have an Eight or a Queen or King as their first Karma Card will have a
strong possibility of arrogance or being too strong with others. They can be too powerful,
dominating, or in rare cases, cannot find their own power. Think about it. This includes the
following cards: 6♣, 7♠, 8♠, 9♠, 7♥, 7♣, 8♦, 9♦, 10♦, and 9♣. Looking at this list, there are
two of these who are Eights, the 8♦ and 8♠. For them, there is a double-indicator. They are
already power cards and they also have a power, arrogance or domination issue from their first
Karma Card. But what about the cards that have one of these power cards as their second Karma
Card? This list includes the 7♠, K♣, Q♠, 3♥, 3♦, 10♦, 10♠, 2♣, 3♣, and 2♠. These cards are
naturally comfortable with leadership, responsibility and power. They are usually given power as
a natural course of life and tend to handle it well. Interesting that two of these cards are also on
the list of negative power Karma Cards, the 10♦ and 7♠. In fact, both the Karma Cards of the
7♠ are Eights, one positive and one negative. And both Karma Cards of the 10♦ are Queens, one
positive and one negatively expressed. In these cases, the power is expressed positively in one
area and negative in another.
There are two face cards that stand out as having peculiar characteristics when they are the
first Karma Card. They are the Queen and King of Hearts. Together these are the mother and
father cards in the deck respectively. The 9♠ has the K♥ as its first Karma Card. What this
usually manifests as is someone who is heavy handed in the home, someone who must have
everything go their way. Because it is a heart, this will be predominately in the home and with
regards to the children. Sometimes they just have lots of difficulty with children or with having
children. It is the same arrogance we have with the others listed before but focused mainly on the
home or in regards to how the children are raised, etc. The 9♣ has the Q♥ first Karma Card.
Besides being a ‘heavy’ parenting card, like the K♥, the Q♥ has the distinction of being the ‘Sex
Card.’ Thus, many 9♣ have sexual addictions. They also have some challenges around children,
just as the 9♠ does. For the most sexually and romantically active 9♣, children often show up as
a means to bring their lives back into balance.
People with tens as the first Karma Card need to learn to stop overdoing things or obsessing
in one area or another. These include the 5♠ (10♥), 4♠ (10♣), Q♠ (10♦) and Q♥ (10♠). Each
of these will tend to overdo things in their life according to the suit of their first Karma Card. For
example, the Q♥ will have workaholic tendencies while the 5♠ will be too involved in their
social life. All will need to find balance.
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Those with Jacks as first Karma Cards usually have to deal with the negative expression of
the Jack as a life lesson. This can include dishonesty but also includes an overemphasis on their
personal freedom. The cards in this group include the 10♣ (J♠), 10♥ (J♣) and J♣ (J♦). When
the Jack is a second Karma Card it gives an abundance of creativity. The fortunate cards that
have this are the 7♣, 3♠ and J♦. You can see why the 3♠ is called the Artist Card. Not only is
the 3♠ artist in itself but it has the J♦ as its second Karma Card.
That pretty much sums up the Karma Cards but one last thing I would like to mention is that
many cards have their first or second Karma Card in their Life Spread. Here are some of them.
Card
K♣
3♣
Q♦
A♠
J♠
9♠
6♥
5♦
6♦
Karma
Card
2♠
5♦
9♦
7♥
7♣
K♥
4♣
9♦
3♠
1st or
2nd ?
1st
1st
2nd
1st
1st
1st
1st
1st
2nd
Position in Life
Spread
Jupiter
Jupiter
Cosmic Reward
Mercury
Vertical Saturn
Venus
Mercury
Mars
Cosmic Lesson
When this occurs, the Karma Card is emphasized in their charts and it definitely adds more
meaning to it. For example, the K♣ has the 2♠ as its first Karma Card. They must learn
partnership and how to make compromises in working relationships. The fact that this is also
their Jupiter card in their Life Spread means that they will also benefit tremendously from those
partnerships.
If you have followed the gist of this article you should now be well-equipped to interpret
both your own Karma Cards as well as those of others. They offer insight into some of our most
important life lessons and blessings.
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The Earthquake Card
On Sunday, December 26th 2004 at 7:58:53 AM local time, a 9.0 magnitude earthquake
struck off the coast of Indonesia 18.6 miles deep in the ocean. Hitting mostly rural areas with
little or no advanced communications, the residents had no warning of the tsunamis that were
approaching. Several large waves hit in succession, preceded by a recession of the water on the
coastline. Many people, seeing the water recede, ran out to explore the beach, not knowing that a
large tidal wave was approaching. The death toll has topped 100,000 people to date and is likely
to double before the final count is in. The hardest hit were Indonesia and Sri Lanka though the
entire area was affected. Most of the deaths were caused by the debris hitting people in the water.
Entire families were wiped out. Entire businesses and ways of making a living are gone.
Thailand, for example, completely lost its tourism industry, the largest part which was people
visiting their beautiful islands, which are now littered with dead bodies and debris. In a nutshell,
lives and ways of life have been changed forever in some areas.
This earthquake occurred on a double-Five day, a 5♥ with a 5♦ Planetary Ruling Card.
What is astonishing is that a similar earthquake hit last year on the same day, one that killed
31,000 people in the area of Iran. Another hit that day out in the ocean with no reported fatalities.
When I think about Fives I don’t usually think earthquakes or tidal waves. But I do think about
the earth’s crust and double Five like this could mean a dramatic shift. I also can relate the 5♥ to
water since I associate Hearts with that element. When I did research a few years back on the
space shuttle astronauts that died, I noticed that the greater percentage of them had Fives in
prominent positions. Several had the 5♠. Since that time I have been paying more attention to
Fives as symbols for the transition we make from this life to the next. From that point of view it
is not surprising that a double Five day could have such an impact. Besides the obvious loss of
life, when we look at what occurred we can see that there was a tremendous change. It is
speculated that this event may even change the leadership of certain countries. It ultimately may
affect us all.
I know someone born on December 26th. Actually I have met several. But this one stands out
because her life is what I would call a classic, or extreme, example. Her particular life seems to
be like a series of ongoing earthquakes – basically from one upheaval to the next. I have known
her for over five years and the only thing consistent in her life is the ongoing disasters and
upheavals that are the fabric of her life. Perhaps you know someone born on this birthday. I
would like to meet more of them to see how much this pattern is reflected in their lives.
One thing is for certain – we should pay more attention to these fives when they show up in our
spreads. They may warn us of impending changes that are more dramatic than we would usually
imagine. I would say especially a 5♠. This is interesting because that is the card I displace after
my next birthday. I am fastening my seat belt as I speak!
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Good Judgment
Our minds are wonderful and complex things. They are like powerful computers that make
fine distinctions about everything in our life. One amazing ability we possess through our minds
is that of making judgments. To make a judgment about something is to distinguish it and
categorize it. This ability allows us to distinguish something and its relationship to us. It is very
useful and necessary. To distinguish between what is good for us and what is not, what is healthy
and what is not, and to put everything in our life into an appropriate category is all the function
of using judgment. Each decision in our life is based upon some judgment we make. Each choice
we make utilizes our ability to judge and make distinctions. When you realize for a moment that
our entire life is nothing but a series of choices, you start to understand the power and
importance of our ability to judge and discern. But the power of judgment can be corrupted
through not acknowledging and being aware of our feelings. This article is about maximizing our
power of judgment so that our judgments help us, not hinder.
I learned to fly airplanes about five years ago. Successfully flying an airplane requires
constant use of judgment. Weather is a big factor. So, if I were to go out to fly one day, the first
judgment I must make is about whether or not it is safe to fly with the current and upcoming
weather. I would also check in on my own condition, physical and emotional, to make sure I was
fit to fly safely. I would then inspect my aircraft and make a decision as to whether or not it was
fit to fly safely. In planning the intended flight I would make decisions as to where to go first,
what flight path to follow, whether or not I would need to have radio contact, and a host of other
factors. All of this is considered before stepping into the cockpit. While taxiing and taking off,
my judgment ability is used constantly as I make small corrections in apply the throttle, flaps,
ailerons, and rudder. But the most important judgments were made before I even took off. An
old saying among pilots is that all accidents, and deaths, are caused by bad judgment. Assessing
the situation from beginning to end is the most important thing a pilot does. And it often will
make the difference between life or death. One famous example was that of John F. Kennedy Jr.
who made a bad judgment call to fly that fateful night. The conditions that night far exceeded his
ability or experience and it cost him his life.
Likewise, all the important decisions in our life are arrived at through our process of
judgment. All the little ones too, for that matter. But think, for a moment, about how important
your ability to make good judgments is. In many ways, it is the difference between your
happiness and unhappiness, and sometimes between life and death. Knowing this, it may be
helpful to understand how your process of judgment works and how to make sure it is operating
towards your good all the time.
Bad Information Equals Bad Judgment
This powerful facility that we have, the power of judgment, is one of the mind. The mind is
more like a big computer than most people realize. Making good judgments and good
assessments requires several important elements as a result. First of all, the mind must have good
information upon which to make its judgments. If the information coming in is faulty it will
result in a determination that is also faulty. The old saying in the computer industry is ‘garbage
in, garbage out.’ Programmers know more than anyone that what goes in must be correct and
accurate. As human beings we are not so careful. We allow a lot of information to go into our
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minds that is inaccurate. We seldom stop to verify its accuracy or authenticity. For example, you
might hear a rumor about someone from one of your friends. Rumors are usually very inaccurate
by their very nature. Each person who hears it, translates it into what they think it means and
then relays this new version to the next person. By the time a rumor has been to four people it is
likely to be completely off the mark. But we usually assume that rumors are accurate and rarely
test the authenticity.
Another area where we just ‘take-in’ information without judging its validity or accuracy is
through books, publications and public speakers. If we read a book, we just assume that the
author must know what he or she is talking about. Somewhere in the back of our minds there is
this rationale that says, ‘It takes a lot to get published. Only those whose information has passed
rigorous testing ever get into print. Therefore, it is safe to assume that a book in print is good
information.’ However, this is very far from the truth. Many books are published that are full of
personal prejudice, inaccurate innuendo and information, and flat-out false statements. We tend
to just take it in. The same happens when reading magazines, newspapers and hearing people
speak in public. What this results in is a lot of confusion in our minds as we hear conflicting
stories from different sources. Plus, if we have only been exposed to one line of thought on a
subject and took that to be the truth, it could have been inaccurate. As humans in today’s society,
we need to be more careful about testing information that is given to us. After all, we are making
important decisions for our lives with it. All rumors should be ignored until proven. How many
people’s lives have been ruined over rumors? Always question the source of the information
offered to you. Does the person offering it have a personal motive? Usually, the answer is yes.
Judgments or Judgmental?
The other extremely important aspect of making judgments is that our minds need to be free
of emotion. If we are emotionally upset, all of our mental facilities are impaired. But our
judgment facility is particularly impaired. A common example is when someone in our life has
hurt us or made us angry. When this happens, the judgment quality of our mind becomes
‘judgmental.’ Now, our wonderful mind is putting labels on this other person. We call them
names and say bad things about them. We label them as bad in many ways. We put them into the
‘bad’ category. What we don’t see is how, in that situation, we have made judgments from a
negative emotional state. We are upset. This upset-ness is fueling all the negativity that we are
now directing onto the person. All the judgments we make under such a state of mind are false.
Period. Being judgmental is an inaccuracy by its very definition.
This process of being judgmental is a defense mechanism. Inside we are simply hurt or
afraid. The mind is frantically trying to help us feel better so it comes up with negative
judgments. It is also doing this in order to maintain domination of your awareness. If you were to
feel the feelings behind the judgments, the mind and its judgments would not be necessary. As a
rule, the mind does not want to relinquish its monopoly on your awareness. But, behind all
judgmental states of mind lie hurt feelings and raw emotion. The mind goes crazy trying to find a
solution. But everything it comes up with, and the decisions that follow, are false. And the
choices made under such a state of mind will only lead to more confusion, anger, hatred, fear,
jealousy, etc.
Some people have direct links between their minds and emotions. As an astrologer, I see this
frequently. For these people it is even more of a factor. But all of us need to be aware. The sad
truth is that in today’s society most of us are disconnected from our feeling side. Most people are
not even aware they are upset. For this reason, the world today is full of people fighting with
each other, throwing out judgments left and right, and perpetuating their sense of aloneness in
the world. Each day you and I are faced with such situations. Just remember that our life
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depends on our good choices. Be willing to check into your feelings before making important
decisions in your life. Sometimes the real need is just to explore the feelings that lie beneath all
the critical judgments and the choices that come from them.
If you take the time to explore your feelings when an urge to make judgments about
someone comes over you, you will eventually get to the source of the need, which is always a
feeling that we do not want to feel. Allowing ourselves to feel that feeling will bring truth into
the situation. And as a result, our judgments will not be polluted by the emotional forces that
cause problems. This is a powerful technique for having a continued state of improvement in our
lives. Less and less we will make decisions based upon false judgments and more and more our
choices will lead us to light, love and more of everything we dream of.
The Highest Path and the Ace of Spades
There is a divine intention behind the creation of the deck of cards.
That intention is purely spiritual in nature. Though the cards can be
used for mundane matters quite effectively, their real intention is to
help each of us evolve in matters of self-understanding and self-love.
Their true intention is personal transformation. For many others, and
me the cards have become our ally in the path to enlightenment. I feel
that I must define some of these words, just to clarify. Spiritual means ‘of the spirit.’ The spirit is
that energy within us that lies at the core of our being. It is the part that continues on when our
physical body completes its earthly cycle. That spirit is directly linked to the creator of all, by
whatever name you may call it. And to be spiritual means to be turned inwards towards that
divine source where we are all one. Naturally then, to be spiritual means to be turning our
attention away from things of the world. One cannot be focused on both at the same time. This
means to cease trying to change the external circumstances in which we find ourselves and
instead explore the causes that may have gotten us there. It means to be ‘of the spirit; as opposed
to ‘of the world’ and it means to be at the source of things in our life rather than at its effect.
Using the cards in their highest intended way is to use them to identify our personal and
other issues. The cards can reflect who we are being in this lifetime. They can help us see who
we are and help us recognize the patterns of expression that we are generally bound by due to our
karma from past lives. Each card represents a package of particular traits, some good and others
negative. Each card has a high and low expression. Each card has a beautiful expression of when
that card is being expressed from love and unlimited abundance and each card has a negative
expression that would be fear-based or based in a sense of lack. There is no good card or bad
card in the deck. Any card can be expressed on any number of levels of being. By studying our
cards and here I mean not only our Birth Card and Planetary Ruling Card but also the cards in
our spreads and how we interact and behave under their influences, we come to know ourselves.
We come to see in what areas we tend to express our cards positively and negatively. It doesn’t
take too long for each of us to realize that we have areas of strength and areas of weakness. The
cards help us identify these very specifically. That alone is priceless. The cards can do what
years of therapy might never accomplish.
You may feel bound by your cards to some degree. You may feel encumbered by them. You
may, as many people often do, feel powerless in the face of the cards that govern your life. This
is a step that most of us go through when we realize just how accurate they are. But it is only a
stage and it must be transcended at some point. The cards were never intended to make you a
victim. People who tend to see the causes of their problems as things outside themselves will do
the same with the cards. But continued use and study will eventually help them come to the next
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stage, where they see the cards merely as reflections of their choices. Once they see that it is their
choices that define the positive or negative expression of their cards, they can rise up to whatever
level they desire, simply by making different choices. This is another powerful spiritual aspect to
this amazing system handed down to us by the Magi of old.
To sum it all up, the cards by their very nature, are meant to bring us to a place of more selfrealization. When I use the word self, it is very intentional here. The cards will lead each of us to
the place where we discover that we are the source of both the positive and negative in our life.
To make the transformation from blame (making the source external) to ownership and
empowerment is what they are all about.
The one card in the deck that has always been the symbol of the ancient mysteries and
teachings is the Ace of Spades. And this is the card that is also the symbol for the entire science
of the cards. It has been regarded as a symbol of death and of secrets. It is the only ace in the
deck that is always distinguished by being larger and more prominent than the others. It is the
symbol for the Order of the Magi and for all the esoteric sciences and knowledge. And in our
work with the cards it is the symbol for transformation, death and rebirth.
This symbol holds much meaning for each of us, which we will explore here. First of all this card
is an Ace, so it stands alone. This tells us that the process of transformation is a lonely one and
one that we must do by ourselves. As one of my favorite songs by Sting goes:
“Men go crazy in congregations, they only get better one by one.”
The process of transformation is one that only we can do by ourselves. We may receive
support from others but ultimately the choice to do it is ours. It is also a choice to stop looking
outside for the answers and to go within. The Ace of Spades means secrets. When we are ready
to make a spiritual transformation, we must explore our secrets, those that lie within us. Our
attention is focused inwards now, not towards the external things in our life.
The Ace of Spades is an acorn. The acorn must pass through the death of winter in order to
be reborn in the spring. Much like a caterpillar who gives up all external activity to move into its
cocoon, the Acorn seems completely lifeless as it passes through the winter, the season of death.
But during this season of death, something is happening inside the acorn and the cocoon, secret
things, mysterious things. A transformation is taking place that is vital for the continuation of
life. Many seeds will not germinate unless they pass through the winter. So it is with each of us
that when we are ready to make an important transformation in our life, we must withdraw all
our attention from worldly matters and go within. We must pass through our own season of death
so that subtle but powerful processes may take place, so that we can transform. The caterpillar
goes from the ground-based existence they are born in to the limitless form of the butterfly,
which can soar to the heavens. Likewise the acorn eventually becomes a tall tree with limbs
reaching up to the heavens. This is what happens to us as well. In each transformation we make,
we leave behind limitations that have bound us.
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A Missing Card Link
This article is about a missing piece in the interpretation of the cards. It is not about THE
missing link, just an important link that has recently come to light. It has been there all the time,
but now can be distinguished out and used by all. This concept is more on the intermediate to
advanced level and will be very useful to all who are doing readings for themselves or
professionally. However, it should benefit students of all levels and even more as a student
progresses along in their understanding.
I want to preface this information by reminding all that the science of the cards is a mystical,
esoteric science. Its intent is to enlighten, not entertain. This science was designed for a higher
purpose, and that purpose is the removal of illusion and the attainment of the highest inner truth.
Enlightenment is an easy word to say but hard to live. It causes us to do the opposite of what the
society teaches us, things like facing pain instead of running away from it, welcoming challenges
instead of avoiding them and looking for answers within instead of trying to change others or our
external situation. So, keep this in mind as you read this article.
First of all, you must realize that each of us has a unique karmic set. Your karmic set is the
combined karma from your past that causes you to attract certain things and react to certain
situations in a pre-programmed way. There is also an external element to karma in that some
external situations will occur on behalf of your past actions. These events will be intimately
linked to your karmic way of reacting and perceiving the world. As you and I experience our
karma, we have repeated opportunities to become more aware. We become aware of our
misperceptions and aware of our pre-programmed ways of reacting to the world and events in
our lives.
The strength of your cards and planets
Your birthday identifies you as a certain Birth Card and Planetary Ruling Card and also a
specific natal astrological chart, which also requires your time and place of birth to be complete.
Hidden within your cards and natal chart are specific strengths and weaknesses. A thorough
study of your personal significators, your Life Spread, and your natal chart can tell you what
planets and cards in your Life Spread are most powerful and which are weakest. This
information is then very important in making an accurate interpretation of your Yearly Spread. I
will give a few examples to explain how this works.
I have noticed for a long time that my Mars period of the year is my most successful. This is
a little unusual since my Mars card in my Life Spread is the 3♠. One would first assume that my
Jupiter period would be the best since Jupiter is considered the most fortunate planet
astrologically speaking. However, in my natal chart, my Mars is well aspected and in a very
powerful position. I believe this explains my good fortune in my Mars period each year.
Because, in this case my Mars is so powerful, it helps any cards that appear in my Mars period
each year. It also helps my Mars day of the week. I noticed years back that I would win more
billiard tournaments on my Mars day of the week than any other day of the week. The Mars card
in my Life Spread is the 3♠, which is not a powerful card. But in my particular case, the
astrological power of my natal Mars seems to make the difference.
Jupiter in my natal chart is also well aspected and powerful. However, my Jupiter card in
my Life Spread is the 9♥. The 9♥ is good in Jupiter but not a powerful card to begin with.
Jupiter makes bad cards better but it doesn’t completely remove the lack of power in the card. A
9♥ is good at letting go, but it is not good at acquiring. Contrast that with an 8♣ who has the
10♦ in Jupiter, or the 6♣ who has the 8♦ in Jupiter. Those Birth Cards have much more
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fortunate Jupiter cards than mine. Thus, my Jupiter period each year and each week benefits
from my natal Jupiter being well placed and well aspected, but loses some from being a 9♥, at
least on the material level. Spiritually, of course, 9♥ in Jupiter is very good.
Someone like an 8♣ or 6♣ is very likely to have a good Jupiter period each year, unless
however, their natal Jupiter is poorly aspected, astrologically. That is somewhat unlikely though
since the astrology usually follows the cards and vice versa.
For those who do not know, powerful cards are generally the even-numbered cards in the
deck, the Two, Four, Six, Eight, Ten, and the face cards. Odd-numbered cards tend to be less
powerful or positive in expression. The Eight and King are the most powerful in the suit. From
this you should be able to look at your Life Spread and make a determination of which periods
have power and which do not. Next you can do an evaluation of your natal astrological chart.
Many of you will not have the knowledge to do this so you will probably have to consult an
astrologer. Specifically what you want to ask this astrologer is which of your planets are the most
powerfully placed and well aspected. That will help you determine how the astrology plays into
the picture. If you cannot do the astrology part just yet, do not worry. Just applying what I just
showed you with your cards will add some benefit to your readings.
Now, you can take this information and use it. First of all you will know which of your
periods you have the most power in each year and which do not. That alone will make a
difference. But here is a further expansion on this. Since you know which periods of yours are
most fortunate, look at the 13-year Life Spread periods and the 7-year periods in the same way. I
believe that to do a complete reading, one must consider all the influences present. And the
general rule is that the longer an influence, the more powerful it is. Thus, Life Spread and 13year period cards are the most influential at any given time, followed by 7-year cards, yearly
cards, and 52-day period cards.
Next year I will enter my 13-year period of Saturn, card-wise. My Life Spread Saturn card is
the 7♣. This is not such a good card, materially speaking. However, it does have an underlying
8♦, which is a great money card. It is interesting that my natal Saturn falls in my 2nd house of
money, conjunct Neptune and squared by Uranus. This is a good and bad situation, which I
expect will play itself out during the 13 years of Saturn in my life. I would interpret this as ‘much
money being made and some lost through enemies (Uranus in the 11th). When I turn 52, I will
have this new 13-year influence in effect as a background to whatever yearly spread I am
experiencing. It will be more powerful than any of the yearly spreads or 52-day cards I
experience. I will also have my 7-year cards to consider. As of this writing, at Age 51, I am in
my 8th 7-year period of life, which would mean that I am in a Mercury 7-year period. My
Mercury card in my Life Spread is the 5♥, not such a great card, but good for changes and travel.
But my natal Mercury is very well aspected and is the Lord of my chart, ruling my Virgo
Ascendant. For this reason, I consider Mercury to be at least a 7 out of 10 in my chart and life.
So my Mercury periods, both yearly and otherwise should be working at a 7 or better.
Some of this astrological jargon may be hard for you to understand. If so, just ignore it for
now. Someday you will likely develop more understanding of astrology and learn to make use of
this more. But I hope that this article gives you further fuel for making more accurate
interpretations of your yearly and other cards. Interpretation is the very heart of this system. With
it, you can do a lot with a little. Without good interpretation skills, you cannot do much, even
though you may understand the structure of this system perfectly.
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Do No Harm
There are many people who have learned the card system who are hurting others. Some are
doing it consciously but most are doing it unconsciously. They are using it to inflate their ego at
the expense of others or saying things that are hurtful or harmful. There are people out there that
think that they know more about the cards than anyone else and that they have been appointed
(but by whom we will never know) to be a leader in this system. Some have criticized my works
and even the works of the founder, Olney Richmond, in order to elevate their supposed status.
One guy even appointed himself as a Grand Master of the Order of the Magi. Others are just
using the cards to try to make money, such as predicting the stock market or when they will be
lucky in gambling. This is not what this system was intended for. The sad truth is that there is
absolutely nothing that I can do about it.
With every power comes an inherent responsibility. The knowledge you gain from using this
system gives you power. In order to operate at the highest level possible, you must be aware of
this power and the responsibility that goes along with it. It sometimes takes a while before we
become aware of either the power that we now possess or the responsibility that goes along with
it. We may have to hurt several people before we realize what we have done or are doing.
If you speak to someone and tell them one or two things about themselves that they find
accurate, they will, in that instant, drop their most of their skepticism and rational, critical
functions. From that point forward they will regard everything you say as being the truth.
Basically, the things you say to them after that will be taken into their subconscious as truth. If
you then tell them that something terrible is going to happen to them, they will take that as the
truth and become very upset with worry. Their worry may in turn help cause the terrible thing to
occur. Our minds are very powerful things. When open to suggestion, they can create most
anything and often instantly. You become responsible for what you tell them at this point and as
such I suggest that you think before you speak. Here are some points you may want to consider.
1. Are you qualified to be making predictions or doing readings in the first place? In my
opinion a person would have to use and study this information at least a year before they
would be well versed enough to do serious readings for others. But really, two years would
be better. Each of us needs time to have our own personal experiences to compare with the
cards so that we develop the necessary wisdom on how they manifest. Wisdom comes only
with experience. Knowledge is gained much easier and faster.
2. Do you have a personal need for ego gratification or to feel superior to others? Many do and
unfortunately they are unaware of it. So many people today have to make themselves
superior to their clients and associates so that they feel good about themselves. If this
information makes you feel superior to others, you have already lost the game. Period. Your
reading will not serve others because it is already intended to make you feel okay about
yourself.
3. Is the information you are giving them positive in nature? There is a saying that we should
never give someone bad news about something they can do nothing about. In other words, if
you see something very bad coming for someone and you kno that it cannot be averted, it
will not help them to tell them that. If it is something that they can do something about, then
by all means share it. I was told by the Magi that readings should always be positive in
nature. Being a Queen of Diamonds and predisposed to a Saturn-like view of life, I have to
be careful when I read for others. I feel impelled to show them their faults, not as criticism
but like a doctor who tells his patient what is really going on so that it can be cured. I always
offer positive solutions but sometimes I realize that a certain client is just not ready for that
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level of information and that it would do them more harm than good to mention it. More and
more, I spend time being aware of my client and deciding what information would truly be
helpful for them and which should be withheld until a later time. I want my reading to inspire
them to make positive changes in their life, not to depress them with negativity about
themselves. I have made this mistake many times in the past. But it happens less and less
because now I am aware of my responsibility.
4. Never predict someone’s death. This was relayed to me in my earliest years of training. It
was one of the first things that was impressed upon me. My first teacher, Arne Lein, even
told a story about how he was doing readings at a Hollywood party and someone came up to
him for a reading. He said to the man, “I am sorry, but I cannot read you.” The next day the
man died and Arne knew this when they met. But he would never tell him that. Just imagine
the harm any of us could to by telling someone they are going to die. We must also take care
in predicting the death of someone they know. Frequently a client will want to know if a
parent or spouse is going to pass on soon. In these cases, the parent or spouse is usually very
ill or old or both, and I can sense that my client has already accepted the event. In these
cases, I will discuss the possible timing of their death. However, if I sense in any way that
my client would be caused undue stress or worry about the death of the parent or spouse, I
politely change the subject.
Keeping these things in mind can help you do some good with the power you receive by learning
this amazing system.
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Planetary Gemology
The system of gemstones for your birth month, that is so common today, is one that was
created by jewelry manufacturers to sell more jewelry. There is nothing about this system, save
coincidence, that actually connects it to the astrology of your chart and the gems that would be
most appropriate for you to wear. In fact there is an extensive science of planetary gemology that
connects every planet and every sign with a gem and by understanding it you can choose gems
and jewelry that can actually benefit you in many ways. This system comes to us from ancient
India, the Vedic tradition. It is still very much alive and used today all over the world. If you
would like to know more about how to pick gems for your chart, then read on.
The Vedic system of astrology has been around so long that no one really knows when it
began. Ancient translated texts are supposedly hundreds of thousands of year old. Let’s just say
it is a very old science and a tradition that is still used today. It is an integral part of the culture in
India. Many of the holidays celebrated there are based purely on astronomical phenomena. For
example, the Puja or worship day, for the Goddess Laksmi (Goddess of Wealth) falls on a
different day each year, that day when the Moon is in the sign of Pisces and makes it’s closest
pass to the earth. A grand celebration is planned on that day, even though each year that day is a
different date. There are many other such holidays in India that are based on planetary
movements.
Likewise, hundreds of thousands of years ago, planets were ascribed to the various
gemstones, often associated by their appearance. For example, the gems for Mars and the sign of
Aries are orange-red in color such as red coral and certain garnets. The gem for the Moon and
the sign of Cancer is the pearl. These gems and their color, resemble the actual planets
themselves. Every gem possesses magic powers of one sort or the other. All the gems have some
magical powers. For example, it is written about rubies that “The potency of a high-quality ruby
is such that even an ignorant person living a sinful life and surrounded by deadly enemies is
saved by wearing such a gem. Anyone wearing such a naturally effulgent ruby would be freed
from diseases caused by any imbalance of the bodily functions.” There are two ancient texts that
expound on this science of planetary gemology, the Garuda Purana and the Graha-gocara
Jyautisha. For those wishing to read the actual original texts, these are the books to look for
though they are hard to find.
Before I go into some of the gems and their planetary equivalents, however, I need to point
out some important elements of this system. First of all Vedic astrology is quite different from
the western astrology that most of us are familiar with. Chances are you are a different sign in
that system. As a matter of fact there is a good chance that 70% or more of your planets fall in
different signs in that system. In order to use these gemological connections you will need to
have your Vedic chart done. There are many web sites online where you can get your Vedic
chart, along with some rudimentary explanation of it, for free. But you should also know a bit
about Vedic astrology as well before you go and start prescribing gems for yourself. There are
several web sites now that will actually do your chart and prescribe a gem or gems for you based
upon it. A search for ‘astrological gems’ should point you in their direction. http://www.p-ga.org is one such site but there are many.
Primarily the Vedic gemstone system uses the rising sign, called the Lagna, as the main
focal point. It is usually safe and recommended to wear gems that are compatible with your
Lagna. If you are Leo rising in the Vedic system, as I am, then rubies and golden sapphires are
both highly recommended as a general rule. However, in Vedic astrology, certain planets are
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friendly with each other while others are enemies with each other. It takes some knowledge of
this astrology to make good recommendations for a person’s chart but usually a gem for your
Lagna is a safe bet.
Oftentimes people in India, and abroad, will wear gems as ‘remedies’ to bad planetary
aspects in their natal charts. For example if you had a Moon that was ill disposed in your natal
chart, wearing a pearl would be a recommendation for correctly that. By wearing the gem, we are
literally offering obeisance to the planet it represents, sort of a prayer to help us, not hinder us.
The actual installation of the gem onto your person should be done on the right day, at the right
time and a certain mantra should be repeated so many times to make the installation complete
and proper. For example, I wore a golden sapphire ring for about 15 years. When I installed it, it
was on a Thursday (the day of the week for Jupiter), one hour before sunset and I repeated the
appropriate mantra nineteen times (Aum brim brihaspataye namah). Another factor is that the
piece of jewelry in which the gem is installed should allow either physical contact or a clear
opening between the gem and your skin. So, if the gem were installed in a ring, for example,
there should be an opening so that the rays of the gem, or the light passing through it, should
contact the finger.
One very important consideration is the quality of the gem you wear. In the ancient texts, it
was stressed many times never to wear a gem of inferior quality. Wearing a gem of inferior
quality produces just the opposite of the good effect, and sometimes other negative effects, for
that gem. A gem of poor quality would have occlusions and inclusions, specks inside, color
banding, be dull, have a sandy appearance, have cracks, etc. If you are going to invest the time to
find the perfect gem or gems for you, also invest in a flawless gem. You will not find flawless
gems in your neighborhood jewelry store or at the mall. They are the most expensive of all.
Some gems of a flawless quality are too expensive for the average person. A flawless emerald,
for example, is extremely rare as most emerald material is highly flawed before it is cut. There
are substitutes for some gems that can be used that are a lot less expensive and give the same
result. Instead of an emerald, for example, you can use a green sapphire or a tsavorite garnet.
Many of the web sites mentioned earlier will present you with alternatives to the gems you may
be selecting that are more affordable.
One last thing to mention is about diamonds. First of all, we must realize that most
diamonds worn today are of an inferior quality. According to the texts, just having an inferior
diamond in your home will be a source of misfortune. The more inferior the diamond, the more
misfortune to expect. Secondly, and this is going to possibly upset some ladies, it was written
that diamonds should never be worn by females. Diamonds, they say, have a mystical potency
that causes women to become unhappy. There, I have said it, now you can do with it what you
will.
Having said all that, here is a list of the more prominent gemstones and their mystical
qualities.
Ruby – planet is the Sun and sign is Leo
Day of week is Sunday
Effects: strengthens the heart and blood circulation. Makes one bold and courageous. Removes
sadness and sensuality.
Sanskrit names: Padmaraga, ravi-ratna, shona-ratna
Pearl – planet is Moon and sign is Cancer
Day of week is Monday (Moon day)
Effects: stengthens the mental faculties. Calms emotions and increases peace of mind.
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“A large, round, white pearl with effulgent luster and with a clean, even hole drilled through its
center, which charms even a person not interested in pearls, should be considered as possessed of
a rare, good quality. The owner of such a pearl will never suffer any form of ill fortune.”
Sanskrit names: Jiva-ratna, mukta, sasi-ratna
Note: You may not be aware of it but pearls come from many sources. There are pearls that
come from bamboo stems, snake heads, elephant heads, fish heads, conch shells, wild boar heads
and clouds. Cloud pearls are so rare that they are considered more priceless than the entire earth.
I don’t believe one actually exists on the earth at this time.
Yellow Sapphire – planet is Jupiter, sign is Sagittarius
Day of the Week is Thursday
Effects: promotes general well being and spirituality. Especially helpful for pregnancy and
childbirth, and marriage. Prevent jaundice and liver diseases.
Sanskrit names: Guru-ratna, pusparaga, pita-mani, puspa-raja
Hessonite Garnet – planet is Rahu, sign is Aquarius (Rahu is Vedic for the North Node)
Day of the week is Saturday
Effects: Helps avert disaster, insanity, poision, and evil spirits. Gives genius in sciences.
Improves dealing with low-class people and protects from sudden misfortunes.
“A pure Hessonite sparkling with internal fire and set in gold is the ultimate talisment, capable of
increasing the life span, the progeny, and the happiness of its owner. It can also remove evil
thoughts and motives from the owner’s mind And man or woman possessing such a praiseworthy Hessonite, even if only for ornamental purposes, would surely become wealthy and
famous in this lifetime.”
Sanskrit names: rahu-ratna, gomeda, tamo-mani
Emerald – planet is Mercury, sign is Virgo and Gemini
Day of week is Wednesday
Effects: Improves psychic powers, sharpens intellect, intuition and memory. Improves learning
ability, communication and clairvoyance. Good for general health, but especially the nervous
system. A remedy for snake bite as well.
Sanskrit names: marakata, budha-ratna, garuna
Diamond – planets is Venus and sign is Taurus and Libra
Day of week is Friday
Effects: increases purity and fearlessness. Gives artistic abilities and worldly happiness.
Strengthens bones and is good for sexual disease and disfunctions.
“A king wearing a diamond that flashes rays of light like bolts of lightning will surely be able to
conquer other rulers and gain sovereignty over their wealth and followers.”
Sanskrit names: Hiraka, vajra, bhargava-priya
Cat’s Eye Crysoberyl – planet is Ketu, sign is Pisces (Ketu is the Moon’s South Node)
Day of the week is Thursday
Effects: similar to Hessonite, protects from unwanted psychic intrusion, hidden enemies,
mysterious and hidden dangers, drowning and drug problems. Brings misfortune to gamblers.
Sanskrit names: sutra-mani, ketu-ratna, vaidurya
Blue Sapphire – planet is Saturn, sign is Capricorn
Day of the week is Saturday
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Effects: Counteracts enviousness from others and keeps away the evil eye. Protects from travel
dangers and mental unrest. Alleviates long-term misfortune.
“The most rare and valuable of all blue sapphires is the maha-nila, which, when immersed in 100
times its own weight in milk, can tinge the milk blue.”
Sanskrit names: sani-ratna, nila-mani, nilam
Coral – planet is Mars and sign is Aries and Scorpio
Day of the week is Tuesday
Effects: Removes obstacles and averts warfare. Assists in money making and financial matters.
Purifies the blood and cures boils.
Sanskrit names: Bhauma-ratna, munga, vidruma
Note: Much of the information for this article was obtained from the book, Handbook of
Planetary Gemology by Richard S. Brown.
A Card is a Card
Recently I wrote an article about choosing a personal relationship based upon the cards. And
in the beginning I emphasized the importance of knowing yourself and who you were
considering as a partner. The more I look at this the more that I see that this is actually even
more important than I realized then. The things that we learn about people through the cards are
really true. The person you meet may be young. It is common that younger people do not know
themselves yet. But the qualities of their cards will come out over time and end up being the
story of their life. For example when I first got married at the age of 29, I didn't have any idea
about my card and what sort of relationship karma I possessed. After three failed marriages and
an in-depth education in the cards and astrology I am aware of my shortcomings and tendencies.
There are many mistakes I will not make now, but that is only because I am now aware of
myself, not because my basic nature has changed.
A friend of mine has a daughter who was married recently. She is a J♥ and her husband is a
3♣. Besides the fact that he is a Saturn card to her, he is also an extremely unmarriageable
birthday. I can tell that he doesn't have any awareness of this. He got married, as I did the first
time, thinking it would last forever and that he would live happily ever after. But two years into
the marriage, it is showing severe signs of deterioration. He is going on mini-vacations with his
buddies while his wife stays home with their new baby. Rumors are already circulating that he
has cheated on her. So, a card is a card.
Expecting someone to be other than their card may be foolishness. Of course, when we first
meet someone our desire to have a happy relationship overpowers our objectivity. If we find
someone that we are attracted to and seems at least somewhat good for us, we usually will ignore
anything that points in the opposite direction. We just want some relationship to work, dang it!
But eventually the person's card will come through and will need to be dealt with. In many cases,
that card of theirs will make the relationship impossible, if not miserable for both people.
Our own card is highly questionable. All cards have bad traits. Even the most marriageable
cards can be controlling, arrogant or fearful to the extreme. Your Birth Card and Planetary
Ruling Card both have a high side and a low side. They also have traits that some will like and
some will dislike. Any of us may be considered to be 'not so good a catch' for some people out
there. The aspects between your card and someone else’s, the connections as they are called in
the Love Cards book, will tell the story of you two together. Hopefully the stressful connections
you share are not so painful that it is impossible for the two of you to be happy. And hopefully
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you do not have some aspect to your card that makes it nearly impossible to be with you or
impossible for you to be with someone else.
My own card, the Q♦, has many problems. Besides having uncertainty about the entire
notion of love and marriage, we can be very critical of others and negative at times. We have
strong egos that need constant attention. I laugh as I write this but be warned. And we can be
very powerful and absolute in our decisions. All the Queens, Kings and Jacks can be like that.
I recently became even more aware of just how many people who are Sixes, and this
includes birth and ruling card Sixes, have an anger issue that is nearly insurmountable. Don't get
me wrong, there are many Sixes that do not have this. But there are a lot of them that do. They
are just looking for someone to fight with, whether or not they are aware of it or not. Usually
they are not aware of it at all. They are just fighting and blaming as they go. Will they ever get
it? Some may. Most will not. Its good to know this in the event you meet one.
I met a woman recently who was married to a Leo 8♣ . This man physically abused his son
so bad that his son has brain damage. He was sent to prison for abuse but got out in 13 months on
good behavior. Now, he is back and threatening her. This is the extreme downside of any eight.
Eights gone to the bad can stop at nothing to get what they want. And the 8♣, such as Charles
Manson and this man, will get an idea in their head and not even hesitate to maim or kill others
to fulfill it. It is good to know this. Not that many 8♣ will act in this way. But the potential is
there.
What if the cards that are the most compatible with you are all unmarriageable? Hahaha.
That is funny but it is also true for some people. One of my Moon cards is the Jack of Diamonds.
No help there! Another is the Ace of Diamonds. They are marriageble, sometimes, and under
certain conditions. This is the part of the grand cosmic joke that is life. We have to understand
the nature of all the cards and look at them realistically.
When you meet someone, see if you can explore both the positive and negative potential of
their card. Don't be afraid to imagine just how bad it could be under certain conditions. Chances
are those conditions will occur someday. Each of us will do things we would normally never do
if we are under great strain and pressure. The question is, how bad can it get or how bad can you
get? No one will tell you about their dark side, especially not in the dating phase. Heck, I have
read about and heard about people that were married for 4 or 5 years before the dark side
emerged. The cards can help you know that the potential is there. That is a benefit.
The same must be observed with the connections you have with another. You meet someone
you like and you see Saturn and Mars connections but you think, 'I don't see those in our
relationship.' And you think they are not there. Actually I think those sorts of connections will
show themselves right away. Even so, you could fantasize that they will not affect your
relationship that much. I bet they will. The ones to watch out for are Mars, Saturn and Pluto.
Mars is the least troublesome of these unless there are 3 or more Mars connections out of the first
8. Then, you may want to consider running, not walking, the other way. Strong Saturn and Pluto
connections can cause behaviors that are deal-breakers in your relationship. In other words, the
stuff that comes up is just too intense to allow the good connections to make up for. In this
regard, these connections in the Life Spread will always be more detrimental than in the Spiritual
Spread.
All of this can take a lot of the romance out of starting a relationship. You could just not
look at all and follow your heart. Great lessons can be learned that way. I have done that. I can't
say now that I regret what I did. It was very hard but I did learn a great deal about myself.
Ultimately I believe it is possible to get to a place within ourselves where we could co-exist with
anyone, any birthday, in spite of their cards, our cards and our connections to them. This is a
spiritual ideal. Perhaps no one will ever actually reach that place. But through the development
of self-love I can certain increase my capacity to be in uncomfortable situations and not go into
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blame and anger. And I can become non-reactive instead of over-reactive. I have already seen a
lot of progress in my own life so the possibility exists. But until that time I still refer to the cards
and I know now, more than ever before, that a card is a card.
Astrological Myths
People with a casual knowledge of astrology, and even people who are practicing
astrologers, carry many myths about astrology that just don't hold up in real life. Since I
complain about these on a regular basis I thought I would just go through them one by one and
clear up some of the prevailing lack of insight that accompanies these concepts. The underlying
problem is that many practicing astrologers are more conceptual in their understanding of
astrology and do not have real life experiences with which to test their theories. The trouble is,
some of these people write books and people who read them believe that what they say is true,
simply because they got published. These myths spread themselves around as these astrologers
share their so-called wisdom with their friends and clients, who in turn share these precious bits
of wisdom with their friends. So, these myths get circulated and soon enough become part of the
collective misunderstanding of life that is part of the illusion we live under. Some of these myths
actually scare a lot of people and have folks afraid to do things on certain days and make people
more worried about the planets than they need to be. Are your planets scaring you? If so, let's see
if we can separate some of these out and get rid of them once and for all!
Horoscopes
Let's start with the daily and monthly horoscopes that you read in magazines and
newspapers. There are also weekly ones that fall under these categories. Since anyone writing
such a column lumps everyone of a certain sun sign together, not knowing the date, time or place
of birth, they are forced to use a technique called the solar chart, which creates a chart with a 0 or
15 degree sun sign on the ascendant from which transits can be calculated and predictions made.
Needless to say, the solar chart is rarely, if ever, accurate. If you read something in one of these
articles that hits home, believe me, it is purely by accident. You were born on a specific day, in a
specific month and year. Without knowing at least your day, month and year, it is impossible to
make any sort of accurate prediction for you that would be as specific as affecting a given month,
week or day of your life.
Mercury Retrogrades
It seems that more and more people are aware of when Mercury goes retrograde, which is
does quite frequently. And more and more people are concerned about it. They will avoid doing
anything on Mercury retrograde times, which often span weeks and weeks at a time. They
essentially put their life on hold until Mercury goes direct. The truth is that Mercury retrogrades
do have an effect and sometimes it is quite pronounced. However, Mercury retrogrades do not
affect everyone and you would need at least an intermediate level understanding of astrology to
know whether or not it would affect you, and how much. For a Mercury retrograde to affect you
adversely, that transiting Mercury planet would have to make an adverse aspect to some planet in
your natal chart. Then and only then will you experience some of the horrors of a retrograde
Mercury.
I used to completely ignore Mercury retrogrades, which is actually what I recommend to
everyone. Just forget about them. The greater percentage of them will not affect you at all. If you
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really want to know which ones will, have some astrologer tell you if you will get a stressful
Mercury transit while it is retrograde. In the last ten years I have only have two Mercury
retrogrades that affected me powerfully in a negative way. Two in ten years! So, I am not going
to pay attention to them, which I never had anyway. And who needs one more thing to be afraid
of anyway?
Void of Course (VC) Moons
Here is another one, slightly more esoteric and so, if you tell others about it, you can be thought
of as being really hip. And this one stumps most astrologers. So many astrologers out there are
just mental and don't get the truth behind things, not to mention they believe everything they read
that is in print. And from my personal experience, most astrological books out there are pretty
useless, if not misleading. I will talk about one or two of them later. But the void of course moon
is another highly misunderstood area in astrology. This occurs when the moon has reached a
point in the current sign that it is in, when it will not make any other aspects to the other planets
before entering the next sign. That is the technical definition. They say it is void course or void
of course because it will not make any aspects before hitting the next sign. The moon moves very
fast, going from one sign to the next in 2 1/2 days. So, it will pretty much be void of course every
couple of days. And what do they say about it? They say that "anything began on a void of
course moon will come to nothing." Don't ask me who said this but I will never forget the words.
In other words any new business, relationship, project, etc. will basically fizzle out and become
worthless if it is started while the Moon is void of course. And VC Moons take an even more
advanced knowledge of astrology to determine than Mercury retrogrades. You are probably
going to have to pay someone to get this information!
Now that sounds pretty heavy, doesn't it? And it sounds like something we should all pay
attention to. Darn! I had better figure out when these VC Moons are so I can plan my life around
them! Life is like a mine field. Now I have to watch every step I make to make sure the Moon is
not void of course. But the truth is that the effect of a void of course Moon is not as they say. For
example, the longest running television show in history, The Tonight Show, was began while the
Moon was void of course. That one fact makes you realize that this myth is way off target. In my
own experience VC Moons tend to bring a steadiness to situations, a persevering quality. And it
is entirely possible that they have no effect at all.
The Truth about Transits
There is a fairly famous book called Planets in Transit by Robert Hand that is probably one
of the most worthless books I have ever read. You can go through all the trouble to figure out
what transits you are experiencing and when, and then read his book about what you can expect
to experience and I guarantee you that rarely will anything he describes actually happen to you.
After the disappointment of reading his book and some years of real life clients and studying the
charts of my loved ones, I determined some real stuff about transits and got rid of the junk. Here
are a couple of my conclusions:
1. You will have some sort of experience, an event, when there is a conjunction of a transiting
planet to one of your natal planets. These conjunctions are when some planet that is passing by,
moves right over the place where one of your planets was at the time of your birth. When this
occurs, an event will happen.
2. You will never experience a transiting trine, sextile or inconjunct as a distinctive event. These
influences are so subtle you will not even notice them unless you are looking carefully for them.
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Robert Hand's book has interpretations for every planet making most of these aspects and none
of that will likely happen.
3. You will experience squares (especially) and oppositions from the outer planets (Saturn Pluto) to your natal planets. These transits are the trouble-bringing or growth-bringing transits
and will all precipitate in some meaningful, if difficult events in your life.
4. The only Jupiter transit that yields an event is a conjunction. Jupiter is such a gift-giving
planet that it has no negative transits. The stressful aspects of squares and oppositions from
Jupiter will not yield negative events or experiences. There you have it in a nutshell. The rest is,
well, worthless.
Lunar and Solar Eclipses
Some astrology magazines and columns will warn you about lunar and solar eclipses,
another highly misunderstood and overstated problem. They will tell you not to plan or do much
before during or shortly after one of these events, as if they are some sort of astrological poison.
In fact lunar and solar eclipse are like a death and rebirth of that sun or moon on the day they
happen. But again, these will not affect you unless they aspect specific planets in your natal
chart. However, having a solar eclipse on your birthday is definitely not desirable. This will often
portend a year with some sort of darkness, perhaps a tragedy or health issue that overshadows the
year ahead. But for the most part, these eclipses come and go without notice and are nothing to
worry about.
Relocational Astrology and Solar Returns
In astrology there is a chart called a relocation chart that is done by substituting some other
location with your birth location. The theory is that if you are living somewhere else other than
your birthplace, which most of us are, that you get a somewhat different chart, changed by your
new location. So, astrologers will create these 'relocation charts' to tell you what this new
location will do for you. It doesn't work. And relocation charts have no meaning at all. If you
doubt my words on this, get one done for where you now live and see for yourself.
There are several prominent astrologers that make a lot of money sending their clients all
over the world for their solar returns. The solar return is basically your birthday - the day the sun
returns to its exact location it was at the time of your birth. However that day can vary a bit from
year to year. Some years, your solar return will be either a day less or greater than your actual
birthday. The theory with solar return charts is that they become like a birth chart for the new
year. The wrinkle that is sending people all over the planet on their birthday is that the place
where you are on your birthday will affect the house positions of the planets in your solar return
chart. For example, if you had a very well-aspected Venus or Jupiter in your solar return chart,
by being somewhere specific on your birthday, you could position the planet so that it brought its
great success to bear upon a specific area of your life, such as your career, health or personal
relationships. The theory sounds good but in practice it just doesn't work.
In my experience the solar return chart does have an impact and can be used to make some
predictions about the upcoming year, if it is done for the location you are living or will be living
for that year of your life. But just being at a certain location on your birthday is not going to
affect you if you immediately go back to where you are living. An accurate solar return will
created for where you intend to live for the year. People are wasting their time and money to get
solar return charts with no results from them. Don't believe me, just ask them.
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Stelliums of planets and special planetary configurations
A stellium is really just a bunch of planets in the same sign. Just recently there was a stellium of
planets, Sun, Mercury, Venus and Mars, all in the sign of Aries. Often when these stelliums
come, and especially when there are many of the outer planets concerned, some pot-smoking
amateur astrologers put out the word that some big and exciting metaphysical 'event' is going to
occur. They will assign it some cool name, like the Harmonic Convergence, and spread that
around along with a story of what it means and what is going to happen as a result. I have seen so
many of these come and go, with grandiose predictions about earth changes and angels coming
down to earth, etc. that I can spot them immediately. Nowadays they come through email,
circulated by the aforementioned amateurs. So far, and I have seen at least 20 of these in the past
12 years or so, none of their predictions have come true. This also includes reports about other
planetary configurations. I think just last year I received reports about a ‘Star of David’
configuration that occurred. Yes, it did occur. No, none of the predictions about it came true.
In fact, certain planetary alignments will appear when tremendous world events take place.
There were such an alignment on 9/11. Funny that none of these prophets caught that one. Just
because an email sounds convincing and intelligent, mostly because the writer is using some
astrological jargon that you don't understand, doesn't mean that any of it is true. The best policy
is to ignore these and chastise the people that send them.
The Sad State of American Vedic Astrologers
I have always had an interest in Vedic astrology since I spent ten years in a yoga school. I
just love the whole culture. So, I investigated vedic or Indian astrology a bit. When I did, I
realized that the subject was so vast that even at the age of 35 I would not have enough time to
really learn it well enough to do much with it. Plus, my energy was invested in western astrology
and I had to decide between the two. I chose western because I had already invested so much of
myself into it. But I did want to get a good reading for myself by an Indian astrologer. So it
wasn't long before I found someone who did it, a guy named Nilakanta who was a Hare Krishna
devotee. I got a reading and was fairly satisfied with it. But it really didn't seem like my reading
was as good as it could be. Then my wife got a reading from a fairly famous Indian astrologer in
Los Angeles called Chakrapani. I listened with great interest to her tape and was very
disappointed in his work. He spent at least 5 minutes at the beginning of the reading advertising
his other services. And the things he told her really didn't seem relevant or accurate for her. This
guy must be a Jack of Diamonds, the way he is constantly selling stuff during his paid readings.
Then I found a book by James Braha, an American guy who is well known as a vedic astrologer.
I read his book with anticipation, using my chart as a study tool and was again disappointed. The
interpretations did not fit. This James Braha guy, I thought, knows very little about Vedic
astrology. He was just one of the first American guys who wrote a book about it, and so had
become somewhat well known.
I was beginning to lose faith in the entire system but something inside me told me that
somewhere there are great Vedic astrologers who really know what they are talking about. I got
another reading from a guy in Los Angeles, I cannot remember his name, and again it just wasn't
even that useful. At this point none of the readings I had seen or had could even come close to
the relevance or accuracy of the readings I was doing in western astrology, and I wasn't even that
good and I knew it. So, I put the idea aside for a few years until I happened to discover a man
named Mamaji.
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Mamaji was an Indian man in his mid-sixties and he could not speak English. He was
visiting the yoga center where I used to live and I found out he had performed many readings
during his visit before I got there. After he found out about me and my work, he offered to trade
readings though I would have been happy to pay him for one of his. He had a friend with him
who could translate so we set up a reading.
Mamaji, it turned out, had been doing vedic astrology for over 50 years. This was his first
trip to America. When he began to speak during my reading, he said things that none of the other
astrologers had mentioned. I was amazed from the very start, as he began telling me about my
life from birth on. He mentioned many things that happened to me that I had forgotten and
explained how the speed of my planets affected their expression and how as they changed
speeds, as I grew older, that my karma would also change. He basically started from birth and
went through my childhood, teenage years and adult years, marking what he called 'turning
points' which were years when I made important transitions. He was amazingly accurate, which
made me even more excited when we got to the part about my future.
The predictions he made then have already began to come true, exactly when he said they would.
I can honestly say that this reading was among the top 3 received in my life. But I also realized
that it would be nearly impossible to find a man like Mamaji. I truly believe that there are none
in America who can even do the system justice and I cannot think of anyone I would
recommend. As for Mamaji, I tried to locate him later in India without success. If he surfaces
again I will let you know. I think that maybe, and I mean maybe, someday we will actually have
a great American Vedic astrologer. It is actually very hard to find a great Vedic astrologer in
India. But that could be a long time from now because the Vedic science is so vast that it takes
not only a lifetime of study, but also a sincere devotion to God to become masterful at it. So, my
advice is 'don't hold your breath.'
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The Effects of Culture
After traveling recently to both India and Russia recently it became apparent that the culture
that a person is born into and accustomed to will have a profound effect upon the way their life
plays out. This cultural effect should always be considered when doing a reading for someone
who may have a foreign heritage, as it may significantly alter the way you would interpret every
influence you see related to them.
In India, for example, the family unit is considered sacred. Most of the people there are
highly religious and so, follow a code of morality that guides their conduct and behavior. Their
particular religious bent is mostly Hindu with also a large faction of Muslims. If you wanted to
understand a particular individual in India, you would need to first understand the significance of
their religion and how it is practiced. The people in India usually take their religion very
seriously and thus it affects most every area of their life. You would be wise to know this if you
were reading for them because some patterns of behavior that are common in the US would be
very rare there and would not be expected to be played out.
One example is marriage and romance. Most Indian people follow a fairly strict pattern
when it comes to romance and marriage. The boy knows that to attract a bride, he must have
either a good education or some form of ample moneymaking. Having both would be the ideal.
Education in India is not only seen for its money-making potential but also that it helps create a
more refined individual as the schools there also focus on behavior, etiquette and other social
considerations. The mother of the bride holds a lot of power in the entire marriage procedure as
do the parents of both parties. But in particular, the proposed groom must meet with certain
qualifications before he will ever even see the proposed bride in person. He must pass certain
tests, mostly conducted by the mother of the proposed bride, before the two would even meet.
If he passes the initial tests then the two meet, their astrological charts compared and the two
would see if there was attraction. But falling in love is not a requirement. As a matter of fact, the
cultural belief is that love would develop over time after being married so it is not an initial
requirement. But still, the young couple would at least want to see an attraction, or at the very
least, that they would be able to ‘stand’ being married to the other. Factors that will affect the
long-term stability of the relationship and of raising the family are much more important than the
compatibility of the couple and how in love they are. Interesting, eh?
Once married the couple are expected to stay married for the duration of their lives. Divorce
is possible but highly frowned upon and basically denied by their religion. Thus, divorces do
happen but they are very rare. And even if the two do not actually get along that well, cheating
or having relations outside of the marriage is extremely rare.
This is a good example of just how different things can be from how it is here in the United
States. You could be reading for someone who is essentially un-marriageable here in the US but
in India would be married for life. The qualities of their card would certainly emerge but not in
the usual way in this area of life. Divorce cards would mean something else. Love affair cards
would mean something else. Everything you read about this person’s love or home life would
have to be evaluated in light of the prevailing cultural influence.
In the US there are pockets of culture that exist in certain areas and in certain families. They
are often people who have not been in the US that long or who have made an effort to preserve
the culture of their homeland while living here. And all these cultures are different in certain
respects. If you are reading for someone who has a strong foreign culture, it is in your best
interest to know how much this culture is still in effect. In general, foreign cultures tend to
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dissipate over time here in the US. Our media creates our culture and since most people are glued
to their TVs, internet and MP3 players, they are highly influenced by the American culture. You
can expect to see a degradation of their homeland culture to a degree depending upon how long
they have lived here. New generations are inevitably influenced by pop culture and thus it
replaces their native culture slowly but surely over time until the individuals are purely American
pop culture as are the rest of us.
Even so, some families and communities here in America have retained some of their native
culture to one degree or another. You would be wise to investigate some if you think this may be
a factor. Some cultures have men that are ‘machismo’ or patriarchal in nature. This basically
means that they treat women badly and see them as sex and other kinds of slaves rather than an
equal in a marriage. This is popular in some Latin American countries for example and in others.
It would be good to know if your female client is married to a man with a strong cultural
disposition to this way of being. And every single culture have their characteristics. Some forbid
marriage outside of their culture or faith. Some forbid divorce or strongly frown upon it. Divorce
in some cultures basically causes your family, friends and religious group to disown you and
exclude you completely. There are a variety of cultural expectations and it would be a big
decision for your client to go against them. The need to feel included is one of our strongest
human needs. That need is often denied when we go against our culture. For this reason, many
will not go against their culture, even if they are now living in America with new rules. Your
awareness of these things will only benefit both you and your clients.
The Q♦ and 3♣
Years ago, when Tom Cruise was just getting married to his second wife, Nicole Kidman, I
predicted he would have three marriages. At that time he and Nicole seemed the perfect match,
like a couple that would stay together for a lifetime. Now, Tom has proposed to Katie Holmes,
which, if he goes through with it, will be his third marriage. How did I know? Well, for starters,
he and I share the same birthday with me ten years his senior. I was in my third marriage when
he began his second. But more importantly he is a Q♦ and it is a very common experience for
Q♦ to have three or more marriages. Seeing that Tom Cruise is sort of following in my footsteps,
I feel safe now saying that he will have four marriages before he is done. Sounds kind of funny
to say that but I have been studying Tom carefully the past ten years and he acts a lot like me,
seems to have similar motivations and characteristics. I am now considering my 4th and I bet he
will do the same some day in the future.
What is it about the Q♦ that causes so many marriages? Why do they even get married in
the first place if they are just going to get divorced later? What is it that keeps driving them to
marriage and then driving them out of it a while later? I believe that the answer to most of these
questions is mostly the effect of the many Three cards in their Life Spread, but especially the 3♣
in Venus and the 3♠ in Mars. They also have a 3♦ as a first Karma Card and a 5♥ in Mercury.
All of these contribute but I think the Threes play the biggest role.
Hugh Hefner is another famous Q♦ and his Planetary Ruling Card is the 3♣, the Author’s
Card, which explains his penchant for publishing. But what he is most famous for are the many
women he keeps as company. He also has had multiple marriages. He now just has at least two
girlfriends all the time, not one like he used to.
Lately I have been watching how my mind works when it comes to love, romance and marriage.
For whatever reason, I have never been so aware of it as lately. And I can see that my mind is
like a hamster on a treadmill, just going around and around. The more I think about love, the
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more questions I have. There seems to be no end to the questions and different viewpoints I can
have about love and the choice of a partner. And I see that there is no end to the kinds of women
that I am attracted to, along with the reality that no one woman could possibly have all the
various traits that I love. This all comes from my 3♣ in Venus. You see, the 3♣ is an ideagenerating influence. Put that creative force in the love department of a person and this is what
you get. Essentially what a Three does is keep adding something to what is there. Many of the
best ideas just take something that you already know and add a twist to it. Artists and writers
have this knack. But put this same energy into the love and romance department and you get
someone who continually wants something or someone that he or she does not have. No matter
how wonderful the mate you are with is, he or she could never have all the possible qualities that
are available. Thus there is a sense of eternal dissatisfaction in the love life, like someone
questing for an impossible dream.
I have had many 3♣ clients, mostly women, and a number of 3♣ friends. I watch them with
amazement because I see reflected in them my own love nature. They share some of my same
traits, always thinking about love and sort of eternally dissatisfied with what they have. They
come up with new ways to look at life every week, along with a fair amount of uncertainty and
doubt, just as I do in my love life. Since they are my Venus card I always like them even if I am
embarrassed by the reflection I see in them.
One 3♣ friend of mine would have an entirely new plan for his life every single week. One
week he was going to buy a boat and sail around the world. I was very convinced that he would
do it, or should I say, he was very convincing. However, the very next week he had abandoned
that plan and was now going to buy a toy-making business and run that. Then, a week later, his
plan had changed entirely again. After about 3 months of these weekly changes I realized that I
couldn’t really take anything he said very seriously. Then I reflected on the process I go through
thinking about my love life and I see the same pattern. And now I tend to take myself very less
seriously than before when it comes to the love and marriage department. It’s just my ideagenerating 3♣ in Venus doing its weekly workout.
The 3♣ in Venus also bestows other characteristics. One is that it gives the Q♦ a fair
amount of romantic drive and the gift of a verbal seduction. This quality is enhanced by the
vertical K♥ in Venus in our Life Spread. It’s a lot like being a Jack in that the Q♦ can become
very creative when romantically motivated. I actually amaze myself sometimes with the things
that I say when I am interested in someone. We Q♦ can write great love letters, poems and songs
about love and to our beloved. There is lots of artistic talent in Q♦ and many are or have been
successful artists of one sort or the other.
On the other side the same 3♣ brings worry, uncertainty and doubt to the romantic life of the
Q♦. After three failed marriages, for example, I often doubt if I can actually sustain a long-term
committed relationship even though I am convinced that I want it. And I have always had many
fears connected to love and marriage, mostly a fear of abandonment, which is common for Q♦.
Add to that an inclination to always be looking for more than I have and you can see why
relationships are so tough. These qualities vary from one Q♦ to the next and may manifest in a
variety of ways but the underlying uncertainty is always there, being expressed in one way or the
other. This underlying uncertainty and worry about whether or not there will be enough love is
often one of the main reasons that the Q♦ gets married to begin with. It’s for the security of
knowing that there will be love there. Marrying for this reason usually results in the Q♦ feeling
trapped and wanting out, no matter how wonderful his or her mate actually is.
When a Q♦ gets divorced it is most often just because they want something new and
different in the love department. Threes hate routine, boredom and sameness. I believe that Tom
Cruise has experienced what I have: even though married to a wonderful woman, he started to
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get bored with her and wanted something and someone new and different. Bored is sort of a
harsh word when applied to a relationship. But, for lack of a better word, it does tell the 3♣
story.
As my years are bringing more wisdom I can see that success in a long term relationship for
me will have to entail a certain amount of mental discipline. I will have to curb the wanderings
of my mind and focus in on what I have if I am to ever stay with someone more than a few years.
I still have uncertainty about the boredom factor. Could I ever be happy with just one person
forever?
The Q♦ is not the only card that has a Three in Venus. Add to the list the 8♦, 5♥ and 10♠.
Among these the 8♦ and 5♥ display more of the traits because the 10♠ has strong Karma Cards
that help prevent changes in love and marriage (Q♥ and 4♥). 8♦ are also known for multiple
marriages as are the 5♥. The 3♥ card is essentially the same influence as a 3♣ in Venus. Hearts
are Venus energy and the number Three is Club energy. All the cards with the 3♥ in their Life
Spread will have some of this 3♣ in Venus behavior. These include the 2♠, 8♥, 6♣, 6♠, Q♥,
10♣, 8♦, K♠ and A♣. It is not quite as strong as it is in the Q♦ but there are many examples
that seem very similar. Larry King, for example, is an A♣ and he has had more than four
marriages.
Whether the 3♥ and 3♣ in Venus are a curse or a blessing depends on how you look at it. If
you value family, stability and long term relationships, I say they are a curse. The artistic and
creative contribution can be great however. And like all other things in life, ultimately everything
is just an experience. We choose to be whatever card we are to have the unique experience
associated with it. Florence Campbell had some compassion for Q♦ in her book, Sacred Symbols
of the Ancients. But she also knew that they were often at fault for their many problems.
Considered one of the two most difficult cards in the deck, the karmic burden is great. Ah, but
the lessons can lead to enlightenment when the Q♦ turns to spirituality, which most of them do.
Uranus and Relationships
Each of the planets in our natal chart has a unique effect on our personal relationships. The
planets that most affect relationships in an astrological natal chart are the Sun, Moon, Venus,
Mars and the Ascendant, which is not a planet but the sign that was on the eastern horizon at the
moment of birth. If I were determining the suitability of someone for relationship or marriage, I
would look at these five, their relationships (aspects) to each other and their aspects to the other
planets, Jupiter through Pluto and Chiron. Among these other planets the planet Uranus has a
definite effect that can be bottom line as to whether or not a person can even sustain a long-term
relationship. Some of the aspects that Uranus makes can be deal-breakers. That is, they can be a
symbol for personality traits that make it nearly or practically impossible to sustain anything
other than a casual, short-term relationship. Therefore it is wise to check Uranus and its aspects
at the outset of any new relationship. It tends to act unexpectedly so it may not show up for a
while at all. But it will definitely show up sooner or later and when it does it can change or
destroy the current relationship.
The nature of Uranus is freedom and unexpected change. The position of our natal Uranus
often denotes the area and the way we express our individuality. Uranus is the super-Mercury,
the knowingness that comes on so strong that it cannot be denied expression. If Uranus conjuncts
one of our natal planets, it gives a strong sense of individuality to us in that department of life.
For example, my Uranus conjuncts my natal Mars in my 10th house. This causes me to act rashly
and suddenly (Uranus) with passion and aggression (Mars). The 10th house position of these
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combined planets causes me to want a career (10th house) that is totally unique (Uranus). Uranus
by itself in a chart is usually not as significant as when it combines with other planets to form
aspects. Conjunctions (unions), Trines and Inconjuncts tend to express themselves in a positive
manner. Squares and Oppositions tend to cause problems and conflicts, both within the
individual and in their relationships with others.
When Uranus makes a stressful aspect of a Square or Opposition to a natal planet, it
indicates an area where we tend to act rashly out of a subconscious fear of losing our freedom or
individuality. As you can imagine, you will frequently find these squares in the natal charts of
people whose Birth Card or Planetary Ruling Card is a Three, Five or Jack. Threes are not
normally associated with this freedom issue but most of them are related closely to, or situated
just next to, a Five and so receive the same influence to varying degrees. As you can imagine,
some of these Uranus aspects will tend to cause problems when the individual attempts to pursue
an intimate relationship. The reason it is so hard to deal with is that usually the individual is
unaware of this fear of losing individuality or freedom. Without knowing why, they will find a
myriad number of ways to sabotage their relationships. If they were aware enough to feel the
underlying fear, they would have the opportunity to act on their own. Alas, most people are not
and so they are just doing what I call the ‘freedom dance’ without knowing it, all the while
wondering why they can never seem to sustain an intimate relationship. The truth is that their
fear of losing their individuality or freedom is imaginary. But it would be hard to convince them
because it occurs as a spontaneous impulse, usually without any forethought. Uranus is often
pictured as a lightning bolt that hits without warning and quickly. It is impossible to predict
when this urge for freedom will strike and this causes a certain uneasiness in the mind and heart
of anyone who is in a relationship with someone who possesses stressful Uranus aspects in their
chart.
Uranus, making stressful aspects to planets in a chart, will make intimacy nearly impossible.
As soon as the person starts to open up and get close to someone else, the fear creeps in and they
pull back or push away. They will first attract someone, then push them away. I am sure
everyone reading this has known someone like this. On one hand they want a relationship,
perhaps very much so. But on the other they keep resisting the natural process of getting closer
and manage to alienate their partner so as to create distance between them. This would be true to
some extent to Uranus squaring the Sun, Moon, Venus and Ascendant. If you meet someone with
one of these squares in their chart, you can expect this behavior up front. It will be hard to get
close to such a person, especially the one with Uranus square the Moon or Ascendant. If you like
or need a strong sense of emotional intimacy you would best avoid people with these aspects.
All the Uranus squares also create a life-long sense of bad timing. As a super version of
Mercury, Uranus controls or governs the timing of our actions in life. When in stressful aspect,
we tend to act out in a declaration of our freedom at the wrong time. What often happens is that
when a person has one or more of these squares, they will act out boldly for their freedom and
independence. But the timing of that act will cause the destruction of situations that they have
been working on building for a long time, like a job or relationship.
When Uranus squares or opposes Venus it creates the distinct aspect that is often called the
'fling aspect.’ Here the person gets sudden and unexpected, but also powerful, attractions to
potential lovers. Without other aspects in a chart that would modify this expression, the person
would just resign themselves to a life of one short-term fling after another. I have met such
people many times. To them, a long-term relationship is a fairy tale, not something they will ever
experience. Their relationships begin as a powerful attraction, usually ending their previous
relationship. And then, just as suddenly as it begins, it ends, often just days later. This is
definitely an aspect you would look for in the chart of a potential mate, a deal-breaker. If you see
it there, no matter how much you think you like this person, just move on. You will save yourself
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a lot of pain and suffering. That is, of course, unless you have the same aspect yourself. In that
case the two of you would be able to enjoy the affair without expectations of the future. It is
much better to be able to accept such a person, and yourself for that matter, than to try to change
them.
When Uranus makes good aspects to the Moon, Venus, Sun, Mars and Ascendant, the
individual will have a more balanced expression of their urge for freedom. The freedom urge will
be strong, however. For example, Uranus making good aspect with Venus will create a desire in
the person to have a strong friendship with their mate or lover. They will want to be ‘friends
first’ and enjoy a certain amount of distance in the relationship. The difference is that they will
not destroy the relationship in the process of expressing this urge neither will they have the urge
to run off with the next person they meet who turns them on.
When I do a relationship analysis for someone, Uranus is one of the first planets I check. As
you can see, it can make all the difference in a person’s desire and ability to have a long-term
relationship. But it also clues me in to what sort of relationship would be most comfortable and
natural for this person. Uranus is not strong in all individuals. But when it is, it must be
recognized and considered because it will have a strong impact on that individual and the
partnerships he or she forms.
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes
This is Mr. Cruise’s potential 3rd
marriage and according to the latest news,
it appears to be a sure thing. She is even
becoming a Scientologist in preparation to
be with her leading man. Are they
compatible? You bet! Actually this may be
the most compatible relationship Tom has
ever had. I am the same birthday as Tom
and I have a saying that I have never met a
K♥ that I didn’t really like. It is almost
hard to explain. Sure there is a vertical
Venus connection but there are also two
Saturn connections so one would think
there could be some problems.
However, I have never seen this to be
true. Tom is a Q♦ with an A♦ Planetary
Ruling Card. Katie is the same birthday as
Brad Pitt, a Sagittarius K♥ with a 2♦
Planetary Ruling Card. Because Tom has a
3♦ Karma Card and an A♦ Planetary
Ruling Card, they have two Moon
connections, one going each way. From my
experience, the connection between the A♦
and 2♦ is the strongest of these and in that
one, Tom is the Moon card to Katie.
This often shows up in pictures of the
two together where Katie is often on Tom’s right side as pictured here, indicating her being in
the more leadership, or Sun role. This also would explain his recent behavior and statements he
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has made in public about just how crazy he is about her. When we are Moon to someone we tend
to adore them and never get tired of them. Since they both are Moon to each other, this
relationship could last a long time, if Tom were not a Q♦!
Katie is very marriageable. Both her Birth and Ruling Cards are very relationship-oriented.
They tend to be stable and to stay in relationships for a very long time. Tom, on the other hand,
already has two strikes against him. No matter how spiritual he is, he is still sorting out what it
means to be a Q♦/A♦ (see my article on the Q♦ in this same issue for more on this). This
marriage may be his best yet but it remains to be seen whether or not he can make it really long
term. I must say, however, that his choice is excellent and his chances are good. It really comes
down to how well he understands himself and is able to take responsibility for his two previous
failed marriages.
Katie is displacing the 4♥ this year and has a 4♣/J♣ right now in Jupiter, which is when she
accepted Tom's proposal. No date is set as of now but I expect it will not take long. Though I
haven’t written about it extensively, Tom’s Decanate Ruling Card is the J♣ and we see several
instances of it in her spreads. It is her Environment Card in her Birth Card spread and her
Displacement Card in her Planetary Ruling Card spread. In her Birth Card spread, she has an A♣
Long Range. I usually interpret the A♣ as if it were a 2♥ since that is its Cosmic Soul Twin.
This means that if you have an A♣ in your spread somewhere, it may show up as a 2♥ as well as
the usual meaning associated with the A♣. She also has an A♥ Long Range Card in her
Planetary Ruling Card spread. All in all, she has a lot of hearts and instances of Tom’s cards this
year. Next year she has a wedding card, the 10♥, as her Environment Card. In attempting to
predict when she will get married, I see instances of marriage cards in her Mercury, Venus, Mars
and Neptune periods. Comparing those with Tom’s cards it looks more likely to occur in
December just after her birthday, which is in Tom’s Jupiter period.
Things look good but I notice that both of Tom’s significators are found in her Saturn period
next year. Undoubtedly something difficult will occur in her life regarding him in July and
August of 2006. But I don’t think this will cause a breakup by any means. And scanning down
the upcoming years for both I do not see any indicators of divorce. I do see some challenges in
the year following their marriage, however. The various celebrity scandal magazines keep close
tabs on new couples like this so we will undoubtedly know what is going on as it occurs.
Tom has been in Neptune since May 12th and much of the latest developments occurred in
this period. It may occur that things look a little different to him once his birthday has passed.
And that’s the same time period as Katie’s Saturn period so stay tuned.
If Tom and Katie do break up or divorce some day, I predict that this will be the hardest of
Tom’s breakups. When we are Moon to someone, we are usually the one who suffers the most
when the relationship ends. I will be very curious to see what happens this next year, especially
in Katie’s Saturn period where she has Tom as Saturn twice. I get the feeling that because she is
young she doesn’t realize yet the power she has in this relationship. When the pressure is on, I
think she will step forward. Saturn can surely bring on the pressure.
Since Tom and I share the same birthday, I tend to follow his personal life closely to look for
correlations. I have found many, including cards of mates that matched up, along with a strong
interest in spirituality. So, I will be following the developments in this new relationship closely
as well and will make reports when new events occur. I certainly wish him well and Katie too.
121

Visions - Book of Destiny EUniverse

Transcription

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