Due to the OVERWHELMING amounts of spam comments being posted here and the fact that I spend more time clearing them out of my inbox than actually writing new posts, I’ve made some changes.

#1) posts older than a certain date will be closed for comments automatically. If you’d like to comment on a closed post, please email me at: Andrew @ AndrewTarot.com

#2) I’m considering a login-requirement for posting comments at all.

Thank you for understanding.

Apologies for the long absence. The holiday season (heck, the last quarter of the year!) is an especially hectic and busy time, but now that the Year of the Lovers has officially begun, it’s time to start blogging again!

So what is it with all these spam comments I keep getting from drugs?

Not from people on drugs.

Not drug companies.

The actual pharmaceuticals?

It’s like the spambots have tourettes, or something…

On the upside, the comments are all nice, polite and uplifting (if devoid of context, grammar or spelling)

Looks like Randall Munroe was right.

I was supposed to post about the day before Reader’s Studio 2012, but instead I got overwhelmed with travel and preparation for the convention.

So fired. I know

Instead, in a day or so, I will post a recap of the event, and how the last card in the 22day countdown applied to the convention as a whole.

Stay tuned!

Next to last post, next to last post, nexttolastpost!

Ahem.

The trouble with family is you often get stuck with the group consensus, which today meant a long drive out to “a nice town on the Delaware river” to go antiquing and tourist-trapping. Stuck with it we were, and stick with it we did.

With the Wheel of Fortune in mind, I said: “heck with it, lets go and see what we see.” In the leather shop I got a new coin wallet (I’ve been looking for a new one for a while now),  in another I found a pair of shoes that’ll go great with the rest of my nice clothes for the Readers’ Studio dress up evening, and in another we acquired some… more personal items for fun later We also got ice-cream, and chocolate-covered bacon strips, and overall had a nice walk and a pleasant day.

Sometimes you have to roll where the wind blows you, and take a chance on what you’ll find. “That’s how I roll,” says the Wheel of Fortune.

Tomorrow’s card is: The High Priestess (ain’t that appropriate!?), plus it’s the LAST DAY BEFORE RS2012!

Today’s card is The Hermit. And it couldn’t come at a better time.

As a mostly introverted person putting time aside for recuperating from social events is a must. It’s not that I’m antisocial, it’s that social situations take more energy out of me than they put in; they’re exhausting physically, mentally and socially. So I need a timeout now and then. I didn’t exactly get one today, and the Hermit is here to remind me the price of overextending myself.

We went to Manhattan today. Enough said, right? Busiest, noisiest, most crowded place in the western world. Not the most restive of places for an already-overextended Introvert… Still, we got to see some awesome places, did a bit of shopping, overate at a nifty diner where the staff sing modern showtunes while they serve you. (Seriously, our dessert was accompanied by a duet-rendition from Wicked.) And then home again.

Where I promptly crashed into a nap until past dinnertime and apparently missing out on some awesome Portuguese restaurant dining and family time. The Hermit today reminded me -the hard way- to respect my need to sleep. You see, for me, The Hermit also moonlights as Mister Sandman. As a dreamer, sleep is my refuge; dreamtime my sanctuary. “Miss an regular check-in at your own peril, buddy,” says The Hermit. Ignore and avoid those subconscious needs and the universe will take it’s cue and resolve things in it’s own manner.

Right then. Time for some Advil PM and off to dreamland to right the imbalance.

Tomorrow’s card is the Wheel of Fortune.

2 days to Reader’s Studio 2012!

Today’s card is The Heirophant.

Sunday. Family dinner time. Extended family dinner time. The house is roaring with a dozen different conversations. Screaming waves of small children pass by periodically, chasing or being chases by imaginary monsters, I can’t tell. Courses of dinner are cooking and I am salivating waiting for them. I am writing this from a quiet corner, a momentary escape from the cacophony of boisterous lesser kinstrife, and it’s hard to concentrate on what the Heirophant is here to say today.

So I asked the Tarot for help; shuffling and drawing three cards, I ask:

Why is he here? Ten of Wands! Too much information! Too many conversations. Too. Much. NOISE! He’s here, to help me deal with the flooding the senses, which are threatening to give me a migraine.

What would he be thinking: Seven of Coins; patience in the face of temptation and expediency. The Hierophant sits above his circle of Cardinals, listening to their conversations and hearing their petitions. He bides his time and marshals his strengths for when the time is right.

What would he do (or tell me to do) next: Justice! He knows that he will be called upon to settle questions of canon. The conclave will eventually turn to him in seeking his wisdom in resolving debate; his will be the tie-breaking decision; he is the arbiter of justice. His actions will set precedence and have effects far and wide from the events at hand. The Hierophant knows all of this, and knows he must choose wisely.

I’m so going to need a drink by the end of the evening…

Tomorrow’s card: The Hermit! (and not a moment too soon! cries my inner introvert)

Todays card is Temperance. The ultimate alchemist; the master mixologist. Temperance is about blending and balancing disparate elements of life. To find new combinations to keep life fresh and revitalized, inspired and zesty.

New Jersey is a different world from California. After a day of adjusting to the different time zones and local dialect, it is time to put these new experiences to good use. Temperance asks: “What can i do with these changes in routine. How do i reconcile these alternate opinions and viewpoints? Where can i integrate into the new ME?”

I blog this as I wait to board my plane to New York. The say is long over and it’s a good time to reflect upon the passing Sun. While we depend on the Sun, we also need the night. I’ll do my best to rest on while on the plane. I’ll even try the old “shot of whiskey and Tylenol PM” trick.

The Sun means respecting the night and the sleep cycle and taking the downtime for myself.

Tomorrow’s blog will be Temperance from New York!

Today’s card is The Fool. Being the very first Major Arcana, the Fool is appropriate for the eve of leaving on our trip. It’s about the moment of packing bags, turning off the electronics at home and make sure to lock the door on the way out. The Fool embraces the change of environment, new sights and new sensations. As an introvert, this is a… daunting proposition. Leaving my comfort zone is always an effort. Just to get on the plane, I’ll need to embrace The Fool. (Gods, I hate flying).

The Fool is about accepting risks and taking chances. You’ll never grow until you try. Failure is always an option, and generally not a terrible one; we learn more from our failures than from our successes. The Fool says: “Time to pack away those fears (most of which can be dealt with good preparation anyway), close your eyes and step off that cliff with me.” Rose and I like to say to each other: “Thank you for taking my hand and joining me on this adventure,” and it’s the mantra of our friendship, our marriage and our outlook on life.

Life is about change and I’ll never change if I don’t manifest The Fool and accept the risk.

Tomorrow’s card: The Sun

P.S. If you want some more ideas of mine about The Fool, check out one my first posts here.