If we are honest with ourselves, we know we battle our lesser angels daily – the soothing little voices in our heads giving us permission to do as we please rather than what is best, such as:

• Going to the gym (“You are so tired. Go home and relax – exercise another day.”)
• Eating right (“You had salad yesterday. Have the double cheeseburger – you earned it.“)
• Staying on budget (“You work so hard, you deserve a splurge. Buy it!“)

We fight these little battles every day, sometimes we win and sometimes we do not, but we battle because we know the slippery slope of self-indulgence is as dangerous as Mt Everest if you lose your grip.

In my opinion, the most dangerous of these self-indulgences is schadenfreude (defined simply as pleasure at someone else’s misfortune); this is where the Lesser Angel burns darkest, a double whammy – not only is someone else already hurt but your joy in it not only slips you further down the slope but it also earns dark karma debt you will have no choice but to pay.

IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT KARMA AND SCHADENFREUDE: It does not matter in the least whether or not “they had it coming!” Karmic debt is individual – what you do is what matters.

There is nothing so insidious as self-justification (i.e. He deserves what he got because he did something to me.) and everyone understands the desire to see the bad guy “get his,” and the good guy win the day. Please think about this: have you ever noticed the hero does not cheer, not for his victory and not for the other guy’s loss. Why? Because it would be a profound lack of grace. And it is in that very lack of grace the lesser angel gains ground, gets stronger.

REMINDER: Karma plays rougher than you think.

Whether you believe in equal, threefold or five-fold return, it is important to remember Karma has the heart of an IRS Auditor (on a chain around her neck); not only will you pay for your behavior but there will be interest and a stiff penalty besides. There is no appeals process, all decisions are final, and energy is infinite; you may not pay in this life but that does not mean you “got away with it.” Each deed is meticulously recorded and reviewed separately; while good karma could earn positive rewards or energy, bad karma will certainly teach you a lesson. Hopefully, you will be aware enough to learn the lesson and not repeat the behavior that earned it.

What you do is what matters.

It really is just that simple. Know it, believe it, and understand it, because you are responsible for it in every lifetime.

The Lovers (Card VI) portrays duality (male/female, fire/water, earth/air. mortal/divine) working in concert without hesitation. And sadly, for most of us, that is exactly the stumbling point. Our world has become black and white; constant media diversions meant to polarize our thoughts and feelings, distracting us from real issues, honest events, and straight-forward action plans. We have allowed ourselves to become two-dimensional.

The Lovers reminds us of the importance of true expression in an authentic life. Thoughts, feelings, ideas, actions, and beliefs all play a part in our lives, and we must be honest with ourselves and others about who we are. My authentic life, my true path, my real self, must live and work together for my internal harmony.

No internal harmony, no external harmony. It’s that simple.

THE MESSAGE: embrace your duality! 

Speaking for myself, a tarot card reader with an MBA, duality is nothing to fear – I live out loud, alive and in 3-D. I am happy to speak about tarot cards, marketing strategy, literature, insurance trends; I embrace my own diversity and I welcome it in others. Do not hide the parts of you that “don’t fit” because there is no such thing. All the parts fit because all the parts are you – love and appreciate them all.

This is the constant reminder of The Lovers.

Simply explained, Conservation of Misery states there is a finite amount of misery; the only way to lessen my share is increase the misery for someone else. Let’s look at this in practice:

Step 1: I stub my toe, it hurts and I want it to stop.

Step 2: I stomp on your toe, it hurts and you want it to stop.

Step 3: We both have throbbing toes.

Hmm…that does not seem to have worked. Let’s try again:

Step 1: You drink too much, become drunk and obnoxious.

Step 2: I decide to keep you company (what a friend I am !) and I drink too much, become drunk and obnoxious.

Step 3: We get into several fights – with each other and others – miraculously find our ways home, to be sick the next morning.

Hmm…that does not seem to have worked any better. I wonder why….. (SPOILER ALERT)….

BECAUSE IT IS RIDICULOUS, THAT’S WHY!!

Misery is not finite, it is a virus as contagious as the common cold. We are warned “Misery loves company” but that is not true; an accurate statement would be “Misery requires company” because that is how viruses spread. From time to time, even the most content people have disappointment, sadness, frustration, anger (all forms of misery looking to grow their colonies). I am not suggesting suffer in silence – in fact, I would never suggest swallowing suffering as that just makes it stronger with possibly tragic results – it is certainly a good idea to share your thoughts and feelings with your tribe (or village, if you prefer). Cry if that makes you feel better but be careful not to wallow too long; misery is insidious and will trick you with a false comfort leeching happiness from future moments.

REMINDER: YOUR BEING HURT IS NOT A BLANK CHECK TO HURT OTHERS!!

What is not a good idea, indeed a very, very bad idea, to lash out at your people because you are hurting. You are not a wild animal, you are a human adult so please act accordingly and treat people with kindness and respect as you yourself would like to be treated. And if you have not been treated with the kindness and respect you deserve, dust yourself off and lead by example.

The best cure for misery? Happiness. Choose to be happy in the small moments: walk through fallen leaves, catch snowflakes on your tongue, linger in the falling spring rain, watch the butterflies dance, look up at the full moon and marvel at her light, or any of a billion other small moments we are given to enjoy.

Happiness is both the prevention and the cure for misery – take it in big gulps every day.

Learning to go with the flow of life, its energy, and its events, can be a difficult thing. As thinking beings, we want to control our lives and surroundings as much as possible, for safety and comfort. But if we are honest, we must admit life is generally not that easily managed and many things are outside of our control; much of the time, this is a source of anxiety.

Well-meaning people (including me!) say things meant to help us “get a grip”  but generally sound insulting. Common phrases such as:

•  Lighten up = You are taking this too seriously (Says you! You may think it is unimportant but you cannot see the impact the issue is having on me.)
• Let it go = You shouldn’t feel that way (No one has the right to dictate someone else’s feelings.)
• It’s not about you = Don’t be so self-absorbed/selfish (CAUTION: Likely the speaker is trying to manipulate you; I have been told this on topics such my birthday, my wedding, my pregnancy – if those were not about me, I would genuinely like to know what is about me.)
• Just walk away = Move on to the next thing (Actually, this one very much depends on the speaker; if you have been throwing in resources, good after bad, you may need a reminder to cut your losses. Unfortunately, much of the time this actually means, “Bored now.”)
• Get over it = Let it go and just walk away (THE BIGGEST OFFENDER: people will say this to you, often casually but sometimes forcefully, but they do not tell you how to get over it. If you are struggling with genuine hurt, angst, etc., this is little more than being told “Calm down” insulting, trivializing, not useful.

!!WARNING: CONTRADICTION APPROACHING!!

The grains of good advice are present in those phrases, and I suggest we learn to take this advice from ourselves. For your own benefit, use self-inventory to gauge your actions, reactions, feelings and motivations. Ask:

“Could I be more rational in this moment?”

“Is this really unforgivable?”

Or any other question (or questions – your call) you feel helpful. I sometimes allow things to loom too large for no reason other than my own fear, anger, dread, ego, etc.; when this occurs, I tell myself in no uncertain terms, “KNOCK IT OFF!”

HELPFUL HINT: YOU CANNOT CONTROL EVERYTHING, SO IT MAY NOT BE YOUR FAULT

Let go of things you cannot control; we cannot stop the rain or speed up the post office so do not fret, do not waste the energy – you will need that energy to deal with reorganizing the party venue or paying the bills – just because it is not your fault does not mean you will not be responsible for dealing with it. Pace yourself.

REMEMBER:  Life is all about how you handle Plan B

Living Tarot: The Hierophant.

The Hierophant (Card v), archetype of the spiritual world. Yowza!

((If you would like a more thorough explanation of this (or any other) tarot card, I suggest you make use of the many on-line forums readily available.)) 

The true beauty of tarot is its universal relatability; no matter your spiritual beliefs or religious affiliations, each card depicts an aspect of life in this world – some tangible (gathering resources) some more ethereal (gathering ideas) – all common to the human condition. Certainly some archetypes are more relatable than others; The Hierophant is definitely less relatable, not because he is elusive but because he is ever-present. The Divine Spark is always present within us all, and as a result, we take it for granted. The Hierophant represents that very crucial spark.

Embracing The Hierophant in our lives, and sharing it with others, is one of the more simple pathways:

• Live in the moment: The Divine is present in every moment but looking behind or ahead cheats the positive impact on our lives. If we live in the moment, The Hierophant can speak to us.
• Hear your inner voice: Do not dismiss your inner voice; communication starts as a whisper – we must allow the message to be heard.
• Ask, “Who or what does this serve?”: This question is always important but it is particularly important for listening to the inner voice. The Hierophant delivers positive spiritual guidance (and warnings); if the message does not serve a positive outcome, you do not need it. (And it is probably not from The Hierophant.)
• Ask, “Is this true to my best self?”: The only right answer is yes. (See previous re positive outcome).

The Hierophant is incredibly accessible but we must want the message; blissful ignorance will not be tolerated in his realm. If you do not want the answer, The Hierophant will send it anyway.